It’s my understanding that mass produced items are all basically the same. If you buy something like a toothbrush, for example, then any other toothbrush from that same assembly line is going to be basically the same and have all the same specs (with the exception with minor defects here and there), because the machinery and process to make any those toothbrushes are all basically the same.
But that can’t be the case with locks and keys. Because if every lock and key were the same then there’d be no point in having them. Anyone could just bought the same key/lock combo could use it to unlock your front door. So all or most keys and locks must be unique. So how are they mass produced in a way that preserves their uniqueness?
as an european, i always roll my eyes at the concept of hoa, but this is definitely wildest i have seen in this context 😂
Yeah even for HOA standards this seems crazy though. Like, not being allowed to change your lock? That seems like a massive security risk. Especially given the circumstances. Why does the HOA even care do they need access to everyone’s place?
They don’t, they just didn’t want some regular old locks on some doors mixing with their fancy locks they overpaid for that matches all the other units.
I am still confused. Aren’t locks modular and easily swappable on the other side of the ocean?
This is how they look here. You can just swap it without changing the looks of the door in any way.
Your confusion stems from the bureaucracy, not the method. Even if it was ‘simple as’, the result is the same.
Some doors yes, other doors you have to take the whole thing apart. I would say most are not ‘easy’. I don’t know the outcome, I think they were rekeyed because I was told to keep the lock even if I replaced it. I left that week for unrelated reasons and had my property manager deal with it.
I see
Yeah, but they were somewhat reasonable about it. You could get new locks to prevent break-ins, but it took them a very long time to figure out what they were going to do. It was all brand new and the locks technically worked, so I guess they had to have meetings to figure out if they needed to sue or to buy new locks, change the design…or whatever the HOA does. They ended up telling everyone to keep their old locks and I think they just rekeyed them? I left during all that mess (not for that reason) so idk.