As a Windermere rental property owner, you’re possibly trying to find and use methods to reduce property maintenance costs. Even though you can do many things to save money, re-keying your rental property’s locks is not one of them. Regardless of how amicably your last renter left, you should regularly have your property’s locks re-keyed between renters. There are numerous reasons for this, the most focal 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 a prime concern for Windermere property managers, whether or not your property is currently occupied. Even for a time, vacant properties can turn into targets for criminal mischief and burglary. This is only made so much simpler 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 control criminal activity, you need to be able to control who has access to the property and when. You can do this more effortlessly by re-keying your property’s exterior doors if and when a renter moves out.
Renter Safety
Unreturned keys are a serious problem for your future renters. Renters need to feel safe in their rental homes. Except, if your past renters still have a key to the house, that feeling of safety may be a deadly 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 further lose the trust of your renter, which may instigate canceled leases and very costly turnover. To make renter safety a reality, it’s critically important to re-key the locks.
Increased Appeal
Although the cost of re-keying the locks between renters may make you hesitate, you can find a use for it as a selling point for your property. If a prospective renter is worried in connection with safety, you can ease those fears by guaranteeing that their locks have been re-keyed; and they may like 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 very quickly 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. Though it is quite easy to bring about, it’s less expensive. And re-keying the locks can be a bit reduced than replacing the entire lock, knob, or deadbolt.
Except, to make sure the job is fulfilled sufficiently well, you may like to hire a professional to come in and do it for you. A professional locksmith will be able to execute the job more efficiently and provide you with higher confidence that the re-key was completed excellently. Either way, the most vital thing is that it is executed well, and you have an entirely new set of keys to give to your new renter.
Alternatives to Re-Keying
Today’s landlords are always seeking other solutions to help guarantee their property’s and renter’s safety. As an example, instead of re-keying the locks once a renter moves out, many landlords find it more cost-effective to install an electronic keypad or smart key product. For instance, installing a keyless entry system that is typically based on a code instead of a physical key could avert the need for re-keying your property altogether. More advanced keyless entry systems likewise involve a smartphone app to unlock. Indeed, such options cost more upfront, the appealing gain is that you can very easily change the key code or smart key tool. Over the long haul, a keyless entry system could add up to increased savings.
Renter move-out can be a frenzy and a very hectic time for property owners. Why not let the professionals at Real Property Management South Orlando do it for you? Our Windermere property managers are adept at taking care of everything the move-out process necessitates and can find you a trustworthy new renter! To learn more, contact us online or call us at 407-982-2000.
Originally Published on July 2, 2021
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