Rekey locks in a property for a new tenant is one of your landlord requirements when you own a rental property in Texas. So, this question is pretty straightforward. You have to rekey the property because it’s the law in Texas.
Texas Rental Law: Rekeying the Property
Texas rental law states that the locks on a property must be rekeyed within seven days of a new tenant moving in. This is required whether the property is turning over between tenants, or if a landlord had been living in the house previously, and then decided to rent it out to tenants. Regardless of the situation, the locks must be changed.
Property Management Solution: Kwikset Locks
At Keyrenter, we use an innovative solution that saves money and keeps us in compliance with the rental law. We install Kwikset locks on all of our properties. The smart key technology allows us to rekey the deadbolt with another key while keeping the same deadbolt. So, we’re following the law and rekeying the property, but there’s no additional cost to the owner.
Locks and Liability
Ultimately, we need to rekey the homes for liability reasons. If the owner was living there before a tenant moves in, it’s possible that a relative or a neighbor has a copy of the key. It’s impossible to know how many copies of that key are out there. The last tenant may keep a key to the property as well. So, to reduce liability for our owners, it’s important to rekey the property. We don’t want a new tenant to claim that someone entered and stole things. You have to rekey to protect yourself.
The only people with a key to the property should be the tenant and Keyrenter. We can enter for very specific reasons. Otherwise, no one else should have a key.
If you have any questions about this law or our rekeying policy, please don’t hesitate to contact us at Keyrenter McAllen.
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