Should you change the locks between tenants?

It is a question that has crossed many property owners’ minds when their previous tenant moves out. Is changing the locks a necessary safety precaution, or is it unnecessary after every tenancy?

Often many tenants may have cut multiple sets of keys to give to family, friends, and partners. While most of these should be returned and documented at the end of the tenancy, sometimes things slip through the cracks. So, the thought about whether to change the locks or not arises.

With tenants coming and going, the occupancy of the property can change hands often, which both makes it difficult to keep track of the keys and expensive to always buy new locks. There is no clear consensus as to whether you should change the locks or not, so we will show both sides to help you make an informed decision.

Why it is worth changing the locks.

The biggest reason property owners change the locks on their property is security. Many property owners may be concerned about the integrity of the home security after a previous tenant has moved out. They may also feel that guaranteeing this is important for their new tenants. This is a fair call, as for many prospective tenants, feeling safe in their new home is vital.

It could be hard for many tenants to accept living in a property where someone beyond their landlord and property manager could have a copy of their key. While tenants vacating the property are supposed to hand over all keys to the property, that doesn’t mean that they will always hand over all copies.  

Why it is not worth changing them.

The problem with changing the locks on a regular basis is that it can become expensive. While it can be made cheaper by simply replacing the locks yourself, this can be difficult to do, and time consuming, especially if you have a high tenant turnover.

Aside from costs, there aren’t any other reasons why you should not change the locks. Everyone would be changing their locks between each tenant if it was cheap and easy.

So, should you change them?

Well, depending on the state, the tenancy laws state that you must agree to provide and maintain locks or other security devices in order to keep the property reasonably secure. You should check with your state’s specific laws to ensure you are compliant.

It mostly comes down to ensuring that you are looking after the property and keeping it in a safe and secure state. So, you should be paying attention to the state of the property, replacing any damaged locks.

If the locks are undamaged when a tenant moves out you can also re-key a lock instead of replacing it. This is a cost-effective solution that provides much of the benefits of replacing the lock.

Conclusion

Whether you feel the costs of replacing the lock outweigh the benefits or not that is ok. Your goal should be ensuring that your tenant feels safe in the property, and often changing the locks isn’t required to do so.

If you are unsure you should reach out to your property manager and see what they think. A great property manager, like Link Living, will have the experience dealing with the security of properties to offer you great advice. If you need a property manager, reach out to Link Living.

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