As a Sandy rental property owner, you’re consistently trying to find processes to reduce property maintenance costs. Even though you can do several things to save money, re-keying your rental property’s locks is not one of them. Doesn’t matter how amicably your last renter left, you should regularly have your property’s locks re-keyed between renters. There are several reasons for this, the most necessary being the security of your property, the safety of future renters, and effectively helping boost your rental’s appeal to new renters.
Property Security
Security should be a chief concern for Sandy property managers, whether or not your property is currently occupied. Even transiently vacant properties can be targets for criminal mischief and burglary. This is only made so much easier if your previous renters copied their key and gave it to someone that wasn’t on the lease. To keep your property secure and to disallow criminal activity, you need to be able to control who has access to the property and when. You can carry this out more uncomplicatedly by re-keying your property’s exterior doors that moment when a renter moves out.
Renter Safety
Unreturned keys are a serious matter for your future renters. Renters wish to feel safe in their rental homes. That being said, if your past renters still have a key to the house, that feeling of safety may be a rather dangerous illusion. If a previous occupant or someone they gave a key to does break in, you may find yourself liable for any damage or injury that results. You will secondly lose the trust of your renter, which may create canceled leases and a rather costly turnover. To make renter safety a reality, it’s necessary to re-key the locks.
Increased Appeal
Even though the cost of re-keying the locks between renters may make you hesitate, you can utilize it as a selling point for your property. If a prospective renter is worried about the subject of safety, you can allay those fears by guaranteeing that their locks have been re-keyed; and they may select your property over similar rentals in the area. If you can increase demand for your property, you can charge a bit more for rent and hastily recover anything paid to have the locks re-keyed.
DIY or Hire a Pro?
If you are handy, you can re-key the locks of your rental property yourself. Notwithstanding that it is much easier to execute, it does take a bit of skill. And re-keying the locks can be a bit less expensive than replacing the entire lock, knob, or deadbolt.
That being said, to secure the job is brought about properly, you may have to hire a professional to come in and do it for you. A professional locksmith will be able to accomplish the job more efficiently and bestow you greater confidence that the re-key was done aptly. Either way, the most very important thing is that it is finished suitably, and you have an entirely new set of keys to give to your new renter.
Alternatives to Re-Keying
Today’s landlords are inquiring about other solutions to help make certain their property’s and renter’s safety. For instance, instead of re-keying the locks each time a renter moves out, several landlords find it more cost-effective to install an electronic keypad or smart key product. Specifically, installing a keyless entry system that is based on a code instead of a physical key could ward off the need for re-keying your property altogether. More advanced keyless entry systems also call for a smartphone app to unlock. Though such options cost more upfront, the real benefit is that you can, with no sweat, change the key code or smart key tool. Through time, a keyless entry system could add up to major savings.
Renter move-out can be a frenetic time for property owners. Why not let the professionals at Real Property Management Wasatch do it for you? Our Sandy property managers are learned and skilled at having to deal with everything the move-out process calls for and can find you the right new renter! To learn more, contact us online or call us at 801-889-1517.
Originally Published on July 2, 2021
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