I moved into my apartment back in June and love it. It’s a secure place which requires two keys for entry, one to actually get in the building, and one for my apartment. When we moved in, my partner and I were both given two keys each.
A few weeks later, I thought it would be a good idea to have a spare apartment key made to keep in my backpack in case I lose my key ring. I went to the local hardware store to get one, and was told by the person at the key counter that my apartment key could not be duplicated…it had stamped on it “do not duplicate”. However, the building key did not have this message stamped on it. I found this odd. I’ve lived in several apartments over the years and have never experienced this.
I called my apartment manager and was told that I could get an extra key directly from them for a $50 fee! I was also told that they had a “lockout” service which costs $50 per use. So, if I ever get locked out, they will come and let me in for 50 bucks! I was outraged. The apartment complexes that I’ve lived in in the past were all on the east coast. This apartment complex is in San Francisco. Is this a common practice on the west coast or San Francisco? I was told by the apartment complex that the reason they do this is to prevent unreported people from living in the apartment. (So, for $50, I CAN potentially have an “unreported” person living with me?).
I am normally a “follow the rules” kind of guy, but I think this is ridiculous. I’m tempted to take my key to every key shop in the city until someone makes me a copy.
Eventually some key shop will do it. I’m assuming it is a standard SC1 or KW1 key blank?
There is no good reason for the landlord to want $50 for that. A hardware store may do it if you can prove you live there.
I have a key cutting machine myself. If you wanted, I could duplicate it for you, but I live about 1.5 hours south of Frisco, so arranging it could be a problem.
Most keys I have seen that say do not duplicate aren’t SC1 or KW1 blanks. They are usually the type of key you see in an office or school. I quick look at my ‘do not supluicate’ key…oh, nevermind. Apparantly, mien can be duplicated, since it deosn’t say not to. Add to that it lookd like a Schlage key, I see no brand on the key or lock, but you’d be suprised how much you learn from cutting keys for just oen sumemr at a ahrdware store.
Anyways, most of those types of keys tend to have the same look. A rectangular head with rounded corners. with the long part of the rectangle going perpendicular to the shaft of the key, which is usually a bit longer than your average SC1 or KW1.
“Lockout” fees are designed to be punitive. They want you to take responsibility for your keys (and your own security), so they charge a high fee to open the door.
And it is a security issue. The more apartment keys that float around out there, the more likely it is that one or more will be used, shall we say, improperly. It also helps the landlord keep track of who is living in each unit, no small problem in cities with rent control or leases that forbid roommates.
There are practical reasons, even if they’re not obvious ones.
My goatfeltching condo association decided to rekey the entire complexs front doors. The new keys we received are not marked ‘do not duplicate’, but are on non-standard “security” blanks.
This will, of course, drive the rekeying cost upward in six months, when the busybodies do it again.
I wonder how peeved they would be to discover my unit is off the master key, and has been since the end of the Gippers time in office?
I just find it odd that the OP’s building key isn’t also marked DND.
As for getting a dupe made, no reputable locksmith will do it, and some will even have signs posted in the shop about it. That’s not saying you can’t scrounge up a less-than-reputable one who will do it, though.
My vague understanding is that a locksmith could face criminal charges for making a copy of a DND key.
Irrellevant. Any key can be stamped DND, but since you worked at the HW store you know that. And you try and charge me 50cents for it! :). Thats why I bought my own machine and my own stamps for the property I was managing the keys for.
And the ones with the square heads are also frequently normal Schlage key blanks with different heads. I see them a lot in my key catalogs.
If it looks longer, it might still be standard - SC4 6pin instead of the SC1 5pin.
The company I work for usede to do a significant amount of key duplication…in fact, keys were the origin of the business. We no longer cut keys, but during the 7 years I worked for them that we did, never once was the Do Not Duplicate issue addressed, except when we would refuse to cut a key stamped that way. But officially we were never told of any legal issue. Most DND keys were blanks we didn’t even carry, so we would refer people to the regular locksmith around the corner. Whether he cut the keys or not I can’t say, but I know he carried the blanks.
I can appreciate those reasons, but I am taking responsibility for my keys by trying to get a duplicate key made… That way, I’ll never have to bother the building manager at 3am when I’ve lost my keys.
And if I did pay $50 for a spare key, how would they (the apartment management) know that I haven’t decided to take in an illegal immigrant as a room-mate?? It just seems like a scam.
Yup, he’s right. I had spare keys made for every single apartment I lived in in Boston (4 in all). Every key had “do not duplicate” printed on it, and I never once had someone refuse to make a copy. Keep trying, somebody will do it.
Well, If you happen to come down to Monterey on a regular basis, I’d be more that happy to copy it for you. I’ve got a bunch of blanks, so I’d even do it for free.
But again, odds are most key shops locally would do it with no hassle.
Most will do so. You’re not paying for the key, you’re putting down a security deposit that will be fully refunded when you return the key.
My old block of flats in Sydney did the same thing with the building door. The keys were DND, and were $50 down to get a spare. Which was all fully refunded when we left, and returned all of the keys.
Though I do find it strange that it’s your apartment key, and not the building key that’s stamped DND. Most places I’ve seen it have it the other way around, to stop unauthorised entry to the building, but to let individual apartment dwellers have as many keys as they like.
Locks need not be changed simply because a key was lost. Unless there was some way that the finder can identify the address, it’s a random piece of brass.
I’m sorry to see your cavalier attitude towards security CynicalGabe. I also have my own machine but respect the right of a property owner to restrict access. Whenever I create a master system, I stamp the keys DND with the hope that all other professionals will afford me and my customer the same level of respect that I give them, by NOT copying DND keys.
For customers who are really concerned, I set them up with Medeco and not worry about those who choose to ignore professional obligation.
rostfrei if its a regular Schlage key, you could put a couple coats of nail polish over the DND then take it to a key place. Lots of people put nail polish on keys to tell them apart.
Just a thought.
I would hardly call it a cavalier attitude. I am, in fact, remarkably anal about who gets keys checked out to them, and giving people the 3rd degree who have lost their keys, etc.
Its just in this case I think the landlord is abusing their right to control access in favor of making a few bucks. “Only I can give you an extra key, and only for $50.”
If they were actually trying to restrict access, they’d be willing go give out another key for something like $10.
This has little to do with security and much to do with greed, IMHO.
As such, I see the DND stamp as facilitating this, and see little reason to respect it. Especially since the OP just wanted a spare key. The OP was not going to start handing out copies at Safeway and offering the couch to random people.