Keeping Property Rental Keys Safe

For Landlords/Property Managers, finding that the keys don’t work to your property rental can be a source of frustration. You might simply have brought the wrong set of keys or the tenant may have changed the locks and not told you. Properly manage your keys according to legal requirements and with the best practice methods.

When storing keys, make sure they are locked away and there is no record of property address attached to the keys in the event that keys are misplaced or lost.

When supplying keys to the tenant, the property manager must give at least one of the tenants a key for every lock that is part of the premises, including sheds, gates and letter boxes. If there is more than one tenant named on the tenancy agreement, the property manager should provide each of the named tenants with a key for each lock that is required to access the premises.

In the event a tenant has locked themselves out, be mindful of who is collecting the office set of keys. There should be procedures in place to confirm identity and confirmation from all tenants to provide access.

If there’s a need to change locks, the tenant is required to seek lessor consent. Ensure that locks must be changed to that of a similar quality to what is currently installed.

When a tradesperson requires access to the property, there should be an entry notice. A fail safe idea would be to have the tradesperson contact you to arrange collection of keys with approval and verification from the tenant.