The Call Came on a Wednesday Afternoon
Marcus rang us around 3 PM on a Wednesday. He owned a duplex on North Screenland Drive, just a few blocks from the Burbank Town Center. His previous tenants in unit B had moved out over the weekend, and the new family was scheduled to pick up keys that Friday.
“I don’t even know how many copies of the old keys are floating around,” he told us. “The last tenants had a dog walker, a house cleaner, and I think they gave a spare to a neighbor. I need everything fresh.”
We get calls like this regularly. Landlords in Burbank — especially around the Magnolia Park and Rancho districts — manage rental properties that turn over every year or two. And most of them know they should change the locks between tenants, but it always seems to land at the bottom of the priority list until the move-in date is breathing down their neck.
What We Found at the Property
Our tech, Danny, drove out from our service area and got to Marcus’s place within 40 minutes. The duplex was a 1960s build — pretty typical for that stretch between Olive Avenue and Burbank Boulevard. Solid bones, but the hardware told a different story.
Unit B had:
- A front door with a Kwikset deadbolt that was at least 15 years old — the strike plate was loose and the bolt barely extended fully
- A back door leading to the shared yard with just a doorknob lock (no deadbolt at all)
- A side gate with a padlock that Marcus had lost the key to years ago
Danny took photos, talked Marcus through the options, and they agreed on a full plan — not just rekeying, but replacing the aging hardware entirely.
The Work
For the front door, Danny installed a Schlage B60N deadbolt — Grade 1, which is what we recommend for rental properties because they hold up to years of daily use without getting sloppy. He paired it with a new Schlage handleset so the whole entry looked cohesive. Marcus cared about curb appeal since the duplex fronted a fairly visible street.
The back door got a deadbolt added above the existing knob. Danny had to drill and mortise the door and frame, but the wood was solid enough to support it without reinforcement. He also swapped the old knob for one keyed to match the front deadbolt — so Marcus’s new tenant would only need one key for both doors.
For the side gate, Danny cut off the old padlock and installed a gate latch lock with a key cylinder. Marcus wanted the tenants to access the side yard for trash bins without walking through the house. We often handle gate lock service in Burbank alongside door lock work — it just makes sense to do it all in one visit.
Total time on site: about two and a half hours. Marcus got five copies of each key — two for the tenants, one for himself, one spare in his office, and one for his property manager.
Why This Matters for Burbank Rental Owners
California law doesn’t explicitly require landlords to change locks between tenants, but it does require that rental units have functioning deadbolts on all entry doors (Civil Code 1941.3). If your deadbolt is barely engaging or your back door has no deadbolt at all, you’re technically not in compliance — and you’re definitely putting your property and your tenants at risk.
Marcus admitted he’d been managing this duplex for six years and had never replaced the original locks. That meant at least three different tenant households had made key copies that were still out there somewhere. Lock installation in Burbank rental properties isn’t just about the hardware looking nice — it’s about resetting access control completely.
Practical Tips for Landlords
1. Replace, don’t just rekey, every 3-4 turnovers
Rekeying is cheaper and works fine for a cycle or two. But lock cylinders wear out. After three or four rekeys, the pins start to get unreliable. Budget for full replacement periodically.
2. Always add deadbolts to back and side doors
Most break-ins on residential properties happen through secondary entries. If your unit has a back door with just a knob lock, that’s your weakest point.
3. Use the same keyway across all entry points
Your tenants will thank you. Nobody wants four different keys for one apartment. A good locksmith can set up all new locks keyed alike during installation.
4. Don’t forget the gate
Especially in Burbank where a lot of duplexes and fourplexes have shared yards, side gates, or parking areas. A proper gate lock keeps things secure without making access complicated.
5. Schedule lock installation before the new lease starts
Don’t try to squeeze this in on move-in day. Give yourself at least two days of buffer. Marcus barely made it, and he was lucky we had availability that Thursday.
We Cover All of Burbank
From the hillside homes near Brace Canyon Park to the apartments along Victory Boulevard, our team handles lock installation in Burbank for landlords, property managers, and homeowners. If you manage rental units anywhere in the area, we can set up a standing relationship — some of our property manager clients just call us every time they have a turnover, and we get it done fast.
Check out our full list of Burbank locksmith services to see what else we handle. And if you’ve got a tenant moving in soon and your locks haven’t been touched in years, give us a call at (818) 398-9391. We’ll get you squared away before key handoff day.
