Service key

A service key is the one given to people from outside the household, such as the cleaners, the maintenance staff or guests, so that they can get in without being given the main key.

Depending on the system, it may open only some doors, as happens with master key systems, or it may stop working when the owner decides, with cylinders that allow keys to be cancelled.

On the coast it is common in holiday rental properties and in houses that someone looks after while the owner is away. Our advice is always to know how many there are and who has them. When the person changes, or you do not get one back, the safe option is to change the lock cylinder or fit a system that lets you control those keys.