Type of locks recommendation for SFH rental?

Question

In the process of buying my first rental and curios if you recommend standard simple door knobs or possible key pad style. Insight is greatly appreciated.

Zach Westerfield · Answer

I use the Kwikset smart key locks. They are the same price as a standard door knob, and come with a little tool to rekey yourself. you can rekey them in about 10 seconds. No more need for a locksmith. I actually only keep about 4 different keys (since all my SFRs have these knobs) and just rotate keys between properties. That way I dont have to keep up with a board full of separate keys.

Joe Splitrock · Answer

@Patrick Parker we use Kwikset smart key as @Zach Westerfield suggested. It is literally a 10 second rekey process and is a game changer. You never have to worry that the old tenant has a key. Can you imagine if an old tenant used a key to access your rental? The landlord could be sued for damages by not providing a safe environment. Not worth the risk or the guilt if something happened.

Here are a few things to consider:

1. Within the Kwikset smart key deadbolt range, they have the entry level 660 and the 980 series. The difference is build quality and intrusion level. The 660 is ANSI grade 3 and the 980 is ANSI grade 1. Grade 1 is the best and it means harder to pick and they use more durable alloys to hold up against force entry attempts. That means the lock holds up better due to normal use. I have used both and I have had the 660 break after just a couple years. I only buy the 900 series locks now. They are $10 more, but getting calls about broken locks is way more costly in the long run.

2. Most doors have a deadbolt and knob. (If they don't have a deadbolt, that is a security danger to your tenants). Always install a keyed deadbolt and a non-keyed knob. Keyed knobs increase the chances of the tenant getting locked out, because you can lock the door without a key. This can result in landlord phone calls or worse, tenants will climb in windows and bust up screens. It is also just one lock to rekey and one less lock to have problems.

3. I install commercial grade door knobs on the main entry door. In my houses, that is the door from the garage. That knob is used the most and therefore I like commercial grade so it holds up better. I have had year old door knobs break apart before I started doing this. If you hold a commercial knob and standard knob in your hands, you can see the difference. It costs a few more bucks, but it results in less problems down the road.

4. Some people suggested electronic keypads. I have this in my AirBNB and it works great. No key to forget and mine is wifi connected so I can change it remotely. The down side is that batteries need to be replaced and the electronics are prone to more reliability issues over time. They also cost a fair amount more money. In my experience, it is even faster to rekey using Kwikset smartkey compared to a key pad. The other thing is even a key pad needs a key option, so you are stuck with a key regardless. The other thing is most houses have two or more entry doors, so you are stuck with multiple keypads.

5. There is an option for a landlord version of the Kwikset smartkey. It has two key holes and both can be rekeyed. The standard key hole is for the tenant. There is a hidden key hole under a cover for the landlord. That allows a landlord to have one master key for all their properties, yet give each tenant their own key. I don't buy these because I keep a set of all the tenant keys anyways. If I need to gain access, it is no big deal just grabbing the right key. However, if a landlord has lots of properties, it may be better to use the landlord version to be able to carry one key for maintenance.

6. When I have a vacancy, I rekey to a "showing key". I can give that key to perspective tenants or maintenance people while it is vacant, then I can change it to the tenant key on the day of move in. If I have more than one vacancy, I rekey all the locks to match the same showing key.

7. You can buy new keys from Kwikset for rekeying, but I found a little hack to get free keys. I go to the rekeying station at a hardware store and they usually have a bucket of keys. When people buy locks, they rekey them all to match. They put the extra keys in a bucket. I was given 20 key pairs last time I went in, so this is plenty to keep a rotation of keys.

Look for ways to reduce time and increase durability. Repairs and problems can be avoided by picking the right fixtures.

Greg Weik · Answer

@Patrick Parker we manage about 500 doors and we require ddls (digital door locks) on all of them as long as it's permitted by the HOA and feasible (some older style/antique doors cannot accommodate a DDL.)

I recommend something like this because there is not a motor to turn the deadbolt, which means the batteries last longer.  These ddls do come with a master key as well, in the event the lock fails.

We've been using them for about 6 years now with only a few small issues. Not having to chase key copies or deal with broken keys, lost keys, lockouts, etc. leads to the kind of efficiency we value :)

Just keep track of your programming and user codes and change the codes at turnover.  Also nice is that you can give vendors a one-time use code, delete codes if you need to, etc.

Robert Neumann · Answer

I own a number of rental units and keypad is the way to go. You don't need a locksmith $ and when a tenant moves in you enter their # and when they move out you delete it. You can also add and delete #'s for contractors and have your own Master #.

Patrick Parker · Answer

Zach and Greg those are both great information. Thank you so much. I really appreciate it.

Type of locks recommendation for SFH rental?

Most Popular Reply