Is there a Medeco master key?

That's a good point. Then after they lock it they are too sloppy to unlock it again.

Thanks for all your thoughtful input, Put. I've decided to get new Medecos which will make the rest moot. The window route is next to impossible--no firescape, locked and alarmed. And I'd see evidence of the window having been opened (knick-knacks would fall off). He has to have keys. Don't know how he got them but if there is no such thing as a Medeco Master key that is the only explanation. He locks both locks upon leaving without thinking is my conclusion. That will soon end :)

I do hope so. As noted, you're planning spending more than you have to

-- rekeying the locks would have the same effect -- but it if makes you comfortable, maybe it's worth the cost.

If changing the locks doesn't solve it, please do consider the other suggestions you've been given. "Senior moments" eventually start happening to all of us...

Just have them re-keyed. If you really want key control then have them rekeyed with a restricted keyway. There's no advantage to replacing the whole lock unless they are worn out or dmaged.

Do they have to take the locks to the shop to rekey or is it done on the premises? What is a restricted keyway?

Can be done either way. On-site is more common; it's a simple procedure.

Some key blanks are much harder to obtain than others (require more authorizations and are more tightly controlled). Different Medeco models fall at different points on that scale; most of the older ones are not particularly restricted (once you establish that you're the owner of that lock), but some of the newer ones require that you have the factory authorization card or jump through a number of hoops in lieu thereof, to make _absolutely_ certain your request is legitimate.

The locks are old, I don't mind buying new.

I will, including the hidden camera suggestion. But if it happens after new Medecos are installed I'm calling the cops.

True enough but not in this instance. As I wrote earlier it is impossible I'm locking the top lock upon leaving. I can't even insert the key for all the electrical tape wound around it. He has to somehow have obtained/made dupes.

As far as rekeying most guys that do Medeco should be able to do it on site. The exception would be if he or she only has their Medeco capable Machine at the office. Just ask the locksmith on the phone.

A restricted keyway is a keyway where the blanks are retricted availability. You would have to get your keys cut by the locksmith you get the system from and unless he or she remembers who you are show an authorization card. The advantage being that even if somebody gets one of your keys no one will copy it for them. All that needs to be replaced are the cylinders not the whole lock. If you go this route the cylinders can be keyd up at the locksmiths shop and he or she just has to pop them in.

I would really have absolute proof in hand BEFORE calling the cops at all... They will not take a complaint from a person such as yourself based solely on your conjecture and assumptions...

If that were true you must have taken this tape off to some extent in order to be able to UNLOCK the door from the outside to get in when you find it locked... Just a thought...

Evan, ~~formerly a maintenance man, now a college student

Then how is he inserting the key you insist he has?

If spending the money makes you more comfortable, spend the money. But all the information you've presented strongly suggests it's the wrong solution. As I said, I hope you're right, for your sake... but that's not the way I'd bet.

It took him to mean the tape is on the key.

Well of course, but once in I wrap the tape back around the top lock key. The number of these incidents is maybe 8-10 over a period of 3 years. No one else lives in my co-op apartment. I'm gone for months at a time, and he knows it.

Correct. The tape is wrapped around cuts on the key I carry.

Given what you have just said, and the fact that you keep identifying this unit as an "apartment" means that someone is responsible for the upkeep and general safety of the entire building.... It is not unreasonable for someone such as a building superintendant to enter your unit periodically when you as you put it in your own words "are gone for months at a time"... In this instance I would be sure that someone who is around all of the time has access to a key to the unit... If for some reason there was any type of problem in the building it is much nicer for you that an authorized person can enter the unit in the event of a water leak (either from your unit or leaking into your unit) or a fire event... Would you really want to pay for a locksmith to come out and pick the lock for authorized persons to be able to inspect your unit, or even worse repay the costs for forced entry ??? Being that you are gone for extended periods of time, many health codes give a landlord or building superintendant the right to enter to inspect for evidence of insect or rodent infestations... So the entry in this case (if in fact it is happening) would be legitimate...

I knew that you were not telling the FULL STORY... You never really complained of anything being missing from your unit... Most if not all of the people who are "entered illegally" (by someone with an authorizedd copy of the key) suffer some type of larceny from the unit... Can you really think of a reason why someone would enter your unit without authorization if they were not going to steal anything ??? Your whole theory about the super having some type of seedy tryst in your unit is easy enough to figure out... Get a black light and look around for signs of "biological evidence" in the bedroom areas... Strip the beds and store the bedclothes away where someone would not find them without a deliberate search...

Evan, ~~formerly a maintenance man, now a college student

Time to close this thread. He asked for advice, he's gotten several different kinds of responses, and he's decided what he's going to do. Whether we agree with him or not isn't his problem; whether he's taking our advice or not isn't ours.

Perhaps the tape is wound around the lock in such a way that the shrinking of the tape turns the thumbturn.

By the way, how does the tennent get in when they return home to find the top lock on?

I agree. Thanks again for everyone's kind responses. Evan - I'm not concerned with anything other than stopping unauthorized (i.e. non-emergency without my knowledge or consent) entry. Nothing has been stolen or disturbed. FYI If the super (or board) needed access or required a key he would have asked long ago by note under my door, official letter or telephone message. If there was ever an emergency requiring entry in my absence I would have been notified it took place. He knows he's never officially received a copy of my keys yet he's done none of these things. There is an annual mandatory inspection of all apartments (co-ops, units, whatever term you like) and I comply by being there during the inspection period and making an appointment and letting him in. New Medecos are being installed Nov 3. I will give the super a copy of the new keys if asked and then only in a security envelope.