Berkeley rentals, older homes, campus keys
Berkeley Rental Lock & Security Guide
Berkeley is a city of renters, and a lot of them live in hundred-year-old houses cut into units. Many of our calls here start with the same question: is this lock even up to code? This page answers it, then gives you the local numbers that matter when keys go missing or something gets stolen.
60-second check
Does your rental meet California’s basic lock rules?
California Civil Code 1941.3 sets minimum security hardware for rental housing. Tick what is true in your unit. The box on the right tells you what is missing and what to do about it.
Your result
General information based on Civil Code 1941.3, not legal advice. Some historic buildings are exempt. Tenants: report a broken deadbolt or window lock to your landlord in writing; the landlord has to fix it within a reasonable time after notice.
Older Berkeley homes
What we find on doors in brown-shingle and craftsman buildings
Houses built before the 1940s were not designed for today’s lock hardware. When we work on them, the lock itself is rarely the only issue.
After decades of settling, the bolt no longer lines up with the strike, so people stop locking the deadbolt. We realign the strike or rework the jamb so it throws fully again.
Divided-light doors put glass within reach of the thumb-turn. We go over options with you that make the door harder to open from outside while keeping a fast way out in a fire.
Short screws in old fir pull out with one kick. Longer screws into the framing and a reinforced strike plate make a bigger difference than a fancier lock.
Tenants and landlords
Lock questions between a tenant and a landlord
Most disagreements we hear about are simple: a deadbolt that stopped working, keys that were never collected from the last tenant, or a lock change after a safety scare. Berkeley has a free place to ask before it turns into a dispute: the Rent Board’s housing counselors explain tenant and landlord rights. They give information, not legal advice.
For victims of abuse or violence, California law gives the landlord 24 hours to change the locks after a written request with the required proof. If the landlord misses it, the tenant can have the locks changed and be reimbursed.
Berkeley Rent Board housing counseling
- Phone(510) 981-7368, ext. 1
- Emailrent@berkeleyca.gov
- Office2000 Center St., Suite 400, Berkeley
- HoursMonday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Closed Wednesdays.
- Onlinerentboard.berkeleyca.gov
UC Berkeley Police Lost & Found
- WherePolice Information window, Room 1, basement of Sproul Hall
- HoursMonday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., closed 11:30 to 12:30 and on campus holidays
- Phone(510) 642-6760
- Emailfound@berkeley.edu
- KeysNot identified by phone or email: you have to go and look. Keys are held 90 days.
Lost keys near campus
Lost your keys on campus? Check Sproul Hall, then think twice
Keys dropped on campus often end up at the UC Berkeley Police lost and found. It is worth the walk, but it can take days, and anyone who picked up your ring with an apartment fob or a tag has had time to use it.
If the keys could lead someone to your door, we get you back in and rekey the lock so the lost set stops working. Locked out right now? Lockout service.
After a theft or a break-in
Reporting it in Berkeley
If someone may still be inside or anyone is in danger, call 911. For everything else, the Berkeley Police non-emergency line is (510) 981-5900. Many reports can also be filed online with a valid email address, including theft, lost property, theft from a vehicle, auto burglary and vandalism.
A broken streetlight or other city problem goes through the city’s “Report Issues” forms, reviewed on weekdays. For Public Works emergencies such as a fallen tree or a traffic signal out, the city lists (510) 981-6620.
Then call us
Take photos of the door and frame first. Then we secure the opening and replace or rekey the locks so any keys taken in the break-in are useless. Day and night: emergency locksmith in Berkeley.
Quick directory
Berkeley numbers worth saving
Public services only. None of these is us, and none of them will sell you a lock.
Someone inside, anyone in danger, a crime happening now.
Past thefts and break-ins. Some reports can be filed online.
Free housing counseling for tenants and landlords.
Sproul Hall basement, Room 1. Keys held 90 days.
Report Issues forms for streetlights and more. Public Works emergencies by phone.
Locksmith companies in California are licensed by the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services.
Questions we hear
Berkeley rental locks, campus keys and break-ins
Does my Berkeley landlord have to install a deadbolt?
Under California Civil Code 1941.3, the main swinging entry door of a rental unit needs a working deadbolt that throws at least 13/16 inch, and windows that open need working locks, with some exceptions. An existing deadbolt of at least half an inch can still qualify. Tenants should report a broken deadbolt or window lock to the landlord, who then has a reasonable time to fix it.
My old Berkeley apartment has a thumb-turn latch, not a deadbolt. Is that allowed?
A thumb-turn latch held by a guard bolt can stay in place for now, but the law says it must be replaced with a 13/16 inch deadbolt the first time it needs repair or replacement. When we are called to fix one, that is what we install.
I lost my keys on the UC Berkeley campus. What should I do?
Check the UC Berkeley Police lost and found in the basement of Sproul Hall. Keys are not identified by phone or email, so you need to go in person; they are kept 90 days. If the keys could lead someone to your home, rekeying the lock is the safer move while you wait.
Can the bars on my bedroom window have a key lock?
Not on a window that serves as an emergency escape opening. Bars, grilles or shutters there need a release that works from the inside without a key or special effort, so you can get out fast in a fire.
Something on the checklist missing?
We install code-minimum deadbolts, fix window locks, rekey between tenants and secure doors after a break-in across Berkeley. Exact price confirmed before work starts.