Master key system question

[Tina Lee]

Hi all, any landlord with more than 10 properties, have you have experience of installing master key system/ also called landlord key system one your apartment?

My new locksmith try to convence me to install those system on one of my unit and might be others as he explaint to me I keep one key for all units as master key. And each of my tenant has a different key.

Any advice on those who used those key? Are they worth it?

They are double of the price of normal key.

I do find every interesting the idea. However I wonder how practical is once we actually use them. Any cons?

Thanks

[Jill F.]

OMG! the kwikset control key (816) system made life so much better for us. We have 1 master key for each group of properties we own. We have 4 groups of properties and 4 "do not duplicate" keys total; we have 53 units in these 4 groups of properties. Each owner has the set and we have two handymen, each with a set. Each lock has two cylinders, a master cylinder and a tenant cylinder with a movable face plate. When a unit goes vacant, we immediatelyre-key the tenant setting to our "hammer key" which is shaped like a hammer and all of our regular trades have our hammer key. Then, we rekey to a new key when a new tenant moves in and we don't change our master unless we lose a handyman and we don't change our vacant/hammer key unless we have had a theft in a vacant unit. We put kwikset power bolt push button locks on the one building we have that has 2 common entrances. This system made key management so so much better. We use this system on every entry door for each unit so that it is not possible for us to be locked out without someone actually changing out our deadbolt.