Locksmith for landlords and property managers in Sherman Oaks

What do landlords and property managers actually need from a locksmith?

A rental property uses locks differently from an owner-occupied home. Keys change hands every time a tenant moves. Contractors, cleaners, agents and relatives borrow them, and nobody remembers who still has a copy from two tenancies ago. The lock keeps working the whole time, which is exactly why the problem goes unnoticed until something goes wrong.

So the locksmith you pick matters less on the day something breaks than on the ordinary days in between, when you need a unit turned over quickly and done correctly. That is the work this page is about: turnover rekeying, master key planning, a sensible lockout policy, repairs that keep a building running, and a clear picture of what drives the cost.

It is written for owners of single rentals, small multifamily owners, and managers who look after a handful of buildings or a larger portfolio around Sherman Oaks. If you are dealing with a lockout right now, skip ahead and call (213) 577-1366. We answer 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

How does a tenant turnover rekey work?

Between tenants, the goal is simple: the previous occupant's keys should stop working, and the new tenant should receive keys that work on every lock they are supposed to use. Rekeying does that without buying all new hardware. We change the internal pins of the existing cylinders so old keys no longer turn them. If the hardware is in decent shape, this is usually the sensible route. Our lock rekey service covers the details.

Here is how a typical turnover goes when we are working from your move-out schedule:

• Rekeying is the right call when the locks are sound, the finish is acceptable and you simply want old keys dead.
• Replacement is the right call when a lock is worn, sticks, has a damaged cylinder, or no longer matches the quality of the rest of the unit.
• Keying every lock on a unit to one key, usually the entry and deadbolt, saves you and the tenant from carrying a ring of different keys.

1. You give us the address, the move-out date, and a list of what needs to be keyed: entry door, deadbolt, side or patio doors, gate, mailbox, storage or garage.
2. We arrive with the tools and key blanks to do the work on site, so the door is not left unlocked while you wait for parts.
3. We test each lock before changing it, and flag anything worn, loose or misaligned, so you can decide between rekeying and repair or replacement.
4. We rekey the cylinders, cut the number of keys you ask for, and test every key in every lock.
5. You get the keys labeled for the unit, ready to hand over, and a note of anything that needs attention at the next turnover.

Is a master key system worth it for a small building?

Often, yes, once you have more than a few doors that you personally need to open. A master key system lets one key open many locks, while each tenant's own key opens only their unit. For a manager walking a building, it replaces a heavy ring of keys with one. See our master key system page for how we set these up.

It is not free of trade-offs, and we will say so plainly. Every added level of keying, such as a tenant key, a floor or building sub-master, and a grand master, adds a little complexity and slightly more ways for a key to be misused. A master key that is lost is a bigger problem than a single unit key, because it opens more doors. Good planning limits the damage.

Before we build a system, we want to know:

• Which doors need to be covered: unit entries, laundry rooms, trash enclosures, utility rooms, gates, roof access.
• Who needs which level of access: you, an on-site manager, maintenance staff, a cleaning crew.
• How many units you may add later, because a system planned for growth is far easier to expand than one that has to be redone.
• Whether you want restricted key blanks. On some systems these limit unauthorized copying, though what is available depends on the system, and we confirm that before you commit.

What should a landlord lockout policy include?

Tenant lockouts are predictable. They happen late at night, on weekends, and on the evening before a big deadline. If you have no policy, your phone rings at the worst hour and you improvise. A short written policy saves you that, and it protects you from letting the wrong person into a unit.

Decide these things before the first call comes in: who the tenant calls first (you, an on-site manager, or the locksmith directly), who pays for the lockout visit, and what proof of tenancy you require before anyone opens a door. We take that last point seriously. Whoever we are helping must be the resident or be authorized by you, and we will ask for confirmation. Our apartment lockout service works this way.

Many managers choose to have lockouts routed straight to us, since we are reachable around the clock, and to bill the tenant or the property according to the lease. How that cost is assigned is your decision and your lease's business, not ours. We try to open doors without damaging them. If a lock has to be drilled or replaced, we tell you first.

What affects the cost of landlord and property manager lock service?

