Restricted key systems in Northland
A key that cannot be copied at a hardware store, a kiosk or anywhere else without your written authority - so you know exactly how many exist.
An ordinary key can be copied by anyone holding it, in a few minutes, for a few dollars, with no record kept. For a house that is usually fine. For a business, a school or a rental portfolio it is a genuine problem.
A restricted key uses a patented profile that blank suppliers will not sell on the open market. Only your locksmith holds the blanks, and they will only cut one for a person you have named in writing.
The change that makes is simple, and larger than it sounds: the number of keys to your building becomes a fact you can state, rather than a number you hope is right.
Who needs one
- Any business with staff turnover. Every departing employee is a key you are trusting was returned and never copied.
- Schools and institutions, where the key count runs into the hundreds and the consequences of losing track are serious.
- Property managers and landlords, particularly where a tenancy has ended badly.
- Body corporates and shared buildings, where common-area keys spread quietly over the years.
- Anywhere holding stock, cash, tools or records, which in Northland includes a great many yards, workshops and packhouses.
- Homes where a key has been lost along with something showing the address.
How it works in practice
- We fit cylinders on the restricted profile to the doors you choose. In most cases the existing hardware stays - only the cylinder changes.
- You nominate who is authorised to request keys, and we hold that authority on file.
- Every key cut is recorded against your system, so you can ask at any time how many exist and who has them.
- When somebody leaves and does not return a key, you know precisely what is outstanding.
Restricted keys and master keying work together. Most commercial systems we install are both: a master key hierarchy so the right people open the right doors, cut on a restricted profile so nobody quietly adds to it. Designing them at the same time is considerably cheaper than retrofitting one to the other.
What it does not do
We would rather be straight about this. A restricted key controls copying. It does not stop a key being lost, handed to somebody, or taken. It is control over duplication, not over people - and it is genuinely valuable for exactly that. If what you actually need is the ability to switch somebody off instantly, that is access control, and we will tell you so.
Restricted key services
- Restricted key system design
- Restricted cylinder supply and fitting
- Authorised key holder registers
- Additional keys on written authority
- Combined restricted and master key systems
- Converting an existing building
- Body corporate and common area systems
- School and institutional systems
- Rental portfolio systems
- Key audits and reissue
Related
Talk to a locksmith
Tell us what you need and you will know what it costs before we start.
No unauthorised copies
Blanks are not sold on the open market. Nobody cuts a key to your building but us, on your say-so.
A number you can state
Every key is recorded. "How many keys exist?" becomes a question with an answer.
Get in touch
Tell us what has happened
We will tell you what the job needs and what it costs before anyone sets out.
Mobile across all of Northland, from Kaitaia, Kerikeri, Paihia and Russell down to Whangarei, Ruakaka, One Tree Point and Marsden Cove - see all 55 areas we cover.
Questions
Common questions
Can I really not get one cut anywhere else?
Not legitimately. The profile is patented and the blanks are not sold on the open market, so a hardware store or kiosk cannot cut one even if asked. That is the entire point of the system.
Do I have to replace all my locks?
Usually not. In most cases only the cylinder changes and your existing handles, latches and door furniture stay exactly as they are. We will confirm when we look at the doors.
What if I need another key in a hurry?
Ring us. Any person you have nominated in writing can request one, and we cut it for them. The control is on who may ask, not on how fast we work.
Is it worth it for a house?
For most homes, no - ordinary good-quality locks are proportionate. It becomes worth it if you have had a key lost with an address attached, if you run a business from home, or if a lot of people have had keys over the years.
What happens if I move locksmiths?
The system stays yours. Ask us anything you like about how the register works before you commit - it is a fair question and any locksmith should answer it plainly.
Locked out, or want it sorted properly?
One call reaches a mobile locksmith in Northland who will tell you what it costs before any work starts.
0800 243 503