Rekey Locks Between Tenants: A Westchester Landlord Guide

Rekey every lock the last tenant had a key to, after the move-out walkthrough and before the new tenant gets keys. That means the unit door, any back or side door, a storage room or garage space, and any shared door their key opened. It is standard practice among landlords and property managers because nobody can collect every copy of a key, and rekeying costs far less than new locks. If you manage more than a couple of units, a master key system makes each turnover smaller.

One note before the detail. Leases, building rules and local codes vary from one city and village to the next. Check your lease and your local code with your attorney or your municipality before you set a policy. This post is about locks, not law.

Why rekeying between tenants is the norm

A tenant hands back two keys at move-out. That says nothing about how many exist. Over a lease, keys get copied at the hardware store, given to a partner, lent to a friend, left with a dog walker or kept by a former roommate. The tenant may not know where all of them went either.

The new tenant has no way to know who still holds one. Rekeying is the only way to start the lease with a clean answer: the new tenant's keys open the door, and nothing else does.

There are practical reasons too.

It is a selling point. Telling a new tenant the locks were rekeyed after the last one left is a small thing that reads well.
It keeps your own records straight. A simple log of which units were rekeyed and when helps if a question ever comes up about who could open a door.
It is cheaper than replacing. Rekeying keeps the existing hardware. Our rekey or replace guide sets out when a worn lock should be replaced instead.

What to rekey at each turnover

Walk the unit with the old tenant's key ring in your hand and list every lock it opens.

The unit entry door. A knob or lever lock plus a deadbolt is two cylinders.
Any back or side door to the unit.
Storage, a garage space or a basement cage assigned to the unit.
Shared doors. If the tenant's key opens the building's front door, the laundry or the basement, those cylinders are part of the job. Rekeying a shared door means new keys for every tenant who uses it, which is the strongest argument for a master key system.
Keypads and smart locks. Delete the old tenant's code and app access the day they hand back keys. If the smart lock has a backup key cylinder and the tenant had that key, rekey it too.

Collect the old keys at move-out anyway. It tells you whether anything is missing, and it is good practice even when the locks are being rekeyed regardless.

Habits that make turnover faster

Landlords who rekey often tend to settle on a routine. A few that work:

Rekey on move-out day. The unit is empty and you are there for the walkthrough. Booking the rekey for the same visit avoids a second trip.
Keep spare cylinders. Some landlords keep a set of cylinders already keyed differently. On move-out day the old cylinder comes out, a spare goes in, and the old one is rekeyed later and becomes the next spare. This works best when every unit uses the same brand and style of lock.
Standardise the hardware. One brand and one keyway across the building makes every rekey, spare and master key simpler.
Keep a key log. Unit, date rekeyed, number of keys issued, and who signed for them.
Decide on lockouts in advance. Tenants get locked out. Decide whether you or a locksmith handles that, and put the number in the welcome sheet. Our post on apartment lockouts in New Rochelle covers what a building can and cannot do when a tenant is stuck outside.

Master key systems for small multifamily buildings

In a two-family house, a three-family house or a small apartment building, a master key system usually works like this:

each tenant's key opens their own unit and the shared doors they need, such as the front entry and the laundry
the landlord's master key opens every unit and every common door
each unit can be rekeyed on its own at turnover without touching anyone else's key

That last point is the reason to set one up. Without a master system, every shared door that a tenant's key opens has to be rekeyed for the whole building at every move-out. With one, you rekey one unit and leave the rest alone.

A few things to know before you commit:

It is designed on paper first. The locksmith works out which keys open which doors before any pins go in. Adding a master system later to a mix of brands may mean new cylinders.
Key control matters. A restricted keyway means copies of the master and the tenant keys cannot be cut at any hardware counter. "Do not duplicate" stamped on a standard key is a polite request, not a control.
Master keying has a trade-off. Each mastered cylinder accepts more than one key, which makes it slightly easier to defeat than a single-key cylinder. For most small buildings the convenience is worth it, but it is worth knowing.

Master key systems are part of our commercial locks service, alongside access control for buildings that outgrow keys.

New Rochelle, Port Chester and White Plains rentals

Downtown New Rochelle has many new high-rise apartment buildings, and those usually have a management office with its own lock policy. This post is more for owners of houses and smaller buildings who handle turnover themselves. Our third technician lives at the edge of the Bronx, which puts him close to New Rochelle, and our two Larchmont-based technicians are next door to it too. See our page on New Rochelle locksmith service for the area.

Port Chester has dense multifamily housing, and a small building with a shared entry is exactly where a master key system pays for itself. Our Port Chester locksmith page covers the village.

White Plains is the county seat, with a busy downtown. Whether you rent out a single unit or manage a small building there, the turnover routine is the same. Our page on locksmith service in White Plains has the details, and our lock rekeying service page explains the work.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to rekey between tenants?

That is a legal question, and the answer depends on your lease, your building and your municipality. Check with your attorney or your city or village. As a matter of practice, most landlords rekey at every turnover because it costs little next to the risk of an old key still in circulation.

Can a tenant change the locks themselves?

That depends on the lease. A tenant should ask the landlord first, and a landlord should say in the lease what the rule is and whether the landlord needs a copy of any new key.

Should I rekey or replace the locks at turnover?

Rekey if the locks work well. Replace any lock that sticks, wobbles or was damaged. Turnover is also a good time to standardise on one brand across the building, so later rekeys are simpler.

Are smart locks easier for rentals?

For codes, yes. You delete the old tenant's code and set a new one without a visit. Most smart locks still have a physical key cylinder, though, and if a tenant had that key, the cylinder needs rekeying like any other lock.

To rekey a unit between tenants, or to plan a master key system for a small building, call Larchmont Locksmith NY on (914) 255-6611.