It’s Saturday morning. Your tenant calls — she’s standing outside her unit in Fishtown, locked out, and her keys are gone. Do you drop your coffee and drive over? Charge her a fee? Tell her to call a locksmith? After 15+ years managing rental properties in Philadelphia, I can tell you the answer isn’t as black-and-white as most landlords think.
Here’s how I handle lost keys, what your lease should actually say, and where I draw the line between being a helpful property manager and running a 24/7 free locksmith service.
Who’s Legally Responsible When a Tenant Loses Their Keys?
In Pennsylvania, and specifically under Philadelphia’s landlord-tenant rules, lost keys are the tenant’s responsibility — full stop. The landlord’s job is to deliver the unit in a habitable condition with working locks at move-in. What happens to those keys after that is on the tenant.
That means the tenant pays for:
- The locksmith call (typically $85–$250 in Philly depending on time of day)
- Replacement keys ($5–$15 per key)
- A full lock re-key if they want one ($75–$150 per door)
None of that should come out of the landlord’s pocket. But here’s the catch — if your lease doesn’t spell this out clearly, you’re going to end up arguing about it.
What Your Lease Should Say About Lost Keys
Every lease we use at Grow Property Management includes specific language on lockouts and lost keys. If yours doesn’t, fix it before the next renewal. At minimum, your lease should cover:
1. Tenant Bears the Cost
State clearly that any lockout, lost key, or lock replacement caused by the tenant is billed back to the tenant. We charge it through the next month’s rent statement so there’s a paper trail.
2. Preferred Locksmith Clause
Our lease requires tenants to use our preferred locksmith. Why? Because random locksmiths off Google sometimes drill perfectly good locks they could have picked, leaving us with a $400 repair bill instead of a $90 service call. Controlling the vendor protects the property.
3. After-Hours Lockout Fee
If a tenant wants me to come out — not a locksmith — we charge an after-hours service fee. This isn’t about being greedy. It’s about setting expectations. Otherwise you’ll get a 2 a.m. call every other weekend.
4. Lock Change Approval
Tenants cannot change locks without written landlord approval, and if they do, they must provide a copy of the new key immediately. This matters for emergencies, inspections, and code compliance.
The Lockbox Solution That Prevents 90% of These Calls
Years ago I started installing a small combination lockbox on every property we manage. Inside is a spare key. The tenant gets the combo at move-in, and if they lock themselves out, they can let themselves back in without calling anyone.
This single $25 investment has saved me dozens of Saturday morning trips and dozens of tenant locksmith bills. It’s one of the simplest things a landlord can do, and most don’t bother. If you own a rental in Philadelphia and you don’t have a lockbox on it, install one this week.
The one situation it doesn’t solve? When a tenant loses both her regular key and manages to lose the lockbox combo — which is exactly what happened in the story I’m about to tell you.
A Real Saturday Morning Lockout
Last year on a Saturday — the day I block off for family — I got a call from a tenant who had lost her keys. She had the lockbox combination, but she’d somehow lost track of that too. So now she’s standing outside the unit, no keys, no backup, and asking for help.
Professionally, I had every right to say: “Call our preferred locksmith. You’ll be billed for it.” That’s literally what the lease says. That’s the answer most property management companies would give. And honestly, that’s the answer that makes financial sense.
But I drove over and let her in anyway.
Why I Still Show Up Sometimes (And Why I Don’t Always)
Here’s my honest take after years of doing this: showing up personally once in a while isn’t a business decision — it’s a relationship decision. A tenant who’s having the worst day of her month remembers who helped her. That tenant renews. That tenant tells her friends. That tenant doesn’t fight you on a $30 charge later.
But — and this is the important part — I only do it when it’s a one-time situation with a tenant who’s otherwise reliable. If someone is locking themselves out every other month, the lease gets enforced to the letter. Compassion becomes a doormat fast when you don’t have boundaries.
This is one of those judgment calls that comes up constantly in this business. If you’re new to managing rentals, it’s worth understanding the difference between handling things yourself as a DIY landlord versus hiring a property manager — because these decisions look very different when it’s your weekend on the line every time.
The Habitual Lockout Problem
Some tenants lose keys constantly. I had one who locked herself out four times in eight months. After the second time, we had a conversation. After the third, we enforced the lease and charged the full locksmith fee plus our service fee. After the fourth, we recommended she keep a spare with a neighbor or friend.
If you’re a landlord dealing with a tenant who treats you like a 24-hour concierge, you need to draw the line in writing. Send a notice. Reference the lease. Bill them. It’s not personal — it’s protecting the precedent for every other tenant you manage.
What to Do If You Manage the Property Yourself
If you self-manage and you’re the one getting these lockout calls, here’s the playbook:
- Install a lockbox at move-in. $25 on Amazon. End of problem for 90% of cases.
- Pick a preferred locksmith in your tenant’s neighborhood and put their number in your lease.
- Write the cost-responsibility clause into the lease in plain English so there’s no argument later.
- Decide your personal policy on after-hours response — and stick to it.
- Document every lockout in writing (text or email is fine) so you have a record if it becomes a pattern.
If lockouts, repair calls, and weekend emergencies are eating your life, that’s usually the moment landlords start looking for help. We work with a lot of owners who hit that breaking point — you can see how our Philadelphia property management services work if you want to hand this stuff off.
The Bottom Line on Lost Keys
Legally and contractually, lost keys are the tenant’s responsibility — they pay for the locksmith, the new keys, and any lock changes. Your lease should say so in plain language. Install a lockbox to prevent most lockouts from becoming your problem in the first place.
But beyond the contract, there’s a human element. Helping a tenant out of a jam once in a while builds the kind of loyalty you can’t buy with marketing. Just don’t let kindness turn into an expectation. Set the rule, enforce it consistently, and make exceptions only when you choose to — not when you’re pressured to.
That balance is what separates a property manager from a property babysitter. If you’re a Philadelphia rental owner trying to figure out where your own line should be, reach out to our team — happy to talk through how we structure these policies for the 200+ units we manage across the city.
