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Updated 2 days ago on . Most recent reply

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Tim Horning
  • Finger Lakes NY
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How do you deal with tenants losing keys?

Tim Horning
  • Finger Lakes NY
Posted

I have a friend who owns a few rooming houses and occasionally has a tenant lose their key and lock themselves out. He self manages, so he usually ends up delivering a spare key which is a huge time suck. How do other property owners or managers handle these situations? 

  • Tim Horning
  • Most Popular Reply

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    Mohammed Rahman
    • Real Estate Broker
    • New York, NY
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    Mohammed Rahman
    • Real Estate Broker
    • New York, NY
    Replied

    Yeah, constantly driving over to let someone in gets old fast—especially if it's late at night or happens often. A lot of landlords and managers handle lockouts with a mix of prevention and systems that don’t require them to be there in person.

    Some of the common ways people deal with it:

    They install smart locks or keypad entry systems, which are a game changer. You can generate codes for each tenant or just reset them remotely if needed. Some locks even let you track when someone enters. It’s a little upfront investment, but saves so much time and hassle.

    Others just keep a lockbox on-site (like the realtor-style ones) with a spare key inside, and only give the code to tenants in case of emergency. You just have to make sure it’s secure and not super obvious.

    Some landlords also charge a lockout fee—$50, $100, whatever—to discourage carelessness and make it worth the trip if they do have to show up. If your friend doesn’t want to be the one doing it, they can even pay a handyman or local locksmith to handle those calls for a fee.

    It just depends how hands-on your friend wants to be. But in general, tech + boundaries = less stress.

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