Locksmith for landlords and property managers in Los Angeles

Why rental properties need a different kind of locksmith call

A homeowner calls a locksmith when something goes wrong. A landlord calls because the calendar says so. A tenant moves out on the thirty-first, a new one moves in on the first, and the locks have to change in between. Add a lost key on a Sunday night, a mailbox bank that jams, a gate that stops latching, and a board asking who actually holds the keys to the building, and you have a recurring workload rather than a one-off emergency.

Wilshire Lock & Key has served Los Angeles since 1987, and a good share of that work is the steady, unglamorous kind: rekeys between tenants, keys cut in quantity, and older hardware that keeps getting repaired because replacing every door in a building isn't realistic. This page is written for owners and managers who want a locksmith they can call the same way every time.

Our storefront is at 10740 Wilshire Blvd in Westwood, and our mobile service vans come to your building. Phones are answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, year-round, at (213) 577-1366. That matters when a tenant is standing in a hallway at midnight and the problem lands on you.

What locksmith work do landlords and property managers usually need?

No two portfolios look alike, but the requests fall into a handful of groups. This is what we are typically asked to handle:

• Tenant-turnover rekeying, so a previous resident's keys stop working without replacing hardware that is still in good shape.
• Master key systems and restricted keys for buildings where a manager, maintenance staff and tenants each need a different level of access.
• Lockouts for tenants, guests and vendors, including after-hours calls that would otherwise ring your personal phone.
• Repair of worn, sticking or loose locksets, deadbolts and strike plates, especially on older doors.
• Mailbox lock replacement and mailbox bank repair, covered under our mailbox lock replacement service.
• Controlled-access entries, keypad and fob readers, handled through access control installation.
• Keypad or smart lock installation on units where you want to stop rekeying at every turnover.
• Gate locks, storage-room locks, and storefront or office-suite locks if your property includes commercial space.

How does a tenant-turnover rekey work?

Rekeying changes the inside of the lock so the old keys stop working while the lock itself stays on the door. When the hardware is in good condition, it is usually the more economical route compared with buying and installing new locks, which is why most managers choose it for turnovers. Our lock rekeying visits follow the same steps each time.

1. You tell us the address, how many locks each unit has, and whether you want them keyed alike (entry door, deadbolt, mailbox, storage).
2. We come to the unit in a mobile van stocked with cylinders, pins and key blanks, and look at every lock before touching it. A lock that is worn out, loose, or the wrong brand for a keyed-alike setup gets flagged first.
3. We rekey the cylinders to a new key pattern, cut the new keys, and test each key in each lock, including the deadbolt and any secondary locks.
4. We confirm the old key no longer turns the lock. That is the entire point of the visit, so we test it rather than assume it.
5. We hand the keys to whoever you've named, and we tell you about anything that needs attention so it doesn't surprise you at the next turnover.

When is rekeying not the right answer?

Some locks aren't worth rekeying again. A deadbolt that spins loose in the door, a latch that no longer lines up with the strike, or a cylinder worn smooth from decades of keys will keep causing service calls no matter how often it is rekeyed. When we see that, we'll say so and explain whether lock repair or replacement is the better use of your money in that building.

The reverse is also true. We won't talk you into new hardware when a rekey does the job. Over a portfolio, that difference adds up, and it's one reason managers keep calling the same locksmith.

When does a master key system make sense for a building?

A master key system lets one key open many locks while each tenant's key opens only their own door. It is built as a hierarchy: individual unit keys, a manager or maintenance key, and sometimes a separate key for common areas such as laundry rooms, storage and roof access. A master key system makes the most sense once you manage enough doors that a ring of loose keys has become a security problem in its own right.

Here are the honest tradeoffs. A master system is planned work, not a same-day fix, and it only stays secure if you control who holds the top-level key. Every master key you hand out is a copy that can be lost. Before we build anything, we ask who needs access to what, how many doors are involved, and how often staff change. Sometimes the right answer is a simpler keyed-alike setup for a few doors, and we will tell you that instead of selling a bigger system.

Key control matters as much as the hardware. A short written list of who holds which key, a rule against copying keys at the hardware store, and a restricted keyway where it fits your budget do most of the work. Ask us which keyways can be restricted, and we'll explain what that does and doesn't prevent.

What should a lockout policy for tenants look like?

Most landlords end up with a lockout policy by accident, after the third call at two in the morning. It is better to decide once. The questions to settle are who pays when a tenant locks themselves out, who is allowed to call, whether the tenant calls us directly or goes through your office, and what happens on properties with no on-site manager.

