Owning a series of rental properties, whether they are single family homes, apartment complexes, or business offices, may seem like a low-effort stream of income. That is until the middle of the night maintenance and lock-out calls begin to occur. While hiring a maintenance company can alleviate midnight plumbing problems, you will also need to be prepared for the inevitable lockouts and security concerns. This guide can help you hire the right locksmith for your property type, and to set up the best keying system for your commercial and residential properties.

Know Your Needs

If single family residences or simple multi-family units are all you have to deal with, a basic locksmith may be all you need. They can handle lockouts if a tenant loses a key, rekey locks when tenants move, and fix and repair locks on doors.

For secure-access properties, retain a locksmith that can handle repair and maintenance of security gates and code boxes, along with proper installation and maintenance of any other security systems. Business properties usually require the services of a commercial locksmith, whom can handle everything from basic rekeying to the maintenance and replacement of keyless entry systems, electronic access panels, panic and alarm maintenance, restricted key systems.

Consider a Master Key System

A master key system can make your job as a landlord much simpler. In this system, there is one master key that allows access to all homes or units that you have keyed onto the system, but there are also individual keys for each unit. This means that tenants can only use their key to access their unit, but you can access any unit you own with a single key. A commercial locksmith can install these systems in both residential and business properties. The main benefit is you only need one key on your keychain, instead of having to juggle multiple keys for all of your properties.

Commercial Key Tips

While residential tenants have minimal key and lock needs, your commercial tenants may be a bit more particular. You may want to consider installing a keyless entry or restricted key system on your buildings to add value to the property. These systems track who is entering the building and when, through personal access codes or with a key that is chipped with a personal identifier that is recorded by the system when it is used. Codes can even have limited entry hours, so employees don't enter the building after hours. Not only can this help protect your building from damage or vandalism, it gives your tenants more security.

To learn more, contact a company like A & R Lockshop

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