A keypad lock is the easiest way to let a cleaner, a pet sitter, a dog walker or a contractor into your house without handing out keys. It's also easy to end up a year later with no idea who still knows your code. I see it all the time when I'm out on a job: one code, set the day the lock was installed, shared with half a dozen people, and never changed.
Here's how I tell people to set it up so a code is as easy to take back as it was to give out.
Give every person their own code
This is the single most useful habit. Most keypad deadbolts and smart locks can hold more than one user code. How many depends on the model, but it's almost always more than you need for a household plus a few regular visitors.
- One code for the family. This is the one you use every day and never give out.
- One code per outside person. The cleaner gets one, the pet sitter gets another, the handyman gets his own.
- Write down who has which. A note on your phone is fine. "Cleaner: 4-digit code ending 7, set March." When that person stops coming, you know exactly which code to delete.
When everyone shares one code, firing a cleaner means changing the code for the whole family and teaching your kids a new number. With separate codes, you delete one and nobody else notices.
Use time limits if your lock has them
Many app-connected smart locks let you set a code that only works on certain days or certain hours, or one that expires on a date you pick. If your lock can do this, use it:
- The cleaner's code works Tuesdays from 9 to 2.
- The pet sitter's code works the week you're away and stops on the day you get home.
- A contractor gets a code that ends when the job does.
A basic keypad deadbolt without an app usually can't schedule codes. That's fine. You just have to remember to delete the code yourself, which is why the written list matters.
Check the activity log once in a while
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth smart locks often keep a history of which code opened the door and when. You don't need to watch it every day, but glance at it now and then. If the dog walker's code is being used on days nobody's walking the dog, that's worth a question.
Pick codes that aren't easy to guess
- Skip birthdays, the house number, the last four of your phone number, and 1234.
- Use the longest code your lock allows. Each extra digit makes it a lot harder to guess.
- Wipe the keypad now and then. On a lock with one code used every day, the four worn or smudged buttons can tell someone which numbers to try.
- If your keypad has a feature that lets you type extra random digits before or after the real code, it helps hide the code from someone watching over your shoulder.
Don't forget the other ways in
A good code system doesn't help much if the old ways in are still wide open. Think about:
- The keys. Keypad locks still have a key cylinder for backup. If old keys are floating around from before you installed the keypad, your code list doesn't cover them. A rekey takes care of that.
- The garage keypad. A lot of people lock down the front door and leave the same old garage code that every service person has used for years. Change it, and give out separate codes there too if your opener allows it.
- Hidden spare keys. If you have a keypad, you don't need a key under the mat or in a fake rock. Take it out.
- Lockboxes. If you still use one for a key, change its combination when someone stops needing it, the same way you would a door code.
When someone stops working for you
Do it the same day, before you forget:
- Delete their door code.
- Change the garage code if they had it.
- If they ever had a physical key, get it back or rekey. You can't know if a copy was made.
- If they had the alarm code or app access, remove that too.
It takes five minutes, and it's a lot easier than wondering about it later.
If you can't figure out how to manage the codes
This is a common call for me. Somebody else installed the lock, the paperwork is long gone, nobody knows the master or programming code, and the lock is still running on the code the builder set. I program and reprogram keypad and smart locks all the time, including ones I didn't install. I can clear out the old codes, set up separate codes for each person, and show you how to add and delete them yourself so you don't need to call me next time.
If the lock you have can't do what you need, like scheduled codes or an activity log, I can also recommend and install one that does. More on that on our keypad and smart locks page. And if your keypad is acting up, check the batteries first. I wrote about that in what to do when your smart lock battery dies.
The short version
One code per person. Write down who has which. Use time limits if your lock has them. Delete a code the day someone stops coming. And don't leave the old keys and the old garage code out there while you do it.
Want help setting up your codes or reprogramming a lock someone else installed? Call or text 561-406-9944 (Palm Beach), or call 954-204-0599 (Broward). I work all over Palm Beach and Broward County, open 9 AM to 7 PM, seven days a week.