Ask Habitat: How Do We Convince Shareholder to Give Us Copy of Keys?
Dec. 15, 2014 — A READER ASKS: A shareholder in our co-op, fearing for her security, is refusing to give us duplicates of her keys. My fellow board members and I have tried reasoning with her, explaining that we need to be able to access her apartment in an emergency. We are getting nowhere, and the board president is getting fed up. He's considering evicting her for breaching her proprietary lease. Is there any way that we can reach a realistic compromise that satisfies the board and assuages the shareholder's concern for her safety without this getting ugly?
HABITAT ANSWERS: It's easy to see why shareholders (or any tenant) would be wary of giving someone the keys to their apartment. They may view it as an invasion of privacy, but as seems to be the case with the shareholder at your co-op, it may also be a matter of safety.
She's not alone. Many shareholders are concerned that staff members will be careless with their keys, or even despite the best of intentions accidently give the keys to the wrong person.
In fact, many boards are not keen on enforcing a duplicate key provision not only because of invasion of privacy questions, but also because of concerns about liability to the unit-owner for any breach of security.
To allay the concerns of unit-owners and protect the building from potential lawsuits, your board should consider a security system that limits key access to approved personnel — and there are a few options.
First, there is Morse Watchman's microprocessor-based KeyWatcher system. Users are assigned individual PINs that are entered on the "smart box" keypads. Once the door opens, users only have access to the keys they need to complete their specific task. The released keys can be grouped by function, locations, or placed on individual rings. All other keys remain locked in place.
Key release can also be set by time and day of week as a means of linking key access to a specific function or operation. Since PINs are programmed, they can be edited at a moment's notice without concern for re-keying the box. Up to 750 pin codes can be assigned and activated.
Second, there is Key-Trak. Its components include a computer connected to a locked electronic drawer. Each drawer contains 240 key slots. An attached magnetic card reader and/or password system determines who gains access. The keys are physically attached to bar-coded plastic tags, with optical scanners located beneath each drawer. When the drawer is opened, the system records what keys were removed and replaced. If an unauthorized person tries to take a key, an alarm goes off.
The system works with a computerized chip on a fob. A user touches the front of the key drawer with the fob, and the drawer recognizes him or her. Once the PIN is entered, the drawer "asks" why the key is being taken and releases it.
Finally, there is Key Sure, a plastic box, roughly 3 by 5 inches, which holds individual keys. A tenant signs his or her name on both inside halves of the container. The key, tagged with a code number, is then placed inside. Once there, it cannot be removed unless the container is broken, which makes the person getting the key physically accountable for it. The code number and the tenant's mother's maiden name are written on both outside panels. The containers are filed in 110-unit capacity storage cabinets in numerical order. A code list allows quick identification of each container. The non-electronic system discourages unauthorized access of keys without altogether preventing access to them in an emergency.
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