Rekey before the next tenant: 4 turnover security checks

General Landlording & Rental Properties
6dFollow

Rekey before the next tenant: 4 turnover security checks

Leo SteinBusiness Member
Property Manager · Orange County, CA · Member since 2025 · 177 posts · 41 votes

Turnover is the cleanest moment to reset security on a rental. Four checks we run on every Orange County unit before new keys change hands:

- Rekey every exterior lock. Front, back and garage entry, then log who holds each key.

- Longer strike-plate screws. Short screws often only grab the trim; longer ones that reach the framing make a door much harder to force.

- Smoke and CO alarms. Test every one, replace what fails, and note the date.

- Windows, sliders and lights. Check latches, add a bar to sliding doors, confirm porch and side-yard lights work.

What else is on your turnover security list?

General information, not legal advice.

[email protected]949-391-1019
Real Property Management Optimal 514 Reviews
WebsiteView Page
0Reply
678 views

12 Replies

Jump to latestLatest
  • James JonesPro Member
    Investor · Collierville, TN 38017 · Member since 2017 · 842 posts · 605 votes
    5d

    That list is right, and I would add one rule: no new tenant gets keys until the turnover checklist is signed off. At 236 properties in Memphis, turnover is where small misses turn into expensive calls in the first month. We treat rekeying as part of the rehab close-out, not a separate errand. Check every exterior door, garage entry, window latch and exterior light, then log it. Also set clear expectations at move-in: who holds keys, how maintenance requests are made, and that early communication matters. For second-chance tenants on double deposit and biweekly payments, that tight early communication is even more important. Simple, documented, same every time.

    0Reply
  • Richard (Ryszard) Cieplechowicz
    Member since 2026 · 143 posts · 38 votes
    5d

    Good list. I would add one habit: write down who holds every key at handover, including the number of copies, and have the new tenant sign for them.

    Then if a lock problem comes up later, you have a clear record and you are not guessing whether an old key is still out there.

    0Reply
  • Rosina Persaud
    Member since 2023 · 69 posts · 7 votes
    5d

    At 236 doors, rekeying is a scheduled line item inside our 21-day turnover system — it's done on the turnover schedule before showings start, so keys never delay move-in. We rotate garage keypad codes too, because a former tenant's friend with the old code is the same exposure as a copied key. Keys get logged in the property file at move-in: how many were issued and to whom. And I'll second the smoke and CO alarms — at our scale, a dead battery that surfaces on a housing-authority inspection or a tenant complaint is the kind of avoidable problem that eats half a day. The whole list works best when it's the same routine every time, not a judgment call.

    0Reply
  • Leo SteinBusiness Member
    OP
    Property Manager · Orange County, CA · Member since 2025 · 177 posts · 41 votes
    5d

    Richard and Rosina, thank you both. Richard, having the new tenant sign for every key and the number of copies is a great way to keep a clear record. Rosina, rotating the garage keypad codes is a smart catch, since an old code is the same exposure as a copied key. Do either of you also re-check the locks mid-lease, or only at turnover?

    [email protected]949-391-1019
    Real Property Management Optimal 514 Reviews
    WebsiteView Page
    0Reply
    • Rosina Persaud
      Member since 2023 · 69 posts · 7 votes
      4d

      Leo, for us it is turnover, plus whenever we are already through the door.

      The full reset lives inside the 21-day turnover schedule at all 236 doors: rekey or lock swap, codes rotated, and the key count logged against the signed handover before the new tenant gets keys.

      Mid-lease, we do not make a special trip just for locks. But any maintenance visit includes a quick function check of the exterior locks while we are there anyway. And a lost key or a lock problem jumps the queue — we rekey rather than copy, because a copy does not tell you how many others exist.

      0Reply
  • Divin KanyamaBusiness Member
    Accountant · Seattle, WA · Member since 2025 · 535 posts · 227 votes
    4d

    Great checklist, @Leo Stein. I’d also reset all garage-door remotes, keypad codes, smart-lock access, alarm codes, and any community gate credentials so former occupants and vendors no longer have access.

    Other items worth checking include exterior door alignment, deadbolts, peepholes, window locks, fencing and gates, address visibility for emergency responders, and motion or common-area lighting. I’d also inspect landscaping for overgrowth that blocks windows or creates hiding areas.

    Finally, document each check with dates and photos, update the key and access-code log, and provide the new tenant with clear emergency and maintenance reporting instructions. Consistency at every turnover is just as important as the individual security upgrades.

    [email protected]
    WEMBO CPA532 Reviews
    WebsiteView Page
    0Reply
  • Leo SteinBusiness Member
    OP
    Property Manager · Orange County, CA · Member since 2025 · 177 posts · 41 votes
    4d

    Rosina, a quick function check on the exterior locks during any maintenance visit is a smart way to catch problems without an extra trip, and rekeying instead of copying makes sense for the reason you gave. Divin, thanks for the broader list. Resetting garage remotes, gate credentials and smart-lock access is easy to forget, and dated photos with an updated access log keep it consistent. When a tenant reports a sticky or loose lock between turnovers, how fast do you try to get it looked at?

    [email protected]949-391-1019
    Real Property Management Optimal 514 Reviews
    WebsiteView Page
    0Reply
  • Drew SygitBusiness Member
    Property Manager · Royal Oak, MI · Member since 2012 · 13k+ posts · 9k+ votes
    4d

    Leo, instead of noting the date of a smoke detector battery, we write the date right on the side of it.

    Allows us to easily see the date w/o having to remove it!

    City & S8 inspectors also like it!

    [email protected]248-209-6824
    Logical Property Management4.9465 Reviews
    WebsiteView Page
    0Reply
  • Leo SteinBusiness Member
    OP
    Property Manager · Orange County, CA · Member since 2025 · 177 posts · 41 votes
    4d

    Drew, writing the date right on the side of the detector is a smart trick, and it's nice that inspectors appreciate it too. It saves pulling the unit down just to check a sticker or a note in a log. Do you also write the install or replacement year on it so you know when the whole alarm is due for swapping?

    [email protected]949-391-1019
    Real Property Management Optimal 514 Reviews
    WebsiteView Page
    0Reply
  • Rosina Persaud
    Member since 2023 · 69 posts · 7 votes
    2d

    Leo, a reported lock problem does not wait for the next turnover — it jumps the regular maintenance queue. A sticky or loose lock is a security item, not a cosmetic one: the tenant cannot reliably secure the house, and a lock that is failing in October is a lockout or a forced door in December. How we handle it is the same rule as a lost key: we rekey or swap rather than copy or adjust and hope, and the key count gets logged again against the handover record so the log stays true. The function check on other visits is how we catch most of them early. The ones a tenant reports, we treat as already caught — the only step left is fixing them before they strand somebody.

    0Reply
  • Leo SteinBusiness Member
    OP
    Property Manager · Orange County, CA · Member since 2025 · 177 posts · 41 votes
    2d

    Rosina, treating a reported sticky or loose lock as a security item that jumps the queue makes sense, and rekeying instead of adjusting keeps the key log accurate. Logging the key count again against the handover record is a good way to keep the paperwork true. When you rekey mid-lease, do you tell the tenant right away so they know to collect the new keys?

    [email protected]949-391-1019
    Real Property Management Optimal 514 Reviews
    WebsiteView Page
    0Reply
Join the conversationCreate a free account to reply, vote on answers and follow this thread.
Log InJoin for Free