Master keys for your property
Give staff access to the doors they use without carrying a full ring of keys. Cairn designs and installs master key systems across the Las Vegas valley.
- One master key, individual keys for each door
- Access levels for departments and buildings
- Owner-led system design and planning
Answered day and night
A Cairn dispatcher answers every day of the year.
Licensed and insured
Employee technicians carry photo ID and a police work card.
Your price comes first
Approve the written price on a tablet before work begins.
One system, different levels of access
A master key system gives different people access to different groups of doors while keeping individual door keys in use.
Each door retains a key that opens only its own lock. A master key opens every door assigned to that system. This lets a manager carry one key while individual staff members carry keys for their own spaces.
A sub-master opens a smaller group, such as a department, floor or building. On a property with several master key groups, a grand master sits above them. The hierarchy is designed around the people and doors at the property.
Grand master key
Master: Building A
Master: Building B
Sub-master: offices
Sub-master: maintenance
Sub-master: retail
Suite 101
Suite 102
Supply room
Roof access
Shop 1
Shop 2
This diagram illustrates a sample key hierarchy, not the access arrangement or security configuration of an actual Cairn customer.
Access plans for working properties
A useful system follows how people move through the property. These are common applications for the commercial buildings Cairn serves.
Offices
Give individual offices their own keys while allowing designated managers to open shared work areas.
Apartment communities
Keep apartment keys individual and organize maintenance access to the areas staff are responsible for.
Retail centers
Separate tenant storefront access from the common areas managed by property staff.
Warehouses
Organize keys around offices, storage areas and the departments using each part of the building.
Schools and churches
Assign access by room, building or staff responsibility without issuing every person the same key.
Hotels
Plan mechanical key access for maintenance and property staff according to their assigned areas.
Plan the access before cutting keys
The useful part of a master key system is decided before the cylinders are keyed. Cairn works through these decisions with the property manager.
Match access to responsibilities
List the people who need keys and identify which doors each person or staff group needs to open.
Count the doors
Record the doors in service and identify any additional doors or buildings planned for the property.
Leave capacity for expansion
Allow room in the key hierarchy for future departments, tenant spaces or buildings without starting the design again.
Keep selected rooms separate
Identify cash rooms, server rooms and records storage that should remain outside general master key access.
Plan for changes
Set a schedule to review key assignments as staff, tenants and property access needs change.
Keep control of every issued key
A master key reduces the keys people carry. Key control determines who can receive one, how copies are handled and when locks need changing.
Restricted key duplication
Patented keyways use blanks supplied through the contracted locksmith. Hardware stores and kiosks cannot duplicate these keys.
Stamped and logged keys
Each issued key is stamped and entered in a record so the property can account for keys assigned to staff.
Authorized key requests
Cairn releases keys only to contacts authorized on the account, following a signed request.
Cylinder security
Master keying slightly reduces the available pin combinations in each lock. Restricted or high-security cylinders help offset that tradeoff.
Lost master keys
A missing master key can require rekeying the affected locks. The extent depends on the access assigned to that key.
From walkthrough to working keys
Master key work starts with the doors and ends with a tested system and a record the manager can use.
Walk the property
Owner and lead locksmith Owen Brandt visits the property to review its doors, existing hardware and access requirements.
Build the access plan
We map the proposed key levels against staff responsibilities, individual doors and areas that require separate access.
Prepare the written proposal
The proposal sets out the recommended system, hardware and price for the work.
Approve and schedule
The property approves the proposal before work begins. Installation can be scheduled after hours when business operations require it.
Install and test
We install or rekey the agreed cylinders, then test the keys and doors with the property manager.
Hand over the door records
The manager receives a door-by-door record. Cairn retains the applicable key records in a locked file for future authorized requests.
What determines the project price
Master key systems are priced by written proposal after a walkthrough. Under the current offer, the walkthrough and recommendation cost nothing for properties with five or more doors.
Door and cylinder count
The number of locks being keyed, installed or replaced affects the hardware and labor required.
Levels of access
A single building with one master level differs from a property needing several groups and a grand master.
Cylinder selection
Standard, restricted and high-security cylinders have different hardware costs and key-control requirements.
Installation hours
Work scheduled outside regular business hours affects the proposal and the installation plan.
A system planned for an office park
Sample project for this demonstration site, showing how a commercial master key assignment is approached.
Master key system for a Henderson office park
For a Henderson office park, the example plan separates individual suite keys from management and maintenance access, with a door-by-door record prepared for the manager.
Learn more
Questions about master key systems
Answers to the access, hardware and recordkeeping questions that come up when property managers consider a master key system.
Call (702) 000-0000All questionsWill tenants still have keys that open only their own doors?
Yes. Each tenant’s key opens only that tenant’s own door. The master key held by management opens every door in the system.
Can our maintenance staff have access to only certain areas?
Yes. A sub-master can open a defined group of doors, such as maintenance areas or a particular building. The access groups are decided during planning.
Can we add more doors to the system later?
Yes. Doors can be added later if the original system was designed with room to expand. That is why Cairn asks how many doors the property has and how many may be added in the future.
Can someone make a copy of a restricted master key at a hardware store?
No. Restricted keys use a patented keyway with blanks supplied through the contracted locksmith, rather than a hardware store or kiosk. Cairn records issued keys and requires an authorized, signed request for additional keys.
What happens if one of our master keys is lost?
The locks accessible with that key may need to be rekeyed. Cairn can review the affected access group and prepare a recommendation for the property.
Can you install the system outside our business hours?
Yes. Commercial installation can be arranged after hours when the property’s operations require it. Scheduling and the applicable charges are addressed in the written proposal.
Who keeps the key records after installation?
The property manager receives a door-by-door record when installation is complete. Cairn also keeps master key and restricted key records in a locked file and limits key releases to approved contacts on the account.
Put the right keys in the right hands
Discuss your property by phone
Speak with Cairn about the number of doors, your current locks and the access changes you have in mind.
Request a commercial walkthrough
Send your project details for a scheduled visit. Requests are reviewed during office hours and answered within one business day.