Turnover is a long list, and locks land near the bottom of it. The carpet cleaner is scheduled, the painter needs two days, the yard is overgrown, and somewhere in that shuffle an owner hands the new resident the same three keys the last resident carried for two years.
That is one of the clearest avoidable liabilities in this business. You do not know how many copies exist. The previous resident may have made one for a partner, a dog walker, a roommate who left early, or a contractor who never returned it, and none of those people have any obligation to you. If something happens at that property, the question of who had access will be asked.
Quick Answer
Change the locks at every turnover without exception. Rekeying the existing cylinders is usually enough and costs less when the hardware is sound; replace hardware when it is worn, damaged, mismatched or you are upgrading. Keying the front, back and storm doors alike is a small cost that prevents a stream of small problems. Smart locks solve the key-handoff problem, but only specify one with a mechanical key override, standard batteries, no mandatory subscription, and a written policy on who controls the master account.
Why Every Turnover Needs a Lock Change
A key is a physical object that can be copied at any hardware store for a few dollars, and there is no way to audit how many copies were made. When a tenancy ends, the number of keys returned tells you almost nothing about the number in circulation.
There is also an expectation question. A resident reasonably expects that the previous occupants cannot walk in, and documenting that you delivered it is what protects you if that expectation is ever tested. Treat the lock change as a non-negotiable turnover line item, priced in from the start. It belongs with changing HVAC filters and testing smoke detectors: cheap, fast, and conspicuously absent when something goes wrong.
Rekeying Versus Replacing the Hardware
These are two different jobs, and owners often use the words interchangeably.
Rekeying keeps the lock body and changes the internal pin configuration so old keys no longer operate it. The lock stays on the door, the finish stays consistent, the cost is lower, and a locksmith can typically do several cylinders in one visit. That is the right choice when the hardware works well.
Replacing means new hardware, which is the call when the lock sticks, the deadbolt does not throw fully into the strike, the hardware is a mismatched collection from three eras, the door has been kicked or pried, or the cylinder is a builder-grade unit you no longer want on an exterior door. Replacement is also the moment to fix a short-throw deadbolt or a strike plate held by short screws instead of long screws into the framing.
Whenever a locksmith is on site, check whether each deadbolt fully extends without lifting or pulling the door. Doors move seasonally in this climate, and a bolt that only half engages is a lock in name only.
Keyed-Alike Cylinders
Many rental homes end up with a front door key, a separate back door key, a third for the storm door, and sometimes a fourth for a basement or garage entry. That is four keys to copy, lose and track at turnover. Keying all exterior cylinders alike so one key operates every door is inexpensive as part of a rekey and simplifies your records to one key per property. The exception is a shared-access situation, such as a duplex with a common basement or laundry area, where separate keying may be deliberate.
Master Key Systems and Why Single-Family Owners Skip Them
A master key system uses cylinders pinned so a resident’s key operates only their unit while a master operates many. That is useful in an apartment building. For a scattered portfolio of single-family homes it usually is not worth it: master keying adds cost and concentrates risk in one physical object. Most owners with a handful of houses are better served by one key per property, stored under a coded system rather than a labeled one.
Smart Locks in a Rental: The Case Both Ways
What They Solve
- No physical key handoff. A new resident gets a code, not a meeting.
- Unique codes per person. The resident, a cleaner, a lawn crew and a contractor can each have a distinct code, and you can revoke one without touching the others.
- Remote changes at turnover. Removing the previous resident’s code takes a minute and no trip to the property.
- Access records. Some models show which code was used and roughly when, which helps when a vendor claims a visit that did not happen.
- Showings during vacancy. Temporary codes with expiration beat a lockbox key that circulates.
What They Cost You
- Batteries fail at the worst time. A dead lock is a lockout, and a lockout at 10 p.m. is an emergency call.
- Account ownership gets muddled. If a resident sets the lock up under their own account, they administer access to your property, and at move-out you may be locked out of your own device. This is the most common smart lock failure we see and it is entirely preventable in writing.
- App and firmware dependence. The lock relies on a manufacturer’s app, sometimes a hub, and often a Wi-Fi network the resident controls. Updates break things and products get discontinued.
- Cost, both the hardware and, on some platforms, a subscription for the features that made the lock attractive.
- No mechanical fallback means no way in when the electronics fail.
