Buying rim cylinder with many keys

[Scott M]

The loonie scrote upstairs neighbour of a friend of mine is finally being evicted[1] and the communal lock is going to need replacing as a matter of course. Does anyone know of a supplier of rim cylinders/Yale barrels that come with a large number of pre-cut keys? Amazon turns up barrels with 6 keys (at a very reasonable £13) but a quick head count shows that at least a dozen is needed to start with and that soon adds up at £4 a key or whatever it is these days.

Failing that, anyone got any advice on unmarked graves!

[1] Frankly ought to be just taken out and shot as a total waste of DNA. His own mother wanted a psych test last time he was arrested and has since decided she wants no more to do with him.

[Lee]

Maybe a Rim Combi might be worth a look, although it's probably not going to compete on price against 12 keys, unless it's likely to happen again... :)

[Old Codger]

Don't know that separate keys are that cheap but my suggestion would be to get the Yale type barrel and as many keys as you can get from that supplier and, before fitting, get as many additional keys as you need cut by a local key-cutter. Timpsons are well known but most towns will have local key-cutters and markets often have one also.

[charles]

a private locksmith is probably far cheaper than Timpsons. Certainly is round here.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I'd guess they'd do a deal too for a large number of keys. It's quicker to cut several all the same than individual ones.

[F Murtz]

This post is a bit perplexing as with an ordinary lock you can get as many keys cut as you want, BUT with communal locks it is better to get a restricted key system to cut down on the copies, although no system is foolproof, just a bit more difficult. Usually requires a locksmith.

[Scott M]

It's not the practicalities but the expenditure.

The point is to avoid buying a "barrel + 2 keys" and spending a fortune on getting duplicates cut if one can simply purchase a "barrel + 20 keys" cheaply. I'm already up to "barrel + 6 keys" for £13, which is a damn sight better than £5 a key at Timpsons[1].

[1] Timpsons 6 years ago according to Google.

[Scott M]

Good thought guys, ta.

[Andy Burns]

But if the policy is to replace the lock and cut 2*n keys, every time that one of the n residents leaves, that could add up if there's a high churn of residents, vs a proprietary key that the residents shouldn't be able to make duplicates of, and they can be made to return when they leave (make it clear that if they don't then the cost of a new lock+keys comes out of their deposit).

[Lobster]

On 28 Feb 2016, Andy Burns grunted:

+1

But in any case, given that the cost is presumably(?) going to be split 13 ways, the cost isn't going to be a big issue?

Incidentally, having made efforts to find the cheapest place to get keys cut in my town, I last paid ?1.50 for a yale-type key from a hardware shop (a couple of years ago).

There are also plenty of ebay sellers who will do good deals on multiple keys if you buy the new lock from them, eg

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Fit a decent electronic entry system so the code or swipe cards can be changed when needed?

[tim...]

corrected for you

tim

[tim...]

TBH it isn't always the obviously unreliable ones that you have to protect yourself from when they leave

you are just as likely to be "at risk" when the quiet person you never noticed leaves

tim

[Scott M]

It's really not that sort of operation. Fairly average Victorian semi with a side door to 1st & 2nd floor flats. 1st privately owned by my friend, 2nd rented out by disinterested owner in Australia. It's only the track record of the current tenant that's going to ensure the locks are changed - god knows how many times the police have been out in the

18 months he's been there. Hopefully the landlady will be more stringent on the next tennant as a) it's her parents that look after the place rather than an agency and b) the place has been trashed.

The dozen keys are merely down to my friend's family needing at least 8 to start with and the chances of pinning the landlady down to pay anything are slim, so simply being able to replace lock & keys for a sane amount of money is the best starting point.

[Scott M]

It is a paradox, I agree. The previous tennant was deeply quiet to the point of invisibility and just shambled in and out to/from work which ties in with what you say. But he'd been there for about 15 years with no black marks to his name so wasn't viewed as a problem.

The current one has helped himself to a new credit card from the communal postbox and sold a carpet cleaner that lived in the landing cupboard. And although he leads the sort of lifestyle where he's unlikely to be able to find the front door key in 2 months time[1], the number of times he's been howling at the moon[2] or having violent slanging matches at 3am mean that you'd never sleep well again if the lock wasn't changed.

[1] He can't find the actual flat door key so the door's been kicked in. [2] I mean that almost literally; the joy of drugs.

[Steve Walker]

Yes, you never know.

Our next-door neighbours recently had £5000 of jewellery stolen and unfortunately it was not insured.

There was no sign of any forced entry and they are convinced that it was the partner of their estranged daughter (they have had emails threatening that they could get in whenever they wanted). She still had keys for the conservatory door and (now interior) patio door, but not the front one.

The next door neighbour's wife is very nervous anyway and she was terrified that they'd come back. They were going to arrange to have the outside lock changed, but luckily I had a spare Euro barrel of the right size in my garage, so it only took a few minutes to change for them.

The police can't do much about it, as there is no firm evidence of who it was.

SteveW