Two routes work well. In the first, the tenant calls us directly and pays for the visit themselves. In the second, the tenant calls your office or answering service, and you authorize the visit. Either is fine, as long as it is written into the lease or house rules so nobody argues at the door. For apartment lockouts, we ask for proof that the person lives in the unit or that the owner or manager has authorized us. That protects your tenants as much as it protects you.

One firm line: we won't change locks to keep someone out of a home they lawfully occupy. California rules on entry, lock changes and evictions are strict and set by law and your lease, not by us. If you aren't sure what you may do in a dispute, talk to a landlord-tenant attorney before you call a locksmith.

What affects the cost of recurring locksmith work?

We don't put prices on a web page, because the honest answer depends on the building. These are the things that move the cost of a job:

• How many locks each unit has and whether they all need work.
• Rekey versus replace. A rekey on sound hardware is usually the lighter-cost option; a worn or damaged lock may need new parts or a new unit.
• The type of hardware. A standard deadbolt is simple. An original mortise lockset or mid-century hardware can take more time and more careful parts sourcing.
• Key type and quantity, including restricted keyways, high-security cylinders, fobs, and how many copies you want cut.
• Volume. Several units in one visit generally means less travel and setup per lock than the same work spread across separate trips.
• Timing. Scheduled turnover work booked ahead is generally the more economical way to run a building than an after-hours emergency call.
• Access. If doors are open and someone is there to let us in, the visit goes more smoothly than if we are waiting on a manager with the only key.

Why put one local company in charge of your locks?

Property managers tend to learn the hard way that a locksmith's name on a website isn't always the company that shows up. Here is what we can honestly offer:

• Wilshire Lock & Key has been in business since 1987, in the same part of the city we still work in.
• A real storefront at 10740 Wilshire Blvd in Westwood plus mobile service vans, so there is a physical shop behind the van.
• One company, no dispatch middlemen. The people answering your call are ours, not a call center passing the job to whoever is available.
• David, the owner and lead technician, oversees the work, so there's someone accountable for the standard we hold.
• Service across 140 cities in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, which helps if your properties aren't all in one neighborhood.

How can you verify a locksmith before giving them your keys?

California requires locksmith companies to hold a BSIS locksmith company (LCO) license, issued through the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services. When you hand someone access to your tenants' homes, ask for the license number and check it with BSIS. Ask any locksmith, including us. A company that hesitates to answer is telling you something.

What does rental locksmith work look like across Los Angeles?

Housing in central and west Los Angeles is heavily rental. Renters outnumber owners across most of the central city, so controlled-access entries, intercoms and mailbox banks are common, and every one of them is hardware that needs upkeep. Palms, Sawtelle and Koreatown have a very large stock of mid-century apartments and dingbats, and move-in rekeys in those renter-heavy buildings are a regular part of our work.

Around UCLA and Westwood Village, student housing brings apartment lockouts. Along the Wilshire Corridor through Westwood, many condominium high-rises are HOA-managed, which means building-access lock service often involves a board or management company rather than a single owner. If you manage for a board, we can talk through common-area doors and access hardware with whoever makes the decisions.

Many older buildings still carry original mortise locksets and mid-century hardware, and the 1920s Spanish Colonial and Tudor homes of Mid-Wilshire often have the same. Mortise locks can usually be repaired, but parts and fit vary from door to door, so we look at each one rather than quoting blind. Downtown adds loft conversions in early-1900s commercial buildings, along with storefront lock and panic-hardware repair in the Historic Core and Fashion District. In Century City towers, office suite rekeying is a common request for managers handling commercial tenants.

The climate is mild, and the effect on locks is modest. The Westside gets regular morning marine layer that can leave exterior hardware damp, and older wood doors on the foggier Westside can swell a bit by season. If a door sticks in damp weather, it may be the door and not the lock, and we'll tell you which.

We work across the city, including ZIP codes 90024, 90025, 90049, 90064, 90067, 90035, 90036, 90046, 90028, 90038, 90010, 90005, 90020, 90017, 90014 and 90012, and neighborhoods from Brentwood, Bel Air and Beverly Glen to Mar Vista, Cheviot Hills, Hollywood, Koreatown and Downtown Los Angeles.

How do we set up service for your properties?

You don't need a contract to start. A short conversation is usually enough to get a building set up the way you want it.

1. Call (213) 577-1366 or use our contact page and tell us how many properties and doors you manage and where they are.
2. Tell us what hardware is on the doors if you know it: standard deadbolts, mortise locksets, mailbox banks, gates, or smart locks.
3. Decide your policies: who is authorized to call, how turnover rekeys are scheduled, and how after-hours lockouts are handled.
4. Ask about billing and paperwork up front so the process matches how your office works.
5. After that, call as needed. The number is the same at any hour, and the phone is answered every day of the year.

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