Why do landlords need a locksmith relationship, not just a phone number?
Most locksmith pages are written for someone standing outside a locked door at night. Your situation is different. You have a set of doors, tenants moving in and out, keys that have wandered further than anyone can track, and a phone that rings whenever somebody is locked out. The work is less about one dramatic emergency and more about keeping a quiet, repeatable system running so the emergencies stay small.
Wilshire Lock & Key has been in business since 1987. We work from a storefront at 10740 Wilshire Blvd in Westwood and send mobile service vans to Hawthorne and 139 other cities across Los Angeles and Ventura counties. David, the owner and lead technician, oversees the work. For a property owner, that matters in a practical way: the company that rekeyed your fourplex in spring is the same company answering the phone when a tenant is locked out in fall, and the record of how your doors are keyed does not disappear into a dispatcher's inbox.
What do we do for landlords and property managers?
Landlord work tends to fall into a handful of recurring jobs. You do not need all of them at once, but it helps to know the full list so you can ask for what fits your buildings.
- Rekeying between tenants so old keys stop working without replacing every lockset. See our lock rekeying service for how that works.
- Master key systems that let you or your manager open every unit while each tenant's key opens only their own door.
- Lockout service for tenants, on your policy, at any hour.
- Broken or worn locks, sticking deadbolts, loose handles and failing strike plates that turn into complaints.
- Deadbolt and smart lock upgrades where you want keypad codes instead of handing out physical copies.
- Mailbox lock work in multi-unit buildings, where a failed lock becomes a tenant and mail-carrier headache.
- Key copying for managers, maintenance staff and contractors, with a clear record of who holds what.
- Commercial doors on mixed-use buildings, including storefronts below apartments.
How does a tenant turnover rekey work?
Turnover is the most common recurring job we do for rental owners, and it is also the one most often skipped. A tenant moves out, the keys come back in a drawer, and nobody can say for certain how many copies exist. Rekeying fixes that without the cost of new hardware on every door. Here is how a typical turnover visit goes.
- You send us the unit address, the number of locks on the door and any side doors, gates or mailbox locks you want included, and the date the unit is vacant.
- We arrive in a mobile van carrying the pins, key blanks and hardware needed for the common residential lock brands, so most units are finished in one visit.
- We take each cylinder out of the lockset, change the internal pins to a new key pattern, and test every lock with the new key before we leave.
- If a lock is worn, damaged or poorly fitted, we tell you plainly whether repair or replacement makes more sense. Rekeying a lock that is failing mechanically wastes your money.
- You receive the new keys, and we can cut extra copies for your manager or maintenance file so you are not scrambling later.
- If you want every unit in a building keyed alike for staff access, or tied into a master system, we set that up at the same visit rather than as a separate trip.
Locked out or need a locksmith now?
We answer around the clock, every day of the year.
Call (213) 577-1366When does a master key system make sense?
A master key system lets one key open many locks while each lock still has its own key. For a landlord, the usual setup is a master for you or your property manager, individual keys for each tenant, and sometimes a limited maintenance key that opens common areas only. It cuts the ring of loose keys that managers carry, and it gives you a clean way to enter a unit for legitimate reasons with proper notice.
There is a tradeoff worth understanding before you commit. Every master system is a little less secure than a single-key lock, because there are more ways a key can fit. Done well, with sensible planning of the key levels and good key control, the risk is small and the convenience is large. Done badly, you end up with a master key that opens more than you meant. We plan the structure with you first: how many units, which doors share access, and who should hold which level. You can read more on our master key system page.
Key control matters as much as the hardware. Keep a written log of who holds a master key, and when a manager or contractor leaves, treat that as a reason to look at your system again. We can help you decide whether that means collecting keys, rekeying a section or restructuring.
How should you set a lockout policy for tenants?
A tenant locked out at night is not a legal emergency, but it is a real one for them, and your lease or house rules should say who deals with it and who pays. Policies we see working fall into three broad types, and the right one depends on your building and how many units you manage.
Some owners keep a spare key or a lockbox for each unit and let the manager handle lockouts directly. That is the lighter-cost option when it works, but it only works if someone is reachable at every hour and the spare keys are well controlled. Others tell tenants to call us directly and pay at the door, which removes you from the late-night call entirely. A third approach is that the owner covers the first lockout and the tenant pays for later ones.
Whatever you choose, put it in writing and tell tenants before the first lockout. If you want us to treat a call as authorized, we need a way to confirm that the person at the door actually lives there, so agree on how verification works. Our apartment lockout service page explains how we confirm identity and occupancy before opening a door.
Locked out or need a locksmith now?
We answer around the clock, every day of the year.
Call (213) 577-1366What affects the cost of recurring locksmith work for rentals?
We do not publish numbers on this page, because the honest answer depends on your doors. These are the real factors that move the total, so you can plan a budget around them.
Quantity matters first. Rekeying ten similar units in one building is a different job from ten scattered single visits, because setup, travel and parts handling are shared. Grouping turnovers or scheduling a building-wide rekey is usually the more economical route.
The condition and type of the hardware matters next. A standard residential deadbolt rekeys easily. A worn lock, a nonstandard cylinder or a high-security lock takes more time and sometimes parts. Timing also plays a part: planned work during working hours costs differently than a call in the middle of the night. Finally, scope counts. A simple rekey is not the same as a master key system with a documented key structure, or a smart lock install with codes to set up.
Ask for the scope in writing before work starts, and ask which parts of the job are fixed and which depend on what we find at the door. You should know what you are agreeing to.
