Access control for NYC rental properties.
Tenants come and go, and keys get copied, lost and never returned. We install key fob systems, video intercoms and smart locks that let you manage access without cutting new keys every time a lease turns over.
Credentials can carry the lease dates, so access ends with the lease at every door, in every building.
A rental building is a revolving door.
Physical keys across dozens of units, several entries and constant turnover leave gaps that cost landlords time and money. This is what we account for before every install.
Tenant turnover and revocation
When a tenant moves out, their fob or PIN is turned off from a web dashboard immediately. No rekeying, no locksmith, no wondering whether every copy came back. For landlords with many units, this is the biggest operational win.
Pre-war and brownstone buildings
Most NYC rental stock, from five-story walk-ups to converted brownstones and pre-war elevator buildings, was not built for low-voltage wiring. We check existing conduit, intercom rough-in and door frame tolerances before specifying hardware, so there are no surprises mid-install.
Multiple entry points
A front vestibule, a side or rear entrance, the basement, and often a laundry or storage room, all of which tenants expect to use. We map every entry and bring them onto a single access panel, so nothing is an afterthought.
Delivery and vendor access
Package theft is rampant in NYC rentals. Video intercoms with door release let tenants buzz couriers in remotely, and temporary PINs let recurring vendors, such as the super's contractors, pest control and inspectors, in without a permanent credential.
Fire and life safety
Electrically locked egress doors generally must release on a fire alarm signal. We pick the lock for each door around its use and the building's fire and life safety requirements, and plan any tie-in to the building's fire alarm panel as part of the scope.
Building super coordination
In a rental building, the super is often the real access manager: contractors, lockouts, deliveries. We set up super-level credentials with wider schedules and train the super on the management portal, so daily operations do not wait on the landlord.
Cloud, local or offline. Tenants still get in.
Credentials live on the controller in the building. Switch between a cloud portal, an internet outage and a local server to see what keeps working.
Failover differs by platform. We explain the exact behavior of the hardware we install before you choose.
What we install in NYC rental buildings.
Hardware picked for high-traffic rentals, NYC building stock and easy remote management by landlords who are not on site every day.
Key fob and proximity card systems
13.56 MHz · MIFARE · HID13.56 MHz MIFARE or HID credentials that a hardware store copier cannot duplicate. One fob per tenant per lease, turned off immediately at move-out, with an audit log of who entered and when.
Video intercom systems
IP · smartphoneIP video intercoms at the vestibule let tenants see and talk to visitors on their own phone, with no proprietary handset. They run on the building's existing wiring or on new Cat5e where needed.
Smart locks for unit doors
Keypad · BluetoothKeypad and Bluetooth smart locks on apartment doors end physical key handoffs at move-in. Temporary codes for showings, cleaners or maintenance expire on their own, with no keys to chase.
Electric strikes and magnetic locks
Fail-safe · fail-secureInstalled at vestibule and secondary entry doors for remote release without replacing the existing door hardware. Fail-safe magnetic locks on egress paths and fail-secure strikes on non-egress doors, chosen door by door.
Access control panels and management
Cloud or local serverControllers that tie every reader and door into one platform. It can run on a local server with no monthly software fee, or on a cloud platform for remote management, which suits portfolio landlords with buildings in several boroughs.
Buzzer and intercom upgrades
2-wire retrofitMany NYC rentals still run on decades-old 2-wire buzzer wiring. In most cases we can retrofit a modern IP video intercom onto the existing runs, avoiding a full recable through finished walls in an occupied building.
Installed around occupied units.
We keep tenants informed and hallways clear while the work is under way.
Site walk and entry audit
We walk the building with the landlord or super: vestibule, stairwells, secondary entries, basement and laundry. Door types, existing wiring, panel locations and any HPD or DOB considerations are noted before we write a single scope line.
System design and hardware spec
A written proposal with exact hardware, wiring approach, credential types and the management platform, cloud or local. No vague line items: you know what goes where and how it ties together before you sign.
Installation
Our technicians handle wiring, reader mounting and controller installation, and coordinate any fire alarm tie-in the scope calls for. We schedule around occupied units and keep common areas clear.
Credential setup and handoff
We program the current tenants' credentials, walk the super through the management portal and document the system for your records. You get a working system and the know-how to run it, not a dependency on us for every change.
Rental property access control, answered.
Do I need DOB permits to install an access control system in my rental building?
It depends on the scope and the building. Whether a job needs a Department of Buildings filing, and what applies to work on fire-rated doors, egress paths or anything tied to the fire alarm, is something we check during the site visit. We tell you what applies before any work is scheduled. Every penetration we make through a fire-rated wall or floor is fire-stopped.
Can you retrofit a modern video intercom onto the old 2-wire buzzer wiring in my walk-up?
In most cases, yes. Several IP video intercom systems run over existing 2-wire runs, which are common in NYC pre-war rentals. During the site walk we test the existing wiring to confirm it can carry the signal. If it is too degraded or the runs are too long, we tell you up front and scope the recabling, rather than promising a retrofit and changing the scope mid-job.
How quickly can I deactivate a tenant's fob or PIN when they move out?
Immediately. It is a few clicks in the management portal, and you do not need to be on site, call anyone or pay a locksmith. It works the same for fobs, PIN codes and phone credentials. In a building with frequent turnover, that replaces a lock change at every move-out.
What happens to building access if the internet goes down?
Cloud-connected panels store credentials locally on the controller, so fobs and PIN codes keep working through an internet outage and no tenant is locked out. The remote management portal is unreachable until the connection is back. Video intercom door release typically runs on the local network, separate from the internet. If you prefer, the system can run on a local server instead of the cloud. We explain the exact failover behavior for the hardware we install, so there are no surprises.
Can I install smart locks on individual unit doors without touching the building's main entry system?
Yes. Unit door smart locks are a standalone scope and do not require changes to the vestibule or building entry. Many landlords start with unit doors to solve the turnover key problem and upgrade the building entry later, and we can phase the work to suit your budget and timeline. Rent-stabilized and rent-controlled tenants have certain rights around lock changes, so confirm your lease terms before proceeding on regulated units.
Do you work in all five boroughs, or only Manhattan?
All five boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island. Much of our rental work is in Brooklyn and the Bronx, in two- to six-family brownstones, pre-war six-story buildings and newer rental construction alike, and our crews know the building stock across the city.
Access control for every kind of NYC home.
Ready to stop managing keys?
Book a free site assessment. We walk the building with you, identify every entry and put together a written proposal, with no obligation and no vague estimates.