We do not quote numbers on a web page, because a fair price depends on the job in front of us. What we can do is tell you what moves the cost, so nothing about the bill is a surprise:

• How many locks are involved. Rekeying one unit is a different job from rekeying a whole building, and batching work in one visit usually makes better use of the trip.
• Rekey versus replace. Rekeying existing hardware generally costs less than new locks, but worn hardware is false economy.
• The type and grade of lock. Standard residential cylinders, restricted keyways and high-security cylinders are not priced alike.
• How many keys you need cut, and whether they are standard or restricted blanks.
• Whether a master key system is involved, since planning and keying a system takes more work than a single-key rekey.
• Timing. Planned turnover work in regular hours is different from a lockout in the middle of the night.
• Access and conditions: gates, hillside properties, damaged doors, frames or strike plates that must be corrected before the lock will work properly.
• Travel to the property, which is part of how any mobile locksmith's work is priced.

How do you check that a locksmith is legitimate before using them on your properties?

California requires locksmith companies to hold a BSIS LCO license, issued through the state's Bureau of Security and Investigative Services. That applies to us and to any other company you consider. Ask every locksmith about it before you hire them, and do your own check with the state if you want to be sure. Property managers hand keys, codes and access records to the vendors they use, and it is reasonable to be selective.

A few other things worth checking: does the company have a real address you can visit, does the person who answers the phone know the local area, will they tell you the company name when they answer, and will they explain a price before starting work? Some listings that look local are call centers that pass the job to whoever is available. You often find that out only when a stranger arrives in an unmarked car.

Why property managers call Wilshire Lock & Key

We have been in business since 1987. We have a storefront at 10740 Wilshire Blvd in Westwood, and mobile service vans that come to you. When you call, you reach one company, not a dispatch middleman who sells your job on to a subcontractor. The same people who talk to you are the people who do the work.

David, the owner, is also our lead technician, and he oversees the work. For a manager, that means someone is accountable when a rekey is done wrong or a master key plan needs to change. You can ask for him by name.

We answer the phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at (213) 577-1366, including holidays. For recurring work, tell us how you like to operate: a single point of contact, a list of addresses, a preferred way to label keys. We would rather fit your process than make you learn ours. You can also reach us through the contact page if you would rather write out a list of properties first.

Locks and rentals in Sherman Oaks: what the local housing looks like

Sherman Oaks covers ZIP codes 91403, 91423, 91401 and 91411, and the rental mix is varied. The flats north of Ventura Boulevard carry 1930s to 1950s ranch and traditional homes, many of which are rented as single-family houses. The hillsides to the south mix mid-century builds with newer custom houses. Condo and apartment stock concentrates along Ventura, Sepulveda and Riverside, including many HOA-managed condo buildings from the 1960s to the 1980s.

That mix creates a few patterns we see in the area. In HOA condo buildings along the Ventura Boulevard corridor, a lockout is often complicated by who controls which lock. The HOA usually handles common areas, while the owner handles the unit door. If you own a condo you rent out, check your HOA's rules before you change anything on the building side, and ask us if you need help working out what falls under whose control.

Hillside properties, including those off Mulholland Drive and in Longridge Estates and Royal Woods, frequently have gates, side-yard doors and multiple entry points. For a landlord, that means more locks to rekey at each turnover than the front door alone, and more places where a forgotten key can come back to haunt you. Our gate lock repair work covers the latches and gate hardware that take the most abuse. Rekeying a hillside house after a sale or a move-in is one of the most common jobs in this part of the neighborhood, and it applies equally when a new tenant moves in.

Climate plays a role too. Summers are hot in the valley, moderated slightly near the Sepulveda Pass, and hillside homes take more wind and sun, which ages weatherstripping and exterior door finishes faster. A door that sticks or a lock that is stiff in the heat is a repair call that rental owners often put off. Dealing with it at turnover is cheaper than dealing with it after a tenant complains.

In remodeled ranch homes in Chandler Estates, some owners are adding keypad or app-based deadbolts. In a rental, these can make turnover easier, because you can change a code instead of cutting keys, but they also add batteries, settings and a learning curve for tenants. Our smart lock installation page explains what to weigh up. If you own units on the other side of the commercial strip, around the Galleria and Fashion Square, our commercial locksmith work covers the shop and office side, and the same company can handle both.

Our storefront is about 8 miles from Sherman Oaks, and the vans cover the area, from Magnolia and Riverside to the hillsides south of Ventura. If a tenant needs extra copies of a key, our key duplication page explains what we can and cannot copy.

What to do next

If you have one unit coming up for turnover, call and tell us the address and the move-out date. If you have a building with a tangle of old keys and no record of who holds what, tell us that instead. That is usually the case where a rekey or a planned master system pays for itself in peace of mind. Either way, call (213) 577-1366 and you will reach the people who do the work.

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