Why use one locksmith company for all your properties?
Plenty of locksmith listings are dispatch services that hand your call to whoever is available. For a landlord, that means a different person at every unit, no memory of how your doors are keyed and no one accountable for the result. We are a single company with our own storefront and our own vans. When you call (213) 577-1366, it is answered around the clock, every day of the year.
That setup gives you a few honest advantages:
- Continuity: we can keep notes on how each building is keyed, so a second visit builds on the first.
- Accountability: David oversees the work, and there is no dispatcher passing blame between you and a subcontractor.
- A fixed place to bring keys: our Westwood storefront means a manager can drop off or pick up key work in person.
- Range: the same company can handle residential doors, gates, mailboxes and commercial hardware, so you do not need a different vendor for each building type.
- Experience: we have been doing this since 1987.
What do Hawthorne rentals look like from a lock and key point of view?
Hawthorne, ZIP 90250, is mostly postwar stucco single-family tracts from the 1940s through the 1960s, especially in neighborhoods like Hollyglen and Bodger Park. Many of those homes are rented, and original or decades-old hardware is common. That makes rekeying the usual first step on a new tenant, and it is the job we do most often on these streets. Where a lockset is worn out, replacement is often sensible, and we will tell you which is which.
Along Hawthorne Boulevard and other commercial corridors, you find dingbat-style apartment buildings, the small stucco multifamily type with a few units over open parking. Lockouts in these buildings are one of the most frequent calls, and mailbox locks, shared gates and unit doors often need attention at the same visit. Security screen doors are common on older homes and small apartment buildings across the city, and the latches on those doors fail more often than owners expect. We repair them alongside the main door lock.
ThreeSixty at South Bay on the west side adds a newer gated townhome community. There, the work leans toward smart locks and HOA gate hardware rather than old pin tumbler cylinders. If you own or manage a unit there, our smart lock installation service is the relevant one, and we can help you coordinate with the association's rules on gate access.
Around Hawthorne Municipal Airport (Jack Northrop Field) and the SpaceX headquarters area, there is an industrial district. If you hold mixed-use or light commercial property, our commercial locksmith work covers storefront, office and warehouse doors. We also serve the unincorporated area of Del Aire next door.
Climate is a minor factor here. Hawthorne sits a few miles inland, with marine-layer mornings and mild temperatures year-round, so weather does less damage to locks than it does in harsher areas. Wear from age and heavy use is the bigger issue.
Locked out or need a locksmith now?
We answer around the clock, every day of the year.
Call (213) 577-1366What about mailboxes and short-term rentals?
Two smaller jobs come up for landlords often enough to mention. First, mailbox locks in multi-unit buildings. When a tenant moves out, the mailbox key has the same problem as the door key, and a broken lock can lead to missed mail and complaints. We handle mailbox lock replacement as part of a turnover visit when you want it done together.
Second, if you rent a unit short term, guest turnover brings a different pace of key control. Keypad locks and code changes are common there, and we cover the practical side on our vacation rental locksmith page.
How do you get started, and what should you ask any locksmith?
The easiest way to begin is a short call or message. Tell us how many properties and doors you manage, which ones have master or shared keys, and what your biggest recurring headache is. We will suggest a plan and tell you what we would do first. You can also reach us through our contact page.
One thing to do with any locksmith, us included: California requires locksmith companies to hold a BSIS LCO license, and you are entitled to ask for that license number before work begins. A real company will give it to you without hesitation. Also ask who will actually be at the door, what the scope of work is, and how you will be told about anything that changes the job once the technician has seen the lock.
Frequently asked questions
Should I rekey or replace locks between tenants?
In most cases rekeying is the more economical route. It makes old keys useless without buying new hardware. Replacement makes sense when the lock is worn, damaged, or being upgraded, such as to a smart lock. We check the condition at the door and tell you honestly which one fits.
Can you rekey several units at once?
Yes. Grouping units in one visit is usually more efficient than separate trips, and we can also key a whole building alike or tie it into a master system. Send the addresses and lock counts and we will plan it around your vacancy dates.
Do you answer calls from tenants who are locked out?
We answer phones 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at (213) 577-1366. Before we open a unit, we need to confirm the person lives there, and how that works is best agreed with you in advance as part of your lockout policy.
Can you set up a master key system in an older building?
Often, yes, but it depends on the existing locks. Some older hardware can be rekeyed into a master system, and some is better replaced. We look at the doors first, then explain the options and the tradeoffs before you commit.
Do you handle commercial doors on mixed-use buildings?
Yes. If you have a storefront or office beneath apartments, or light commercial space near the airport area in Hawthorne, we work on those doors too. One company covering both saves you from managing separate vendors.
Is a ZIP code or neighborhood outside 90250 still covered?
Our Hawthorne service centers on ZIP 90250, and we also serve nearby areas such as Del Aire, which is adjacent and unincorporated. We cover 140 cities across Los Angeles and Ventura counties, so if your portfolio is spread out, call and we will tell you plainly whether we can reach a given address.
How do I know your locksmith company is legitimate?
California requires locksmith companies to hold a BSIS LCO license, and you should ask any locksmith for that number before they start. Also look for a real storefront address, which we have at 10740 Wilshire Blvd in Westwood, and a company that answers its own phone.
More locksmith help in Hawthorne
Locksmith for Landlords & Property Managers near Hawthorne
Reviewed by David, Owner & Lead Technician, Wilshire Lock & Key — in the locksmith trade since 1987.
Last updated 2026-10-11.