Imagine this: A resident comes home to find signs that someone has been in their unit: items moved, belongings stolen, or worse, an intruder waiting inside. Neighbours have reported similar incidents. The common thread? Unauthorized use of master keys. This scenario isn’t hypothetical; it’s happened in real condo communities.

While using master keys is a common practice, improper key management puts your condo corporation and residents at risk. In this article, we’ll examine common risks of master keys and how to protect your residents.

Common Master Key Risks

It can be challenging preventing master key misuse without the proper precautions. Some of the most common issues include the following:

• Failing to Rekey After Construction or Renovations: When working on new construction or renovation projects, contractors might use construction master keys to provide easy access throughout the condo community. However, failing to rekey when the project is complete leaves residents at risk.
• Unapproved Duplication: Stamping keys with “Do Not Duplicate” provides a false sense of security. This inscription isn’t a failsafe way to prohibit duplication of keys, and if someone wants a copy of a key badly enough, they’ll find a way to make one.
• Unauthorized Key Use: Whether it’s a board member, vendor, or property manager, there’s always a risk that someone who has legitimate access to keys could use these keys for unauthorized reasons. Without a verifiable access log to track who’s removed keys and why, this risk increases.

A word of caution: As smart locks (also called digital locks or keyless entry) become more commonplace, you might think they provide more protection than physical keys. However, if a code, fob, or access card is programmed to grant access to the entire community—or even just a single building, it presents many of the same risks as master keys. To protect your residents, being aware of and addressing these risks is critical.

How to Reduce Key Control Risks

To protect your community, implement the following key security best practices:

Rekey When Necessary

If your community has recently undergone a construction project where workers had access to master keys or if a master key has gone missing, it’s important to rekey the locks.

Inform Residents

Whether your community uses a master key system or keeps a copy of each resident’s key on file, it’s important to let them know. Keep them informed about how you’ll secure keys, who has access to them, and what circumstances warrant use of those keys. Whenever a key is removed for the purpose of accessing a resident’s home, notify them ahead of time.

Create a Clear Key Control Policy

To hold keyholders accountable, create a clear key control policy detailing which employees, board members, vendors, and contractors are authorized to use which keys, when, and why. Update these guidelines at routine intervals, such as when a property manager resigns, a new board member is elected, or a resident moves in or out.

Secure Keys

Avoid storing keys in areas such as a desk drawer or on a pegboard in an open area. Ideally, store keys in an electronic key control system, which is a secure, automated solution consisting of a tamper-resistant cabinet, drawer, or wall-mounted panel.

Maintain Up-to-Date Key Control Logs

Every time someone checks out or returns a key, it’s important to document details such as the person checking the key out, date, time, checkout reason, and return time.

Using an electronic key control system to create an electronic log minimizes the possibility of human error or record falsification, as it will record each transaction instantly. If a key goes missing or there are allegations of misuse, this audit trail is invaluable.

Choose the Right Key Control Solution

To secure keys, implement an electronic key control system that’s practical for daily use, while offering security features such as:

• • Secure, tamper-proof storage
  • User authentication through fingerprint identification or other secure method
  • User profiles with different access levels
  • Resident notifications when a key to their unit is checked out
  • Alerts for overdue keys and other security issues
  • System-mounted security camera to record videos of each transaction
  • Automatically captured records of when keys are checked out and returned
  • Key control reports to monitor key activity and identify potential security concerns

One solution that incorporates these essential features is the KeyTrak Edge system. Its flexible design works well in any condo community, providing a verifiable, automatic audit trail.

The system’s mobile app allows authorized users to check key status remotely, view system activity, transfer keys securely, and identify key tags by scanning a QR code.

For smaller operations, the KeyTrak EdgeSL system provides secure key control on a scale right for you.

Implementing property key control measures not only increases security but also provides peace of mind to your residents and protects your condo corporation from liability.

By understanding the risks of master keys and taking proactive steps to secure them, you’re investing in your community’s safety and trust.

 

To get started, visit keytrak.com.

Aaron Burton is the director of multifamily, condo, and commercial industries with KeyTrak.