If you manage even a handful of units in Spokane, you know the cycle: tenant leaves, keys may or may not come back, and the next tenant moves in Saturday. Here is how to make the lock side of turnover boring.
Rekey, do not replace
Unless the hardware is damaged, rekeying is the right call every time: same locks, new pins, new keys, ten to fifteen minutes per door. Batch several units into one visit and the per-door cost drops further. We can also key every door in a unit alike so the tenant gets one key.
Consider a master-key system
For anything over four or five units, a master system pays for itself quickly: each tenant's key opens only their door, your master opens everything, and a rekey on turnover changes only that unit's tenant key while your master keeps working. No more collecting and labelling rings of keys. We design and pin these on site.
Restricted keyways stop the copying
The reason keys "may or may not come back" is that any hardware store copies a standard key. A restricted keyway uses blanks that are only available to the locksmith who registered the system, with a signature card for who may order copies. Tenants cannot quietly make three spares for friends, and you know exactly how many keys exist.
Keypad and smart locks on rentals
Keypad deadbolts remove the key problem entirely: give each tenant a code, delete it at move-out, done. Choose commercial-grade units, keep a mechanical key override, and set a maintenance code you never share. We install and set these up, and can move a tenant in the same afternoon they sign.
Turnover checklist
- Rekey every exterior door and the door from any shared garage
- Reset garage remotes and keypad codes
- Mailbox lock if the tenant had a key
- Photograph the new key bitting for your records
- Hand over keys against a signed receipt — it matters at deposit time
Washington rules worth knowing
Washington landlord-tenant law requires you to provide and maintain working locks and to change them in specific circumstances — for example at a tenant's request after a documented domestic-violence situation. Read RCW 59.18 or ask your attorney for the current text; we can turn a rekey around the same day when one of those requests comes in.
Questions from property managers
Can you rekey ten units in one morning?
Yes, with notice. Batch turnover weeks on the calendar and we bring pre-cut key sets so each unit takes minutes.
Do you keep our key records?
For master and restricted systems, yes — the key schedule and bitting list stay on file so additions match. For plain rekeys we give you the bitting on the invoice.
What about mailboxes and laundry rooms?
Cluster mailbox locks and common-area doors are part of the same visit; common areas belong on the master, mailboxes never do.
Where we do this most
Student housing in Cheney and the Logan neighbourhood, the apartment corridors along Sprague and Argonne in the Valley, and the duplex streets of Hillyard and West Central.
