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Assume a few people besides you may hold a working key to your apartment: the landlord, the maintenance team, and past tenants if the lock wasn't rekeyed after they left. You can't always change that. You can ask for a rekey, add a lock that only works from inside, and put a warning on the handle.
If this question showed up the first night you slept in a new place, you're in good company. It's a sensible thing to wonder about, and most of the answer takes a weekend and very little money. It's also worth knowing that a key only matters at the door. A ground-floor window or a sliding door never needed one, and a stick-on vibration alarm on the glass covers that side while this guide deals with the lock.
Who might have a key to your apartment?
Most of the people on this list have a good reason to be there. It helps to know who they are, so you can decide which ones you're comfortable with.
- The landlord or property manager. They typically keep a copy. Your lease usually says when they can use it and how much notice they give.
- Maintenance staff and contractors. A key or a code may be passed to whoever fixes the heater or checks the smoke alarms.
- Past tenants. If the lock wasn't rekeyed between tenants, the old keys still work. So do any copies those tenants handed to a friend, a dog walker or an ex.
- A building master key. Some buildings use a master key system, where one key opens many units. That key lives with management, not with you.
None of this means anyone plans to walk in. It means the lock on your door is shared in a way the lock on a house you own usually isn't, and a few small additions put you back in charge of when the door opens.
Start with one polite question
Ask your landlord or manager, in writing, a short question: "Was this lock rekeyed after the last tenant moved out?" An email is fine. It gives you a dated answer and it's easy to follow up on.
If the answer is no, or "we're not sure," ask them to rekey it. Rekeying swaps the pins inside the lock so the old keys stop working, and a locksmith does it without replacing the hardware. Some landlords will do it at no charge, some will ask you to pay, and rules vary by state and city, so your lease or a local tenant office is the place to check. Offering to cover the cost can get a fast yes.
What you shouldn't do is swap the lock yourself without asking. Your lease may not allow it, and management may need access in an emergency. Our guide to what you can install in a rental without asking walks through where the lines usually sit.
What you can do tonight without changing the lock
These all work while you're home, which is when the question tends to come up. None of them need a drill.
Use the locks you already have
If your door has a deadbolt, turn it every time you're in for the night, not just the knob lock. If it has a chain or a swing bar, use that too. A chain won't stop a hard shove, but it does stop a door opened with a key from swinging all the way in.
Add a lock that only works from inside
A portable travel door lock slides into the strike on the door frame and braces the door from your side. A key in the hallway won't open the door while it's set, because it holds the door independently of the lock. It fits inward-swinging doors, takes seconds to put on and lift off, and leaves no marks. A door security bar under the handle does a similar job. Our guide on how to secure an apartment door from the inside compares the options and how fast each comes off.
Put a warning on the handle
Every way through a door starts with a hand on the knob. A key opens the lock, but the knob still has to turn. A door knob touch alarm hangs from the inside knob by a cord and sounds a 120dB siren when someone touches the handle, while the door is still shut. You hear the try, not the entry, and so does whoever is on the other side. Switch it off before you open the door yourself. Test it on your own door the first night, since handles vary.
A lock and a warning do different jobs, and they pair well. The lock holds the door. The alarm tells you someone is at it.
When you're out
Inside-only locks can't help when you're not there. When you're away, the useful moves are about notice and knowing what's where:
- Ask management to tell you before any planned entry. Your lease may already require it.
- Keep cash, passports and spare keys out of sight, in a lockbox or a drawer that isn't the first one anyone opens.
- Don't hide a spare key outside the door. A key under the mat is one more copy you can't account for.
- Take a quick photo of the room before you leave for a trip, so you can spot anything moved when you're back.
For the rest of the apartment, our apartment door security guide covers seven renter-safe upgrades, from strike plates to peephole habits.
Don't forget the glass
All of this is about the front door, because that's where keys work. But if you're on the ground floor, or a fire escape or balcony sits outside a window, those panes are a second way in that no key controls. A TremShield Alarm sticks to the glass and sounds at 125dB when a window is pried or knocked on, before anyone is through it. One is $29.99. If you have more than one window worth covering, the 6-pack is the better fit.
Keys, rekeys and inside locks: tenant questions
Will a portable travel lock fit my apartment door?
Yes, if the door swings into the apartment and has a standard strike plate: the lock's plate slides into that strike from your side. It does not work on outward-swinging or sliding doors, so check which way yours opens before you order.
Can I get out quickly with a travel lock on the door?
Yes. Lift the bar and the door opens normally, because it blocks entry from outside, never your own exit.
Does a door knob alarm work on any handle?
It hangs from a round knob or a lever, but it is a touch sensor, so a plastic, rubber-coated or painted-over handle may not register a touch. Test it the day it arrives, and returns are open for 30 days if it stays quiet on your door.
What powers a door knob alarm?
One 9V battery. A slide switch on its side turns it on at night and off in the morning, before you reach for the handle yourself.
Your door, back on your terms
Ask one question about the rekey, add a lock that only works from inside, and hang a warning on the handle. That covers the door. For the windows, six TremShield Alarms cost $99 as a 6-pack. That's $16.50 per alarm, and it saves $80.94 against buying six. It comes with two free no-drill window locks and the Home Security Guide, a PDF sent by email, plus 30-day returns. See the 6-pack.
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