Cleaning lady accidentally walked into girlfriends apartment w universal key
GF recently moved into a new apartment complex where some rooms are still vacant. The other day, a cleaning lady unlocked her door (electronic key) and walked in. She was obviously in the wrong room and left.

This raised the question for us: who has universal keys? My gf talked to the apartment and they said management has universal (which makes sense) that they loan out to people like cleaning personnel, she just went in the wrong room. This makes complete sense for hotels to me, but is it also normal for apartments to give universal keys to workers?

It makes us worried that any number of contractors could have a universal key on the job or also neglect to return and just have one on them. She’s living by herself in her apartment and is worried about safety. Any input from anyone that worked in apts?
[{"id": "hb71nzs", "text": "Can she put a secondary lock on the door? Do not spend time at the lock picking lawyer YouTube channel. You will learn how flimsy everything you think is safe.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "hb7769y", "text": "First, you may want to post this in the Landlord sub or something more specific to residential real estate.\n\nBut having worked in prop management i can say that we had a lock box and a key sign out code. That said, over time, keys get lost, locks get broken/changed, etc. We had one universal key. My boss was always super paranoid about it getting lost because it presents a huge liability. So, in theory, best practice by the management team would be to sign out keys as vendors come. Doesn't sound like they're doing that. I also have never lived somewhere fancy enough to have an electronic key on the personal door.\n\nI will say, that when we moved into our most recent unit, there was construction going on and people walked into our unit constantly. Management got an earful. I doubt you can put another lock on the door without violating your lease.", "replies": [{"id": "hb7tm0x", "text": "&gt; there was construction going on and people walked into our unit constantly. Management got an earful. I doubt you can put another lock on the door without violating your lease.\n\nthat shouldn't happen often, but sometimes there are like three steps between taking maint requests/turns and the contractor coming to pick up keys to maybe a dozen or more units.  I think we've all had a 17 look like a 19 and maybe a mistake happened somewhere.  It isn't always intentional or completely avoidable.", "replies": [{"id": "hb7vvcl", "text": "Yeah, i was understanding of the first couple times since we moved over a holiday. But when it continued happening for several weeks...i got pissed.\n\nI also work in development and know how hard communication can be on a job site. But after a while (and phone calls/emails) to management, my patience ran out.", "replies": [{"id": "hb7y36g", "text": "i feel ya, i'd feel the same way.", "replies": [], "depth": 4}], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "hb7hb84", "text": "Electronic keys are easily setup and can be remotely deactivated. The construction and cleaning people keys get deactivated after they done and gone. It makes sense for them though to have a master key while they're working on the site so they don't have to go to the office each time they need access to another unit. If safety is your concern, just install one of those latches that only open from inside the room, kinda like hotels have.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "hb7rre3", "text": "this depends somewhat on how old it is.  Mastering has gone out of style a bit and better mastering solutions exist now than your typical multiple key cuts.  So I don't want to tell you what I am about to say applies to every apartment, but oh yeah if your shit is mastered and has been for a while tons of people have the key.\n\nI literally have a bowl i'm looking at right now with masters to thousands of units I don't even work on anymore.  \n\nSo who gets a master?  All PM staff, emergency contractors commonly do, non emergency typically get one on loan (ie if the bug guy comes, you hand him one and he brings it back when hes done).  Could he take a pic of that or copy it?  Sure.  Do you have a locksmith on contract?  They have one.  Has this been sold, basically ever?  The past brokers all got one.  \n\nI took over management and brokerage on an apartment complex one time where the last manager literally met me at a gas station and gave me a bag of keys (most not labeled or unit) and a handful of file boxes of leases.  They had some legal issues with the owners and were less than cooperative.  So first thing is go test all those keys.  I can't even get into the damn buildings, just arg.  I call the locksmith we use, biggest in the city been in business for 100+ years.  Dude asks who build it and says he probably has a master and comes out with a big key chain, trys like 3 and cuts me a roll of 10 masters ;) They hadn't changed since the 60's.  Take a guess how many people have that key, I have no idea but its a big amount I bet.  (also before anyone jumps my ass I work for a legit brokerage and have paperwork on file with the locksmith and could clearly prove I had authority to access the property).\n\nPersonally if I lived in a mastered building I'd add a lock.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "hb8p3ch", "text": "A contractor who was supposed to be visiting my neighbour's suite unlocked my door and walked right in while I was taking a shit. They didn't even have a universal key. Our locks were just similar enough that the neighbour's key worked for my door, but not vice versa. For this reason, and because we learned that most members of the condo board could access the master key, we changed our locks.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "hb96hnp", "text": "First off, Read your lease or the girlfriend's lease.\n\nI'm not a lawyer.\n\nThink long and hard about what the landlord or staff did re: accessing the unit.\n\nDoes the lease stipulate the landlord covenants 'quiet enjoyment'. I bet it does, look for those terms. My understanding is that it is violated on entry to your unit that isn't in compliance with your lease (ie enter to evict you or inspect with 24 hrs notice etc.)\n\nIf you have this term in your lease, I think you can claim that they have violated the lease and the tenants right to quiet enjoyment, and that you feel the issue can be set aside if they do one of the following: \n(A) grant you permission to either change the lock or add a tenants lock, at your own expense, that you will replace with the landlords lock when you vacate.\n(B) the landlord to re-key the building (or keycards) and change the policy of 'loaning out master keys' in favor of management escorting personal and unlocking doors on their behalf (to make sure this doesn't happen again).\n\nThis isn't a hotel, there shouldn't be any reason for them to enter your girlfriend's space, without prior notice as per her lease, other valid reasons might be her consent, or an emergency (flood etc), or they are opening because law enforcement has a valid warrant to enter.\n\nIf you are going to demand some action here, you might want to consult with an attorney or housing advocate from your area. I am not an attorney and not even from your country.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "hba2p7c", "text": "Most apartments should have deadbolts that signify someone is inside and is actively locking the unit. It sounds like yours doesn\u2019t have this, you should ask if it\u2019s a possibility to install.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}]