Four Things to Specify
- A mechanical key override, a physical keyway a real key operates. This is the difference between an inconvenience and a locksmith call.
- Standard, user-replaceable batteries, not a proprietary rechargeable pack.
- Local control, not subscription-only. Basic keypad entry should work fully offline.
- A written access policy in the lease addendum: who owns the master account, that the owner or manager keeps a permanent administrative code, that the resident may create and delete guest codes but not remove owner access, who buys batteries, and what happens if the device is factory reset.
Keep the mechanical override key in your own key control system even if nobody expects to use it. That is the point of it.
Rekey, Replace or Smart Lock: How the Options Compare
| Factor | Rekey Cylinders | Replace Hardware | Smart Lock |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best used when | Hardware works and looks acceptable | Hardware is worn, damaged or mismatched | Frequent turnover, vendor access, remote management |
| Relative cost | Lowest | Moderate | Highest up front |
| Key handoff needed | Yes | Yes | No; codes issued remotely |
| Access records | None | None | Often available by model |
| Failure mode | Mechanical wear | Mechanical wear | Dead battery, app issue, account dispute |
| Ongoing cost | None | None | Batteries, sometimes a subscription |
| Fit on older Richmond doors | Usually good | Good with correct sizing | Often poor without modification |
Older Richmond Housing Stock Changes the Answer
A large share of the rental inventory in Church Hill, the Fan, Jackson Ward, Northside and the older Southside was built long before anyone standardized door hardware.
Mortise Locks
Many original doors in these neighborhoods carry mortise locks: a rectangular lock case set into a pocket cut in the edge of the door, often with a separate keyway. These are not compatible with a standard cylindrical or tubular deadbolt without modification, and off-the-shelf smart locks built around modern bore patterns generally will not drop into a mortise pocket. Options include servicing or rekeying the existing lock through a locksmith who works on vintage hardware, adding a separate modern deadbolt where the door and frame allow, or replacing the unit with a modern mortise-compatible assembly. Whether the property is subject to historic district review is worth confirming with the City of Richmond before altering visible exterior features.
Non-Standard Thickness and Backset
Modern locks are engineered for a common door thickness and a standard backset from the door edge to the center of the bore. Older solid doors are frequently thicker, and the existing bore may sit at a nonstandard distance, so a lock that will not tighten down or a bolt that misses the strike is a wasted trip. Measure thickness, bore diameter and backset before ordering.
Frames, Jambs and Storm Doors
Old jambs are sometimes soft or split, and the best deadbolt does nothing if the strike is screwed into a quarter inch of failing wood. Storm doors are the other item that gets forgotten: many older Richmond homes have an aluminum or wood storm door with its own lock that is routinely left out of the turnover rekey, leaving a resident with a working house key and a storm door they cannot lock. Count every exterior opening, and remember that storm door latch hardware is often cheap enough to replace rather than rekey.
What the Lease Should Say About Lockouts and Lost Keys
Almost every lockout dispute traces back to a lease that never addressed the situation. A workable policy section covers:
- Who to call and when, with separate business-hours and after-hours procedures.
- Who pays. State that resident-caused lockouts and replacement of lost keys or fobs are the resident’s responsibility, and tie the charge to actual cost or a clearly disclosed schedule rather than a number you cannot substantiate.
- Lost key means rekey, not another copy of the same key.
- No unauthorized lock changes. Residents should not install or add locks, chains or keyless devices without written permission, and any permitted change requires providing a working key or code immediately.
- Keys issued and returned, counted at move-in and required back at move-out.
- Smart lock terms: account ownership, batteries, and a prohibition on factory resets.
Our resident resources page is where we point residents for these procedures.
Access and Entry Under Virginia Law, Generally
The Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act addresses a landlord’s right of entry and the tenant’s obligations regarding the dwelling unit. In broad terms, it provides that a landlord may enter for inspection, repairs, services or to show the property, that entry generally requires reasonable notice except in an emergency, and that a tenant shall not unreasonably withhold consent. Whether a specific lock change by a resident is permitted depends on the lease language and the statute together.
Read the chapter itself rather than a summary, and if you are dealing with a contested entry or a resident who has changed the locks and refuses access, get advice from a Virginia attorney before acting. Nothing here is legal advice, and self-help remedies carry real risk. Note also that emergency entry is a narrow category: a leak actively damaging the structure is different from a lawn concern you noticed driving past.
