What are the benefits of changing the master key?

Changing the master key is prevalent within the facilities management sector, a competent locksmith can provide a building manager with a master key for the entire building, whilst maintaining the individual locks on each office or apartment.  But is this an option for the modern estate agent?

Estate agents face exactly the same issues as a facilities management company.  They need to be able to get into all of the offices and apartments in their complexes or all the rented properties in their portfolio. In the case of the estate agent, naturally, the tenant needs to be able to lock their current rented house, flat or apartment. A universal key would be good for the owner or manager, but not for each office holder or tenant. 

Bradwell has a fantastic locksmith service

Fortunately, it is possible for a trained locksmith to give the owner or apartment manager a solution to all of these problems. A locksmith can perform a master re-keying of the entire complex, giving both the manager/owner universal access to the whole building and individual access to each tenant. The latter group gets the security and privacy it wants while the former will be able to get into any office or apartment at any time.

So is this a long-term cost-effective solution for estate and letting agents?  Lettings agents will naturally hold keys for landlords, let’s not forget the landlord has primarily employed the services of a letting agent to reduce the time impact a property portfolio has on their day-to-day life. So letting agents having keys is not uncommon.  Whether that’s to facilitate viewings, conduct inspections or allow maintenance companies like Bradwell Maintenance access to the properties, a busy branch could hold in excess of 500 sets of keys.

This presents a logistical issue, a security issue, and an administrative issue amongst other concerns.  The modern agency must therefore consider the option of master rekeying.  Yes, there will be upfront costs to landlords, but the benefits of a modern BS3621 compliant lock add value and security to their investment.  For the agency they are not only going to save time, long-term costs and errors, there is an argument they could be future-proofing their portfolio as landlords may be reluctant to terminate the agreement if it would entail a change of locks also.

 Rest assured whether it is a full master rekey or a simple broken lock, Bradwell Maintenance has the team to help.  Contact us today at 0161 711 0997 or info@bradwellmaintenance.co.uk for more information.