Expert: James - 6/17/2006

Question
My condo community has experienced a rash of burglaries.  Either a key is used or the locks are picked.  The builder's last condo cummunity had the same problem and most owners ended up having their locks changed.  The locksmiths who changed the locks said that the locks were set up to be used with master keys.  The builder denied this, saying that the locks were made to be used with builder's keys - which means when the new owner inserts and turns his key, the builder's key no longer works.  The builder is saying the same thing about the burglaries in my condo cummunity.

I had a new Medeco deadbolt lock installed on my condo front door.  I asked the locksmith to examine the original Schlage lock on my front door and tell me about it.  I told him that the builder says the locks are made to be used with builder's keys.  He explained to me that locks for builder's keys had tiny ball bearings that are displaced when the owner's key is inserted and turned, rendering the builder's key useless.  In a lock set up for a master key, there are tiny pieces of metal in the lock that are called "master pins".  He also told me that locks with master keys are easier to pick.  When he examined my lock, he found no ball bearings, but did find 5 tiny master pins.  

I talked to the builder's rep and he denies that the builder used locks with master keys.  He said that he even checked with the Schlage rep out of North Carolina, and was told that there was no way Schlage sent them locks with master keys by mistake.  He said he was told by the Schlage rep that there was very little demand for locks with master keys anyway.  He also told me that the locksmith was just drumming up more business, which I thought odd, since I had already paid the locksmith and wouldn't be needing any more locksmith work done in the forseeable future.

I would like your opinion on what I have been told by both the locksmith and the builder.  I'm hoping that as a neutral party, you can render an impartial opinion, even though you haven't seen the lock itself.

Thank you,

Tricia Terry  

Answer
Hello Tricia,

Your locksmith is correct.  A construction keyed lock (your builder refers to them as "builders keys") uses ball bearings, very small ones, so that when the end users (homeowner or apartment renter) uses their key, the construction key no longer works.

A master keyed lock uses master pins which can range in size from as thin as paper to as thick as about .180".  There's no way a locksmith could confuse ball bearings with master pins.

If your builder ordered these locks directly from Schlage and had them shipped directly to the job site, either Schlage shipped them master keyed locks or the builder had them changed once he received them.  There would be a huge cost to the builder if he did that because it takes time to rekey locks, especially if they need to be mastered.  Of course if the builder has his own pinning kit it wouldn't be extremely expensive since he could do them himself instead of hiring a locksmith.  He wouldn't even have to get new keys since the construction key he would have received from Schlage can be used as a master if the ball bearings were changed to master pins.

Master pins stay in the chambers no matter which key is used, whereas the ball bearings get moved to smaller holes next to the chamber in the plug (the part that turns) and they remain there until the lock is rekeyed at a later time.

If your locks are master keyed it would make it easier to pick, if someone knew they had the time to attempt that on any given lock and they knew what they were doing.  Picking a lock will leave evidence on the lock, either on the outside or on the pins themselves.  Of course to find out if someone picked the lock, the best option is to get a forensic locksmith to inspect them, but they can be expensive.

If I were in your shoes, I'd talk to my neighbors and have them each hire a different locksmith to rekey their locks and ask each one to find out if there are ball bearing or master pins in the locks.  This way you have opinions from different people to take to the builder or owner.

If a master keyed system was used, anyone with the same key as the builder would have access to every lock that the builder did during construction.  This includes HVAC installers, electricians, plumbers, insulation installers, drywall installers, carpet layers, cabinet installers and any other sub-contractor that worked on the job during construction once the locks were installed.

Since this has happened before on another building, it sounds like the same person or persons had access to both job sites during construction and still has a master key.

Without seeing the locks first-hand I can't offer any further information.

Good luck.

James
www.jmlock.com