Topic: HandyTrac, KeyTrak, Keyper – Which is the best key management system?

I’ll admit that I am just beginning this process, but already I feel a bit overwhelmed. I tried to search for key management systems and I think it might be best to ask for what types of experiences you all have had. It seems that Keyper is a lot different than HandyTrac or KeyTrak, and HandyTrac is the one I’ve heard most about. Are there any other key management systems I should be looking at?

(I have a 126 unit building and a 35 unit building, class b, about 2 blocks from each other.)

If you are a vendor for key management, please feel free to chime in – I need all the guidance I can get!

Henry, I am a product of what I am used to and have used. Now I can tell you that my past experience with KeyTrac has been nothing short of amazing. I have them support me over in Europe and the flew a man over after we got the merchandise and assisted in getting it set up, running a test and training the personnel that were going to manage the system and to be trainers for the day to day users.

Their system tracked the keys, had alarms, had time keeping capabilities, as well as biometric capabilities. Never had a problem and the customer support was always on time.

In the states I know of a couple of car dealerships that use the system and they were raving about the system and support as well.

To be honest I have no experience with the others, nor their customer service. So, I am giving you my experience with the one and there maybe others that have experience with the others. Pricing, and customer service, as well as dependability of the item are top on my list!

Thanks for feedback Nate! Just so I know, is KeyTrac and KeyTrak the same thing? Also, do you remember how long it took to get implemented?

And I'm still looking at HandyTrac - anybody have experiences out there with them?

Hello Henry, yes it is the same, I may have spelled it wrong. I had at the time I believe a two day training because I had a large housing office with 41 personnel staff. They had a subject matter expert that was there and I also took the maintenance package as well. Whever, I had an issue, they were johnny on the spot with support. I was communicating with them from across and ocean at the time.

Then in San Antonio I had experience with them and they were just as good!

Take a look at KeyLink, by BuildingLink.

I have used KeyTrak on several properties, and it is incredible! The systems were always onsite when we took over the property, so I've not had any experience with the set-up. I will say that it is extremely user friendly- the first time I encountered it, I called customer support to get the log-ins set up and then I pretty much figured out the rest on my own. Once you've used it, you'll wonder how you survived without it!

Hi Henry,
I have a lot of experience with this subject. I sold Handy Trac for 5 years so I know about the comps as well. Handy Trac is the best value for your money and the online system does automatic back ups because we know the sites don't always do what they need to do. In this case it could cost you in a lawsuit. Key Track is the most expensive, but great system and easy to use. Set up and install will be costly. Handy Trac can be installed by your maintenance man and an office staff person. Key Warden is another option that is higher than Handy Trac but less than Key Track. If you need help with competitive bids let me know...happy to help! This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

There was one at a property where my company took over mgmt & we removed it. Keys do need to be behind lock & key but if the system is to cumbersome, people will bypass it & I fail to see how that is more "safe"

HandyTrac! Love it..

Donna has a good point regarding the tendancy to remove obstacles. Key management is inherently a hinderance to the performance of the "real job" that your associates are attempting to perform. However, as you seem to know, it's a necessary one, so it's critical that any system you select have the buy-in from your team. KeyTrak is by far the simplest to operate and therefore is the easiest to obtain your team's buy-in for, however it's also likely the most expensive option, and it would be difficult for me to justify the costs associated with it for properties of the size you mention. You could be looking at as much as $2-3/unit/year in additional expense. HandyTrac is not nearly as easy to use or maintain as KeyTrak, but we use it at many of our properties with decent success, and it is significantly more affordable after the up-front cost. It is easier to short-cut, however, than KeyTrak, so it will be misused unless you have a lot of buy-in and understanding of it's benefit and function. I don't have direct experience with any of the other key management solutions mentioned here, but I would look at all of them with any eye towards ease of use/maintenance, difficulty to short-cut, and cost/unit. Good luck, and let us know what you choose!

Like I said I am a product of what I used and am used to, so my story is going to be about one product. I know when I purchased for our government management, it was KeyTrak. We did do and in-depth and it is what we came up with. Now pricing is a factor, but what are you getting and then how good is the service when you need it?

Now, the last element is I do not care how good a system you have, you have to use it and your people use it. There will be those that are resistant to change and will fight it, and it is then critical on how you will ensure that this new system is used.

Also very important is implementation. Training is very important. The better the training the more use you will get out of your investment.

In light of all the feedback, I would say get hold of both companies and look at what they offer. Look at what you need. Check out the service and extended warranties? Now some may be cheap up front, but they get you in other areas, like online service, or when you have to have onsite visits. Renewal service fees and so on.

You for sure want to ensure you get good Customer Service no matter which system you choose. Customer Service will make or break the whole deal for me because you are talking about assistance when you run into problems and not having to wait days for answers or an onsite fix. Speaking of which who has the closest rep to you as well may be something to consider as well.

KeyTrak is my personal choice.

Love Key Trak. So easy to use. We keep ours behind 2 locked doors. Vendors have their own keys and are coded to them when they sign a key out. Reports are easy to pull and in the event a key is missing, you know exactly who has it.

Had handytrac-loved it. Simple to use, online tools very helpful, you will know where every key is at all times if used properly!

When it comes to resident's door keys, The key to MY front door is one of them, so I'm a bit of a control freak. We don't have a problem with crime, but I don't sure want to invite one!

We have a locked keybox in a closet. The closet is dark and the light switch is hard to find. The key box is locked and the key to open it is hidden. The keys are "coded" with a number different from the apartment number, and the key code list is hidden in a convenient but unlikely place.

