Privacy lock question for apartment door

[Kodack]

Guys I have a situation.

My apartment complex found out I changed my locks and now they want a copy. I changed them for a more secure lock but also because I don't like the thought of people being able to come into my apartment when I'm not there.

I've been trying to wrap my head around some way to lock and unlock the door from the outside in such a way that only I can get in, but have the primary deadbolt still work with the managers key.

Like a discrete privacy lock that can be opened from the outside only if you know about it and have access.

That way if they try to get in it will seem like the internal privacy lock is engaged, I'm home, and they will have to piss off.

I thought about a magnetic mechanism, but I don't know how I could make it work.

I also think that a bolt on a solenoid, installed inside the door could work, and I could trigger it with a fob, but what happens if the battery or power goes out? Or if radio interference causes a problem?

Can you give me any advice?

[Varjeal]

Yup. Depending on the contract you signed as a tenant, it wouldn't matter how many locks you put on your door, your apartment manager is legally entitled to a copy of that device regardless.

If your concerned about copies of keys getting out, switch to a highly restricted and patented key system and supply your building manager with a copy. Make sure they realize that you can easily switch the locks back to something standard when you move.

That's about your sole option.

[logosys]

Yup. Depending on the contract you signed as a tenant, it wouldn't matter how many locks you put on your door, your apartment manager is legally entitled to a copy of that device regardless.

If your concerned about copies of keys getting out, switch to a highly restricted and patented key system and supply your building manager with a copy. Make sure they realize that you can easily switch the locks back to something standard when you move.

That's about your sole option.

Odds are it's a TAA lease, too, which does it's best to strip you any rights you may have of privacy. Question Kodack - Do you have a bolt that only has a thumbturn on the inside and nothing on the outside?

[Kodack]

Yes, I have an internal deadbolt that can only be locked from the inside. If I lock the internal privacy lock they can't say anything about it because that is what it is for. I just wish there was a way I could lock and unlock it from the outside without being obvious.

[Kodack]

My apartment is wired with X10 and is a 'smart home'. I was thinking I could attatch a solenoid to the door frame, make it fail safe, and attatch it to an x10 module which I can trigger from the internet, or a fob I have on a keychain. But sometimes there is weird interference in my apartment and modules don't turn on when I tell them to. It's rare but it could be real bad if I couldn't get in the apartment.

[Varjeal]

You'd better check up on your local code concerning fire and life safety issues...the device as your describe...may not be legal.

[Kodack]

Fail safe solenoids are allright for external doors as they fail to the 'open' position allowing the door to open in case of a power failure. This is the fundamental principal of 'electric deadbolts' which you find at most hardware stores. So I'm pretty sure it's not against any codes.

The problem is that those locks are very expensive. Since I would be keeping my schlage, the electric lock would function only as a privacy lock, IE on the back of the door, not in the frame, not super strong. Just enough for an apartment guy to realize the privacy lock is on and I don't want to be bothered.

[Varjeal]

True enough, and I'm well aware of the function. Anyways, what's your building manager going to say about modifications that would be permanent and necessary in order for that device to work? Most don't appreciate modifications to the building like that. Just curious.

[Kodack]

You know those locks on some doors where it's a bolt that slides on the back of the door into a loop on the frame? They screw on or offquite easily, those kind? My idea is to attatch a solenoid to the interior door frame (not inside the frame wall) and have a loop of sheet metal screwed to the door half. The wiring would run along the baseboard to an electrical outlet 3 feet away and would be powered by one of those walmart AC/DC adapters. The whole thing would attatch with 4 screws, 2 to hold the solenoid, and 2 to hold the loop that the plunger goes into.

Other than the screw holes, which area easily filled in, it would leave no permanent marks, and be easy to uninstall. It keeps the existing lock intact, and it only engages the solenoid when the x10 module clicks on to supply power. It would not be a 24x7 lock, and since it's attatching with screws it woujldn't withstand much force, but it should work as a privacy lock.

[Varjeal]

Hmmm..interesting. I'd like to see some pics of that if you go ahead with it.

[raimundo]

In an older building, there is often an old original mortise lock that the management does not have keys to, and a cheap modern deadbolt. I once repaired one of these locks, using parts from neighbors similiar mortise locks for the broken or missing bits, but it does piss off the management.
As a young locksmith in sanfrancisco, many years ago, landlords often asked for keyway plugs which were keyblank blades with most of their handles cut away and made to be removed with a wire, anyone who knows how the pins drop down can figure one of these out and make it or remove it, but so many people are clueless, to some managers, this would look like a broken key situation, but can be made difficult to remove by having at least two different pins drop in front of a vertical non camming back slope. This is easily removed with a wire that lifts the pins. similiar to a lock jammer, where an old key has all the backslopes, (removal cam surfaces) cut to vertical, be sure to put in a notch for the wire to pick up the blade for pullin it out.
This solution will not work for constant use, but if you have a specific day on which you want to deny easy entry, it can be used.
If you have a sliding barndoor bolt, consider installing a second bolt in the strike that can be moved out into the housing of the barndoor bolt with a wire through a tiny hole behind the exterior door mouldings, make sure your wire has a place to grip the bolt, so that it can either push it in or withdraw it. This is not something you would want to do when anyone else is in the corridor watching, management will only be coming around during the day, so you could draw it back when friends are coming and going at night,
Also, you might want to look into ""construction site locks'''' which are something like six pin locks with a piece of key setting up the sixth pin, while the workers are given a five pin key, when construction is finished, the piece of key is removed, and six pin keys are used, the five pin keys that workers once had no longer work.

[Chucklz]

A different option is to file a key so that it cannot be removed without dissassembling the lock. You can give your manager a key, and you will know rather quickly if someone has attempted to enter your apartment.

[Kodack]

I think the solenoid idea might work best for my purposes. I was worried about electric deadbolts because if they break down you have to break an d enter your own apartment to fix them. The solenoid barndoor type latch would prevent casual entry by the apartment people, and hopefully they will think I'm home and bugg off, and if it fails for some reason I can force the door open at the cost of some stripped screws.

Basicly it would be a remote control privacy lock.

[SFGOON]

Hmmm... I have the same problem. My neighboorhood is kinda skanky, and the locks at my building pick like nothing else. I have a doorchain that I padlock from the outisde before I shut the door all the way which wont stop a determined theif but is better than nothing. I also use "telltales" to record any entry, say a piece of paper lodged in the doorframe or other subtle things that I can see but some thug won't think to look for let alone replace. Leaving a radio on a talk station at low levels is also good for this.

[Kodack]

I'll be notified if they enter, I just really hate the idea of strangers walking around in my dwelling.

I have a home brew security system I built using IP technology. If someone enters my apartment when I'm not there a robotic camera is triggered by the motion, snaps a photo, and sends an alert to my cellphone with the .jpg attatched. It runs off a UPS and works independant of any computer.

There is just something about locking your door as you leave and knowing that it will stay locked.