Locks for vacation rentals and second homes, changed over between guests
Same-day changeovers timed to the cleaning window, keypads with a code per guest, and keys that stay accounted for, whether you're in Leucadia or Phoenix.
Between checkout and check-in
Most Encinitas rentals turn over between an 11am checkout and a 4pm check-in. That's the window. We schedule inside it, coordinate with your cleaner so we're not in each other's way, and confirm with a text and a photo of the finished lock and the tagged keys. "Quick" means the lock is done before the sheets are.
For a keypad, a changeover is a code reset and a battery check. For a keyed door, it's a rekey. In July and August, and around the Del Mar racing season and the county fair, turnovers stack up along the whole coast. That's when a standing account earns its keep, because account properties get scheduled first.
Keypads and smart locks that suit rentals
A rental lock has a different job than a home lock. We recommend on four things: a code per guest that expires at checkout; a mechanical key override, because batteries die; a battery you can change without tools; and a finish that survives a block from the beach.
We install and set up the lock, connect it to your phone if it's a connected model, and show your manager how to add and delete codes. We don't sell gadgets for their own sake. Some of the best rental locks are plain keypad deadbolts with no app at all.
Key control for cleaners, gardeners, and pool service
Every rental has a small crowd with access: the cleaner, the gardener, the pool service, a handyman, the neighbor who checks after a storm. Write down who has what. We help two ways: restricted keys that can't be copied without your sign-off, and a code per person, so when the pool company changes you delete one code instead of rekeying a house.
Lockboxes work, and they're also the first thing a thief looks for. If you use one, use a good one, keep it out of sight from the street, and change the code with the season.
If you live somewhere else
A lot of Encinitas second homes belong to people in Arizona, the Inland Empire or out of state, who visit a handful of times a year. The workflow: you text or email, we coordinate with your manager or cleaner for access, we do the work, and you get photos of the finished hardware and the new key tags, plus an invoice by email. You never have to be here. If something fails at the house, your manager calls us direct.
Built for salt air
West of 101 in Cardiff and Leucadia, and around Moonlight, the beach is in the air. Keypads with cheap plating lose their finish in a season and their buttons in two. Sliders and beach-gate latches fill with sand. We fit marine-grade and PVD-finished hardware where the house is close to the water, and we'll set a service interval, once a year for most rentals, to clean and lube the sliders, check batteries, and re-tighten what a summer of guests loosened. Finishes and hardware, in detail.
An owner's closet
If you keep anything of your own in the house, keep it behind a lock your guests don't have: a keyed owner's closet on a separate key, and a small bolted safe inside it for documents, spare keys, and the things you'd hate to lose. We do the closet lock and the safe in the same visit. Small safes for owners' closets.
One note on the condo buildings near Moonlight Beach and along 101: common-area doors and gates are usually on a fob or master system run by the HOA. We can change your unit's door and, with the HOA's okay, help with fobs. We can't change the building's gate for you, and we'll say so up front.
Property managers: a standing account
For managers with a handful of doors or fifty: priority scheduling in the turnover window, one monthly invoice, a property list on file with lock types and access notes, and a direct line. Fill this in and we'll call to set it up, or reach us the ordinary way.
The City of Encinitas runs a short-term rental permit program and collects transient occupancy tax, and the rules change. Confirm the current ones with the city before you list. We're locksmiths, not permit consultants; we'll just make the hardware match whatever the rules require.
Questions owners ask
Can you change codes remotely?
If your lock is a connected model, yes: you or we can change codes from a phone, anywhere. If it is a standalone keypad, codes are changed at the door, which is a five-minute stop we fold into a turnover. Tell us which you would rather have and we will recommend the lock to match.
What if a guest is locked out at 11pm?
The guest calls you or your manager, and you call us. If we can come, we come, and the after-hours rate applies. A mechanical key override kept in a lockbox your manager controls is the cheap insurance against ever needing that call.
Do you keep copies of my keys?
No. We cut what you order, tag it, and hand it over. Where you have a restricted key system, the authorization record stays on file so only you can order copies, but we do not hold spare keys to your property.
Can you match the lock my HOA requires?
Usually. Most HOAs specify a finish or a style for the street-facing door rather than a brand. Send us the paragraph from the CC&Rs or a photo of a neighbor’s door and we will match it.
Do you work with my property manager directly?
Yes. Many owners never meet us. The manager schedules, we do the work, and the owner gets the photos and the invoice. We will keep both of you on the thread if you like.
How fast can you turn a property over?
Inside the same cleaning window in most cases when it is booked ahead. Same-day calls we fit in when we can, and standing-account properties are scheduled first.
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Rekeying the home you live in? That's a one-time job, on its own page.
Set up a rental account, or book one changeover.
Call, or text the address and a photo of the door. We'll take it from there.
- Hours
- Mon–Sat 8am–8pm
After-hours lockouts by phone - Credentials
- Licensed and insured
- Area
- Encinitas & Cardiff-by-the-Sea
92024 · 92007