Locksmith for landlords and property managers in Burbank

Why landlords do better with a locksmith they already know

Most locksmith calls come from someone standing outside a locked door. A landlord's calls are different. Units turn over, keys go missing, a gate latch wears out, and a tenant phones late in the evening. These events are predictable, and a property that handles them with a routine takes less time and causes fewer headaches than one that improvises every time.

Wilshire Lock & Key has served Los Angeles and Ventura counties since 1987, and a good share of the work for owners and managers comes down to one thing: keeping control of who holds which key. This page explains how we approach turnover, key systems, lockouts and recurring service for Burbank rental property, whether you own a single bungalow or manage a larger building.

David, the owner and lead technician, oversees the work. If you manage more than a couple of doors, it helps to settle a few things once: who may authorize work, how keys get labeled, and what your lockout policy is. Then a call at 11 p.m. does not turn into a negotiation.

What should happen to the locks between tenants?

The goal at turnover is simple: the previous tenant's keys, and any copies they made, should no longer open the door. There are two ways to get there. Rekeying changes the internal pins so the existing hardware works with a new key. It is usually the more economical route when the lock is in sound shape. Replacement makes more sense when the hardware is worn, damaged, mismatched, or when you want to standardize on a better grade across the building.

A typical turnover visit follows the same order every time, which is what makes it easy to schedule and easy to check afterward.

1. You send us the address, the number of doors, and which locks are involved: entry, deadbolt, mailbox, side gate, storage or laundry access.
2. We inspect each lock. Sound ones get rekeyed; anything worn, loose or failing gets flagged so you can decide between repair and replacement.
3. We set the new keying the way you want it: one key per unit, or entry lock and deadbolt keyed alike so the tenant carries a single key.
4. We test every lock with the new key, with the door closed and latched in its frame, because a door that is out of alignment can pass a bench test and still bind in place.
5. We bag and label the keys according to your system and hand them to you or place them where you have arranged.
6. We note anything that will turn into a tenant complaint later, such as a sagging strike plate, a loose knob or a tired closer, so you hear about it before the tenant does.

How does a master key system work for a multi-unit property?

A master key system lets each tenant's key open only that tenant's door, while a higher-level key opens many doors. Managers, maintenance staff and cleaners carry the master instead of a ring of thirty keys. For a building with a dozen units or more, that convenience is real. It also concentrates risk, because a lost master key exposes every door it opens. That is why the design matters more than the hardware.

If you are weighing a master key system, these are the decisions worth making before anyone cuts a key:

• Who actually needs a master key. Fewer is better, and each holder should have a reason.
• Whether you want tiers, for example a maintenance key for common areas and certain units, a manager key for all units, and an owner key above that.
• Whether to use restricted keyways, which make keys harder to copy at a hardware store. Availability depends on the product line, and we will tell you what is practical for your doors.
• How you will log keys: who holds which one, when it was issued, and when it came back.
• What happens when a master key goes missing. The cost of fixing that depends heavily on how the system was laid out in the first place.

Do small buildings need a master key system at all?

Often they do not. For a duplex, a fourplex or a handful of single-family rentals, a full master system can be more complexity than the property needs. Rekeying at each turnover and keeping a labeled spare set is usually the more economical route, and it keeps your key control simple. We would rather tell you that than sell you a system you will not use. If the portfolio grows, the locks you have can often be reorganized later, so starting simple rarely paints you into a corner.

What is a sensible lockout policy for tenants?

Lockouts are the most common after-hours call a property gets. Without a policy, the tenant calls you, you call a locksmith, and the locksmith asks who is paying and who is allowed to authorize the work. Settling that in advance saves everyone a bad evening.

There are three common arrangements, and each can work:

• The tenant calls us directly, we verify they live there, and they pay for the service themselves.
• Management authorizes the call and is billed, then recovers the cost under the terms of the lease.
• The manager holds a spare or a lockbox key during business hours, and the locksmith covers nights, weekends and holidays.

How do we verify who is allowed to open a unit?

Whatever you choose, put it in the lease or the move-in packet so tenants know the process before they need it. For apartment lockouts, we confirm that the person calling lives in the unit or that you have authorized the work. In buildings with controlled entry, we may also need you or an on-site contact to get us through the front door or gate. Lease terms and tenant rights are your call, and often a question for your attorney. We are locksmiths, not lawyers, and we will not open or rekey a unit without a reasonable showing of authority.

What recurring service can you handle beyond unit doors?

A rental property has more locks than the ones on the units. Over a year, the small items tend to be what generate calls, and they are easier to deal with when one company already knows your property. Once you give us the property list and your key scheme, we keep notes so each call does not start from zero.

