As a Belleview rental property owner, you’re likely trying to sort out practices to reduce property maintenance costs. While it is true that you can do several things to save money, re-keying your rental property’s locks is not one of them. Notwithstanding how amicably your last renter left, you should often have your property’s locks re-keyed between renters. There are certain reasons for this, the most crucial being the security of your property, the safety of future renters, and helping boost your rental’s appeal to new renters.
Property Security
Security should be the greatest concern for Belleview property managers, whether or not your property is currently occupied. Even for just a period of time, vacant properties can certainly be targeted for criminal mischief and burglary. This is only made a whole lot 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 prohibit criminal activity, you need to be able to control who has access to the property and when. You can work on this very easily by re-keying your property’s exterior doors every time a renter moves out.
Renter Safety
Unreturned keys are a serious challenge for your future renters. Renters need to feel safe in their rental homes. But certainly, if your past renters still have a key to the house, that feeling of safety may be a sure 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 also lose the trust of your renter, which may elicit canceled leases and a very costly turnover. To make renter safety a reality, it’s crucial to re-key the locks.
Increased Appeal
While it is true that the cost of re-keying the locks between renters may indeed make you hesitate, you can put it to use as a selling point for your property. If a prospective renter is worried in terms of safety, you can simply allay those fears by guaranteeing that their locks have been re-keyed; and they may opt for 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 easily 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. Although it is uncomplicated to do, it does take a bit of skill and understanding. And re-keying the locks can be a bit more economical than replacing the entire lock, knob, or deadbolt.
Even so, to ensure the job is worked on suitably, you may look at hiring a professional to come in and do it for you. A professional locksmith will be able to settle the job more efficiently and offer you higher confidence that the re-key was done perfectly. Either way, the most critical thing is that it is implemented adequately, and you have an entirely new set of keys to give to your new renter.
Alternatives to Re-Keying
Today’s landlords are on the lookout for other solutions to help make sure their property’s and renter’s safety. For illustration, instead of re-keying the locks every time a renter moves out, most landlords find it more cost-effective to install an electronic keypad or smart key product. Like, installing a keyless entry system that is based upon a code instead of a physical key could hinder the need for re-keying your property altogether. More advanced keyless entry systems particularly need a smartphone app to unlock. Even though such options cost more upfront, the payoff is that you can effortlessly change the key code or smart key tool. As time goes by, a keyless entry system could add up to huge savings.
Renter move-out can be a hectic time for property owners. Why not let the professionals at Real Property Management Diversified do it for you? Our Belleview property managers are expertly able to manage everything the move-out process calls for and can find you the best new renter! To learn more, contact us online or call us at 352-854-2221.
Originally Published on July 2, 2021
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