Key Control Practices That Matter
- Never label a key with the address. A key tagged with a street address is a found key that becomes a break-in. Use a code that means something only in your own records.
- Store keys in a locked cabinet, not a desk drawer and not a vehicle parked at a jobsite.
- Log every handoff: who took which key, for which property, and when it came back.
- Track vendor access specifically. When a resident reports something missing or a door left unlocked, that log is the first thing you will want.
- Document the move-in handoff, including mail keys, which get overlooked and are a postal matter rather than a locksmith call.
- Reconcile at move-out, then rekey regardless of the result, and never leave a spare hidden at the property.
Lockboxes During Showings and Vacancy
A lockbox is a practical tool for a vacant property and also a standing access point that needs managing. Use one with a changeable code, change the code between vacancies, mount it on a permanent fixture, and take it off the property the day the resident takes possession. If the home is occupied and being shown, skip the lockbox entirely, coordinate with the resident, and give the notice the lease and statute require. Our property management services include handling showing access and vacancy security so an owner is not managing code changes from a distance.
Turnover Lock Checklist
- Count every keyed opening: front, back, side, basement, garage entry, storm and screen doors, sheds and gates.
- Collect all keys, fobs, remotes and mail keys and reconcile against the move-in count.
- Inspect each lock: does the bolt throw fully, is the cylinder smooth, is the strike aligned, is the jamb sound?
- Decide rekey or replace for each opening based on condition, not habit.
- Rekey exterior cylinders alike where practical so one key operates the property.
- Do not skip storm and screen door hardware; rekey it or replace the latch outright.
- Reinforce strike plates with long screws into the framing and repair split jamb material.
- On older doors, measure thickness, bore diameter and backset before ordering hardware.
- On any smart lock, delete the previous codes, confirm you hold the master account, replace batteries, and file the override key in key control.
- Cut only the keys you will issue plus one office copy, tag them with a code rather than the address, and log them in.
- Change the lockbox code before marketing and remove the box at possession.
- Document the handoff in writing with a count of every item issued, and confirm the signed addendum on lockouts and lock alterations matches your policy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a landlord required to change the locks between tenants in Virginia?
Rather than treating this as a question of the bare minimum, treat it as standard practice. Whatever a statute or local program requires in a given situation, handing a new resident keys that unknown people may still hold is exposure with no upside. Review the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act for the framework, ask a Virginia attorney about your circumstances, and change the locks every time regardless.
Is rekeying as secure as installing new locks?
For access purposes, yes. Rekeying changes the pin configuration so old keys no longer work, which is the security objective. New hardware matters when the existing lock is worn, damaged, poorly installed or low quality, since those are mechanical weaknesses rekeying does not address.
Can a tenant change the locks on a rental in Virginia?
That generally depends on the lease terms read alongside the statute. Most leases prohibit residents from changing locks without written permission and require any approved change to come with a working key or code for the owner. If a resident has already changed the locks and will not provide access, talk to a Virginia attorney rather than removing the hardware yourself.
Are smart locks worth it on a single-family rental?
They pay off most where turnover is frequent, vendors need scheduled access, or the owner manages from a distance. They pay off least on an older home with nonstandard doors, on a long-tenured tenancy, or where nobody has agreed in writing who administers the master account.
Who should own the smart lock account, and what happens when the battery dies?
The owner or manager should hold the administrative account; the resident can hold a code and create guest codes. Otherwise a departing resident controls access to a home they no longer rent. When a battery dies the keypad stops working, and without a mechanical override that is a lockout requiring a locksmith, which is why that keyway is non-negotiable.
Will a standard smart lock fit an old Church Hill or Fan door?
Frequently not. Original mortise locks, thicker-than-standard doors and nonstandard bore locations are common in older Richmond neighborhoods, and most consumer smart locks assume modern dimensions. Have a locksmith assess the door before buying hardware.
Get Turnovers Handled Without the Guesswork
Locks are a small part of a turnover and one of the few parts where cutting a corner creates liability rather than a cosmetic problem. Build the lock change into the standard turnover scope, write your lockout and key policy before you need it, and keep records you could actually produce if asked.
If you would rather not manage rekeys, vendor access and code changes yourself, see how we handle turnovers on our owner resources page or contact our Richmond team.
