Do you rekey when turning over a rental?
104 Replies
Mary Mitchell
Rental Property Investor from Eugene, OR
posted about 1 month ago
I always rekey all the doors in my rentals when I flip the units for a new tenant as I always worry about the liability of keys floating around.
What is your practice ?
What would be a landlords liability if a key from a previous tenant was used to break in and steal?
Alex S.
Specialist from Cleveland, OH
replied about 1 month ago
Never thought about it, but I would say it’s a good idea.
Mike S.
from Huntsville, AL
replied about 1 month ago
I've installed smartkey locks on all my rentals and rekey everytime.
Keith A.
Rental Property Investor from Texas
replied about 1 month ago
I always rekey as well the minute the tenant is out. Tenants that have just moved out tend to keep coming back to check their old mailboxes, so I secure the property as soon as possible.
Jennifer T.
Investor from New Orleans, Louisiana
replied about 1 month ago
I also always re-key all locks. Not so much because I worry about the previous tenant, but there's no telling who they might have given the key to. It keeps it "clean". JIC the new tenant ever has an issue with someone breaking in and appears to have used a key. I can say unequivocally all the locks had been changed.
Jim K.
Contractor from Pittsburgh, PA
replied about 1 month ago
Rekey the minute they're out. It's cheap and easy for me.
Charles East
Rental Property Investor from Augusta, Georgia
replied about 1 month ago
We use programmable/electronic locks on our rentals. It’s quick and easy to change code during turnover but they are slightly more expensive than standard key locks.
Lora P.
Investor from Normal, Illinois
replied about 1 month ago
In some areas, you are required legally to change the locks. I always do for reasons already mentioned.
Mary Mitchell
Rental Property Investor from Eugene, OR
replied about 1 month ago
So glad to read all these posts!
I rented an older unit from maybe the 1950s and it looks like the locks have never been changed so it got me wondering.....
Asury Johnson
Rental Property Investor from Clarksville, Tennessee
replied about 1 month ago
@Charles East we had a home with a keypad and renter removed and took the back part that holds the batteries. That part isn't sold separately.
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Charles East
Rental Property Investor from Augusta, Georgia
replied about 1 month ago
That’s interesting and something I had not thought of. Looks like you get to buy a new lock in that situation!
Jeremy Marek
from Evergreen Park, Illinois
replied about 1 month ago
@Mary Mitchell yes, we rekey after every move out, I believe it's the law in IL
Kyle J.
Rental Property Investor from Northern, CA
replied about 1 month ago
I rekey all the locks in between every tenant turnover. The law in my state doesn't require it, but it's just a good idea. Even if the previous tenant turns in the keys, you don't know if copies were made or who has a copy. My lease actually has a section to check off whether or not the locks to the property have or have not been rekeyed, so the new tenant would know. Plus, I use the Kwikset Smartkey locks so it's quick and free for me to change all the locks, so there's really no reason not to.
Brian Ploszay
Investor from Chicago, ILLINOIS
replied about 1 month ago
One way to save money is to swap lock sets.
Thomas Hayworth
replied about 1 month ago
Honestly, with how easy it is to rekey your home these days, I honestly would say it's almost a necessity. I once heard from a friend of mine that another tenant walked into his apartment after his landlord failed to rekey. Came in and the guy was just getting ready to rifle through his belongings-- luckily his tenant was HUGE, so that guy got outta there fast.
Mary Mitchell
Rental Property Investor from Eugene, OR
replied about 1 month ago
Originally posted by @Brian Ploszay :One way to save money is to swap lock sets.
Since it is only $12 to rekey a master/slave lock set i think it is inexpensive insurance.
I hate the idea of keys floating around.
Mark Fries
Rental Property Investor from Jacksonville, FL
replied about 1 month ago
Nathan G.
from Cody, WY
replied about 1 month ago
If you rekey the home, are you also changing the code on the garage door and keypad?
For those of you in bigger cities or crime-ridden neighborhoods, this makes sense. But the truth is, if a former tenant wanted into a former rental, they could break a window just as easy as they could walk in the door. Entering someone's home is a crime and the overwhelming vast majority of human beings are not criminals so there's little risk of it happening.
In my area, I estimate at least half the residents don't even lock their doors. However, a large percentage also have weapons at the ready and know how to use them. I think that's more of a deterrent to home invasion than a lock change.
Bradford Clark
from Charleston, WV
replied about 1 month ago
Always because of safety and I can do it easily
Couple minute project for peace of mind
Dan Robbins
from Fort Polk, LA
replied about 1 month ago
That paints a poor image of your character. Integrity and organization/competence, integrity because it's a societal norm to believe the locks have been changed, and competence because having a simple system ie key box is something any middle schooler should be able to do in a half hour with moderate supervision.
If your tenants knew that was the case, what would they do? I question if that's legal.
Kevin Allen
from Louisville, Kentucky
replied about 1 month ago
@Mary Mitchell . Always rekey immediately!
Daniel Campbell
Rental Property Investor from Shreveport, LA
replied about 1 month ago
@Mary Mitchell I have a few extra sets of locks and such that I rotate between houses. The lock from a vacancy goes into storage and an “old” one from another place gets installed on the new vacancy. I’d recommend getting one brand of locks and installing them on every new unit you acquire. If you have a lot of units, get a vendor to give you a discount if you only buy locks from them.
I’m currently in the process of replacing the locks on a local Broker’s 75 unit portfolio. All of the doors are going to steel and he’s only have to replace the core of the lock when a unit goes vacant. Plus, the lock-box will fit perfectly on every unit. Sometimes they’re a real pain.
Hope that helps!
Mark Fries
Rental Property Investor from Jacksonville, FL
replied about 1 month ago
Stuart Walthour
replied about 1 month ago
Stuart from ny state I always rekey I use mrlandlord locks.i can change (rekey) in15 seconds I use a different cylinder- change them the cylinders . I reuse the cylinders in a different property in a later date.
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