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Updated about 3 years ago,
Electronic Deadbolt in a small space
Hi,
I've been trying to swap out apartment deadbolts for electronic locks (Mainly Schlage BE365 type). I have been leaving a lock box on site with the back up keys which are not issued to tenants. Also a side note, for all the locks I have swapped I have put in non-locking handles to try and further reduce the likelihood of a lockout. In all the leases I am clear the batteries are the tenant's responsibility and make sure to tell them if it blinks red it's time to replace the battery.
Getting to the point...One unit has the current deadbolt in an odd location and I can't put the same electronic lock due to the window (see picture below). I've considered switching the handle and deadbolt and trying to cut down some of the window casing but that seems like it may not be a great option. I'm fairly handy, but all things being equal I would just assume to not cut more into doors than I need to. A second alternative I also don't love would be to try and plug the upper hole and just do a deadbolt in the lower opening. The width of the plug may cause issues, and it would be less than ideal. This door is the 2nd way into the unit, but is used with some frequency. I would like to not be issuing out any keys or changing any locks, only combos as needed and at turnover.
Does anyone have any recommendations on a smaller electronic deadbolt that may work well in this case? Or any other thoughts?
Thanks!