• Pedestrian and vehicle gate latches and strikes, where gate lock repair keeps tenants from propping a gate open because the latch quit.
• Mailbox lock replacement when a tenant leaves with a key, or a lock gets jammed or pried.
• Deadbolts and entry hardware that loosen with daily use.
• Door closers and common-area doors that slam, stick or fail to latch.
• Laundry, storage, trash enclosure and utility room locks.
• Extra keys for maintenance staff or a new property manager.
• Turnover work for furnished and short-term units, covered in more detail on our vacation rental locksmith page.

What affects the cost of locksmith work for landlords?

We do not quote prices on a web page, because a fair number depends on what is actually on your doors. What we can tell you is what moves the cost up or down, so you can plan and compare quotes sensibly. We explain the scope and what is driving the number before work begins.

• Number of doors in a visit. Several locks done in one trip are generally more efficient than the same locks spread across separate calls.
• Rekey versus replace. Rekeying sound hardware is usually the lighter-cost option; replacement costs more but fixes worn or mismatched locks.
• Hardware grade. Builder-grade locks, commercial-grade deadbolts and restricted-keyway cylinders sit at different points.
• Key scheme. Keyed-alike and master systems take more planning and more cutting than a single key per lock.
• Condition of the door and frame. A swollen door, a loose jamb or a misaligned strike can add work that has nothing to do with the lock.
• Time of day. After-hours and holiday calls are handled differently from scheduled turnover visits.
• Travel. Burbank is roughly 16 miles from our Westwood storefront, and our mobile vans cover that distance.
• Common-area and gate equipment. Gates and access hardware vary widely in complexity.

Why call Wilshire Lock & Key for property work?

Property managers tend to value predictability over novelty, so here is what we can honestly offer:

• In business since 1987, which means we have seen most of the hardware that ends up on older rentals.
• A storefront at 10740 Wilshire Blvd in Westwood plus mobile service vans, so work can happen at your property or be handled at the shop.
• One company with no dispatch middleman. The call to (213) 577-1366 goes to our own operation, and it is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, year-round.
• David's oversight of the work, so there is one person accountable for how your property's keys and locks are handled.

What should you ask any locksmith before giving them access?

California requires locksmith companies to hold a BSIS LCO license, issued through the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services. Ask any locksmith you hire for that license number, and check it with BSIS before you hand anyone a key to your building. A company that has your tenants' doors and your master key should be able to answer that question without hesitation.

To set up a recurring arrangement, send us your property details through the contact page or call us directly. Tell us how many doors you manage, what hardware you already have, and how you want keys tracked, and we will go from there.

Which Burbank property types need what?

Burbank's housing is more varied than people expect, and each type tends to bring a different lock problem. The city mixes 1920s to 1940s bungalows in Magnolia Park, postwar ranch homes across the flats, and hillside houses above Glenoaks Boulevard in the Verdugo foothills. Downtown Burbank and the Media District have added mid-rise condos and large controlled-access apartment complexes, while the Rancho District keeps equestrian-zoned single-family lots.

On the older rentals, many homes still carry original mid-century door hardware. Vintage hardware can often be rekeyed rather than replaced, which is a real advantage at turnover, since it preserves the look of a bungalow and avoids a full hardware swap. Some pieces are too worn to hold up, and we will say so when we see one. Magnolia Park bungalows are a typical case for this kind of rekey work.

In the larger complexes near Downtown Burbank and along the Chandler Bikeway, the calls we hear about most often are apartment lockouts and lost keys, and the building's controlled entry adds a step because someone has to let us in. Owners of newer or larger buildings sometimes look at access control installation so that a lost credential can be cancelled instead of triggering a rekey. Around the Media District, office and gate access hardware for media companies is a regular type of work, and owners of mixed-use property along Magnolia Boulevard and San Fernando Boulevard often need storefront lock service for the ground-floor tenants as well.

On the single-family lots in the Rancho District and the hillside streets, the lock work tends to involve side gates, back doors and detached structures rather than a single front entrance, so a turnover list should cover all of them. We serve all Burbank ZIP codes: 91501, 91502, 91504, 91505 and 91506.

How do Burbank's heat and Santa Ana winds affect rental locks?

Valley heat in summer swells wooden doors, and a deadbolt that threw cleanly in spring can start to bind in August. Tenants often report this as a broken lock when the real issue is the door pressing against its frame. A technician checking alignment will often solve it without replacing anything. Dry Santa Ana winds sweep down the Verdugo foothills, and hillside homes get more sun and wind exposure than houses on the flats, which is hard on exterior finishes, weatherstripping and latches on exposed doors.

The good news is that Burbank is far enough inland that salt-air corrosion is not a concern. Locks here wear mostly from use, sun and age rather than from corrosion. For a landlord, that means a routine check at turnover catches most problems before they become after-hours calls.

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