Greater Melbourne, VIC

Master Key Systems — Melbourne

A master key system is a hierarchy: each person carries a key that opens only what they need, while a master opens everything above it. Designed well, it removes the key ring and the key cupboard at once. Designed badly, it is a security hole with a filing system, which is why the design matters more than the hardware.

+61-3-9007-2696

What this covers

System design and key hierarchy planning
Grand master, master and sub-master levels
Office, warehouse and multi-tenancy sites
Schools, clubs and community buildings
Extending or repinning an existing system
Key registers and issue records
Rebuilding a system after a master key is lost

How we work

Everything happens where the lock is. There is no shop, no counter and nothing for you to drop off — the key machines, the cylinders and the tools travel in the van, which is also why there is no closing time to work around.

You get the cost before any work starts. No prices are published on this site, deliberately: a real figure depends on the hardware, the door, the time of day and where you are, and a number on a web page would be wrong more often than it was right. What we will do is tell you on the phone what is likely, and confirm it in person before anything is touched.

We ask you to prove your right to the property or the vehicle on every single job, without exception. It is the same check that stops somebody doing this to your home.

Master Key Systems by suburb

30 Melbourne suburbs have their own page for this, written for the housing and the hardware you actually find there rather than for locksmithing in general.

Need master key systems in Melbourne?

Tell us the suburb and what door you're standing at. We'll tell you where the nearest van is before you commit to anything.

Call +61-3-9007-2696

Master Key Systems — what people say

We had a key cupboard nobody understood and staff carrying five keys each. He sat down and designed the system properly first instead of just selling us cylinders. One key each now, and one that opens everything for me.
Ahmed S.St Albans
Locked myself out at 11pm with the baby asleep inside. He talked me through it on the phone, told me which van was closest, and had the door open without a mark on it. I was told what it would cost before he started, which at that hour is not what I expected.
Sarah M.Brunswick
Rekeyed every lock in the house the week we moved in — front, back, laundry, garage side door — all onto one key. He also pointed out that the sliding door lock was basically decorative and sorted that while he was here.
Daniel K.Glen Waverley

Master Key Systems — questions

How is this different from a restricted key system?

A master key system decides who opens what. A restricted key system decides who can get a key cut. They solve different problems and most businesses eventually want both — hierarchy for convenience, restriction for control.

Is our business too small for one?

If you have more than a handful of doors and more than a handful of people, probably not. The tipping point is usually the moment someone is carrying five keys, or a key cupboard exists that nobody fully understands.

What happens if the master key is lost?

That is the bad day this design is meant to survive. Depending on how the system was built, it can mean repinning every cylinder it opened. It is the strongest argument for putting the master on a restricted profile from the beginning.

Can you extend the system we already have?

Often yes, if we can identify the profile and the system's owner authorises it. Bring us the paperwork or a key and we will tell you what you have.