Master key systems

A key ring with fifteen keys is awkward and, on top of that, insecure: nobody really knows who has which. A master key system puts that in order. Each door has its own cylinder and its own key, but there are higher level keys that open groups of doors. That way each person carries a single key, and that key opens exactly what it needs to open.

How it works

A master key system is organised in levels:

• Individual key. Opens one door only. It is the key for each neighbour, each flat or each office.
• Sub-master key. Opens a group of doors, for example all the storerooms or all the doors on one floor.
• Grand master key. Opens every door in the system. Normally only the person in charge has it.

On top of that, each individual key can be given access to shared doors. A neighbour uses the same key to open their flat, the main entrance, the pedestrian garage door and the pool gate, but not the flat next door.

The plan that sets out which key opens which door is called a key plan, and it is the first thing we prepare with you.

Who it makes sense for

Residents’ communities

Urbanisations on the coast have a lot of shared doors: main entrance, pool, bike room, meter room, garage, storerooms, roof terrace. With a master key system the president or the property administrator has a grand master key, the caretaker or the gardener has a sub-master for the areas they look after, and each neighbour has a key that opens their home and the communal areas. You will find more information under residents’ communities and property administrators.

Owners with rental properties

If you have several flats in the same building or on the same urbanisation, you can have one key that opens them all, while each tenant or guest has only their own. The cleaning team can carry a sub-master key that opens the flats but not the storeroom where you keep your things. If you work in holiday lets, have a look at holiday rentals as well.

Businesses and offices

In an office or a shop with a stockroom, management opens everything, the manager opens the shop and the stockroom, and each member of staff opens only what they use. When someone leaves the company, the problem is limited to their key and the doors it opened.

What happens when a key is lost or someone leaves

This is the most important question. If an individual key is lost, the cylinder on that door is changed and the rest of the system stays as it is. If a sub-master key is lost, the group of doors it opened has to be dealt with. If the grand master is lost, the problem is bigger, which is why the grand master should be in very few hands.

The same goes for when a former neighbour or an employee leaves without handing back the key. With the key plan in front of us we know exactly which doors are exposed and which cylinders need changing, without touching the rest.

Keeping track of who has a key

A well designed master key system comes with a register: which key each person has and which doors it opens. Many systems are ordered with an ownership card, so that the key cannot be reproduced without showing that card. It is the best way for the community or the business to know at all times how many keys are in circulation.

How we do it

1. Visit and count. We go round the doors and note the type of lock and the size of each cylinder.
2. Key plan design. We suggest who opens what and adjust it until it fits how you really work.
3. Fixed quote. Covering all the cylinders and keys in the system, before ordering anything.
4. Ordering the cylinders. Each cylinder is prepared for its door and its place in the system. We tell you the preparation time when we quote.
5. Fitting. We change the cylinders door by door and test each key in all the doors it should open and in the ones it should not.

If any door has an old lock that will not take a euro cylinder, we see it on the visit and tell you the options.

Master keyed or keyed alike

If what you want is a single key that opens several doors with no hierarchy, for example all the doors in your house, you do not need a master key system: what you need is keyed alike cylinders, which is simpler.

Ask for your study

Send us a WhatsApp telling us how many doors there are and who should open each one. If you are a foreign owner, write to us in your own language. We give you a fixed quote before we start. We are locksmiths from Torrevieja with 15 years of experience, and we work all over the Vega Baja.