Lock selection by landlords

[Sam Leon]

which brand of locks do you use at your rentals?

The good stuff Medeco? Baldwin?

Middle of the road Schlage?

Lower end kwikset?

Or even Defiant from the home depot?

I used to use medeco, impossible to get in with a bump key, but to duplicate a key you need to send in a code and pay $25 for one key. Too much hassle.

But then for properties with glass lite doors or French doors does it really matter?

Would also be interested in properties in rehab, where there is no coverage for theft and burglary, and you have expensive tools, materials and appliances in staging areas. What type of locks do you use? Do you install an alarm system while rehabbing?

[Michael Seeker]

100% agree with @Cal C. - if you're not using LLL then you should be. They do have a website that I pretty much use as a catalogue (I don't order off of it). The site is a bit clunky, but as soon as I know what I want (or if I've ordered it in the past) I call them and give them my name and what I want. If it's similar to a past order (I almost always order a deadbolt and handleset) then I ask them to look that up and give me X of this and Y of that.

They come pre-keyed for a master that you get with your first order and then every order in the future is keyed on a separate key (unless you want replacement/duplicate) and works on your master.

I've got my master on the ring with my house key and car key and can get into any of my apartments at any time and change out a lock in seconds. These are Kwikset locks with a special change-out key, so you are getting top quality as well.

I've got no affiliation with them other than that I've been a very satisfied customer for years! Every time I buy a new building the first thing I do is count the deadbolts and handles and order my new ones.

Link: http://landlordlocks.com/