If you just bought a new business or some employees have left recently, you need to get the locks re-keyed. You have no way of knowing who all has keys. Or, if you are tired of sorting through all the different keys and want just one key to work all your locks, give us a call. Sometimes this is a good opportunity to replace really old locks or look into upgrading the security level of your locks and keys.
We typically perform this service at your location, but you are welcome to bring your locks to us to be re-keyed.
Master key systems come in all shapes and sizes. You can have a master key system in a single building such as an office building, apartment building, warehouse, factory, store, restaurant, church, etc. Or, you can have a master key system span several buildings such as an apartment complex, university, multiple buildings in a business or rental franchise, etc.
Even in a smaller business with more than one door, having a master key system allows you to designate one door as an employee entrance. When an employee leaves without returning the key, you only have to re-key that one lock. Meanwhile the owner can have just one key that works in every lock.
Don’t think of a master key system as being strictly hierarchical in nature. Sometimes you need special keys that work across multiple branches of master keys. For example, you could have a campus of three buildings, each with a master key that works in every door in the building, and a grand master key that works in every door of all three buildings. But you need one maintenance key that will allow contractors to access only the boiler room in all three buildings. Fitch Locksmith can design very complex master key systems to meet your needs.
If the locks on your home are more than 15-20 years old, you should seriously consider having Fitch Locksmith replace them. Older locks wear out and can fail—leaving you unable to open a door or secure it closed.
Deadbolts are a great idea to increase the security. Deadbolts protrude much further into the door frame, making it more difficult to bust the door in. Let Fitch Locksmith professionally install deadbolts where you currently have none.
Key control is vital to the security of your building any time more than one person has a key to it. Keys can be copied by anyone, and over time, you have no way of knowing who has keys to your building.
There are different levels of key control varying from “none” to “very strict”. The larger the system you have, the more critical key control is. Don’t be fooled by keys that has “DUPLICATION PROHIBITED” or “DO NOT DUPLICATE” or a similar phrase stamped on them. The act of duplicating such keys, while not the act of a reputable locksmith, is not in itself illegal. That stamping produces only a small deterrent to duplicating these keys.
Fitch Locksmith helps you with your key control through the use of restricted keyways. Restricted keyways are keyways and keys that are only available through Fitch Locksmith and the contracts we have with the manufacturers. When we set up your system, you designate signatories who are the only people authorized to have keys duplicated by us. Each key is stamped with a serialized number so you know exactly which key is issued to which person and that you get the correct key back when that person leaves the organization. We can also provide you with software to track key issues and order additional keys online.