Once we had a late night office break-in. Surprisingly, the attempted thief did manage to find the key to the key box and get the key box open. They did not, however, manage to figure out which keys go to which unit, so they just made a mess and took nothing.

The filing cabinets and rent drop are locked too. The keys to them are locked in the key box. ;)


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I think Key Trac is hands down the best key management system out there. I've used it both in the apartment industry and in the car business, where it is far-and-away the most popular system. Unfortunately, it is also incredibly expensive, so for the properties I have that can't support the thousands of dollars a year in licensing fees, we've been using HandiTrak. It's not quite as secure or user-friendly, but it still provides some level of accountibility. Regardless of the solution one uses, however, I highly recommend coding the unit numbers on the keys. That way, if the key ever does get misplaced, it is still unlikely to be used for nefarious purposes.



_{Editor Note: This message was merged from a similar thread about key control systems.}

We used Key Trac at my property. It was actually pretty cool. It was a huge filing cabinet with all the keys. The only way to unlock it was done via a computer that was hooked up to the cabinet. It tracked who took the key (we all had passwords). You would type on the computer which key you were looking for and why? A showing, maintenance issue etc. If I had to find multiple keys they all lit up and told me which drawer they were located in. Worked quite nicely.


_{Editor Note: This message was merged from a similar thread about key control systems.}

What are you doing to manage keys at your communities?



_{Editor Note: This message was merged from a similar thread about key control systems.}

It sounds like KeyTrak and HandyTrac are the two I should focus on. Ian do you remember how much licensing fees were for KeyTrak versus what you are paying for HandyTrac?

It was roughly twice as much monthly, but it varies depending on how many drawers you need, whether it's a phone connection or Ethernet, etc. I hope that helps.

I really like KeyTrak but haven't used HandyTrac so can't make comparison.

I love the Schlage key fobs. I would hate to go back to real keys!

Morse-Watchman is our favorite key management system and we've tried the other two major players.

I saw this post from a few months ago.... I'm wondering if in general there is a size of building above which it is more likely to have an electronic key management system. For example: above 150 units is more likely than below 150 units. Or is building size irrelevant to the decision to make that investment?

Thanks for any insights!

Greetings!

I usually don't comment/re-open older threads, as some topics can lose their relevance over time. It seems many of you were unfamiliar with KEYper when this thread started ten months ago, so allow me the opportunity to tell you a little bit about me and KEYper Systems.

I represent KEYper Systems (www.keypersystems.com), and we manufacture electronic and mechanical key management solutions for multifamily property management applications and for a variety of other industries including government, military, and automotive.

KEYper Systems is a privately-held, veteran-owned company with corporate facilities near Charlotte, North Carolina that has offered key management solutions for more than 25 years. Our Corporate Philosophy, fundamental to the values held by our founder, Mr. Bob Conder, directs us to offer a quality product at a fair price.

Our electronic key management systems are the most advanced and affordable products on the market. KEYpers run on the current Windows 7 operating system, so you won't have to worry about upgrading equipment and software to accommodate the current industry standard soon after making such an important investment.

KEYpers employ advanced technology to control access to the keys throughout your multifamily community. The built-in camera and biometric fingerprint reader produce a fail-safe audit trail of who touches what key, when and why the second the microchipped key fob is removed. You can set key quantity limits, restrict access to specific keys and set a time duration for the removed key. A KEYper will even send managers an instant text message alert should an employee mishandle a key.

For more information, please visit our website at www.keypersystems.com or feel free to contact me directly (214/287.8111 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) concerning your key management needs.

Please consider KEYper Systems for your key management. There's no better, more affordable way to demonstrate the due diligence so vital to your property and its owners. Don't trust your reputation and investment to outdated technology or honor-based key management systems! Go with KEYper!

Thank you.

Hi All,
KeyLink is the Key Security System that was created by BuildingLink.
www.keylinkusa.com

You need to be a BuildingLink customer in order to have KeyLink but the benefits will be apparent right away.
KeyLink is an anonymous Key Security System that is web-based, competitively priced and whose software is updated frequently.

www.keylinkusa.com

BuildingLink is a web-based system that will help you to manage your property with greater efficiency and more cost effectively.

With BuildingLink your Residents and Management sign into their own dashboards and/or download the BuildingLink free app to their SmartPhones in order to communicate with each other for:
1. Package Tracking with automatic notifications to residents
2. Maintenance Work Order management with automatic notifications to residents as work is performed on their requests
3. Online Document Libraries
4. Amenity Reservations on line and from the BuildingLink SmartPhone app
5. NeighborNet
6. Bulletin Boards
7. Front Desk Instructions
8. Parking management
9. Pet Park
10. Robust email communication with the ability to segregate groups of tenants (ie. Line f of apartments for water shutdown, communication with Owners and possibly renters, The choices are endless)
11. Emergency Broadcasts that automatically calls all Resident’s home, work and cell numbers in an emergency
And so much more.

We are also in more than 2500 properties across the country.

Please be in touch if you are interested in learning more about BuildingLink and KeyLink!
Best regards,
Roni Pick 9roni(buildinglink.com)

How much do these systems cost? Upfront and recurring?

I'm looking for a self-service solution to handle lockouts, maintenance, and agent showings.

Forgive my ignorance but, what does a key tracking system do exactly and why would one need it?

As a property manager of multiple luxury high rise buildings in NYC I recommend BuildingLink and Keylink for your building operational needs.

Definitely DO NOT purchase Keytrak! They will start billing you from the day the FedEx delivers the equipment in a box and their Customer Service should be called No Service!

I'm outside NYC and love BuildingLink but I'll take Keytrak over any key system out there.