State Specific Question About: OKLAHOMA (OK)

You could buy one? Metal with lock.

We use wooden decorative box with doors like a dart board wall unit. It was a tea cup box. We hung hooks under each shelf (staggered them) . Looks like furniture piece but kept locked up in safe closet with guns and ammo.

I used to use colored key caps and carabiners to keep things straight. It worked-- but the hard part was keeping track of the locks I wasn't using, but would reuse elsewhere in the future. I kept them in gallon baggies with their keys, but pieces would break and go missing, or stuff would get mixed up.

It all depends on where you plan to store your keys. Is it in the manager's apartment. For you use during travels?

You need to be careful not to put the address of the keys on the box in case they get stolen. This has happened to may clients of mine (I'm a contractor) and we had to re-keys all locks immediately or be responsible for any tenant losses.

I have a love/hate relationship with landlord locks.

I love how easy they are to switch out the cores. I hate how expensive they are and I've found them difficult to install compared to any random off the shelf lock/knob.

Landlord Locks. I carry two keys: the Master to open all the door and the Control to change any core.

Biggest issue now is remembering which core was installed where! Don't want to put the same core in the same house ever.

One of my smartest early decisions I made as a landlord was using Landlord Locks. In the past 20 + years, all of the apt locks have been converted over and I only have to carry the master key, which opens every door included utility rooms, entry doors and all apts. After purchasing your original set (I have 15 units) and 5 or so extras, I rotate locks from one building to the others as units open up. I replace the circular metal face plate (purchase these in bulk from Locklord Locks) so the locks look brand new when reinstalling.

Just do it and you will not regret the decision.

WMH, I keep a running spreadsheet on my computer. Address, lock ID #, date installed, date removed.

Deanna, DH was doing this but it quickly got out of control somehow. One of the drawbacks to LL Locks is that it doesn't really matter most of the time, until you have a turnover.

Also some houses have one door, some have two, a few with three and one with four, and some padlocks out there too.

Just a few cores in the box but the Tenant Keys seem to be reproducing like wire coat hangers used to LOL! The ring of spare tenant keys is FULL somehow.

I have one of those metal wall cabinets. Also I had a rack in my truck. I use those little white cards to write what the keys go to.

Old locks, the keys are taped to the lock.

And then there's the box of keys that must go to something. I should throw them all out, but I know the day after I do I'll find all the locks those keys go to.

I know one local Ll whose rental house doors have no locks on them. He tells his tenants that if you want locks, go buy your own at Walmart and then take them off when you vacate.

Another LL here has over 100 houses and all of his have deadbolt locks with a passage knob. Each deadbolt lock is keyed the same by a locksmith. He carries one key which will open each of his 100 plus houses. I am tempted to adopt this strategy.

I bought Schlage combo deadbolts and keep zero keys. Bottom handle is a hallway passage set that gets thread locked on.

I just emailed the new tenant her code.

Marie,

Step one: simplify your life by installing iCore deadbolts from Landlord Locks.com

Step two: go to dinner because there is nothing left to organize.

Cost: cheaper than the box store locks because they last longer, no labor and materials to replace broken locks. No fiddling with locks in bags or big rings of keys.

Service: when I need keys I send an email listing the needed numners and they are on my desk in 2 days, with the cylinder number stamped on the key. EVERY key works so no trip to the house to check the new key.

PS

The LL with 100 doors on the same key is ripe for a lawsuit. Providing a home with a lock on the door and a key in hand falls into the legal principle called “implied safety”.

After a rape or burglary or murder the police will ask for the key log. That LL will be SOL.

Brad20K,

I use a master along with a sub master key system for my rentals. The mast allows access to everything including the common area, the individual units & 99% of the padlocks. The sub masters allow access to all of the individual units & common areas at a specific location. These sub master keys enable me to give a key to a trusted worker to have limited access at a specific address.

WMH, Don't toss your old cores as you may be able to trade with another LL at a convention or something.

Myob, What good is a gun if it isn't loaded.

Dumb question to Brad... or anyone who relies on landlord locks.

About 2/3rds of my units have deadbolt installed...

So...I'm thinking- passage doorknob and LandlordLock deadbolt. That makes the most sense...right?

Additional question- if you have a house with 3 doors... would you do all three doors? (I mean, as long as I can access 1 door... that's all I have to have...)

If you had cash to do it...would you do 'em all in one fell swoop and done? Or, just with turnovers?

I keep 3 copies of each key. Have three plastic tray boxes with divided compartments. one for my work truck, one for my personal vehicle, one kept at my home. Each key gets a tag with the tenant's first name on it, NOT the address. When someone moves out the keys for that lock are places with the lock and kept in a plastic bag to be used for the next vacancy (at a different house.)

Ned/AL, we do LL Locks deadbolts and passage knobs. Hard to lock yourself out that way!

We started out doing them at turnover but then DH realized it was so convenient to only need the one key he changed them all out.

I use LL Locks with icore.

Hoosier- do you use landlord lock deadbolts and passage locks?

Do you do every door?