Gate & Building Entry Locks: preparing for the visit

A neighbour mentions, in passing, that the key from three tenants ago still lets him into the building's front door. Nobody changed it after he moved out, and now the property manager wants to know exactly how many keys are still floating around out there.

Worth answering before the call

Is this a single household gate or a shared building entry? Is there any sign the gate or lock was recently forced? Is the lock dragging, slamming, stuck, or simply not latching?

My key snapped off in the gate lock. What now?

The broken piece is removed with extraction tools shaped to grip and draw it out, rather than forcing it further in, and the door or gate is then opened using the remaining portion or by working the cylinder directly. Afterward the locksmith checks why the key broke, since a healthy cylinder rarely snaps a key on its own; a stiff or corroded plug is a common cause outdoors. A fresh key is cut from the code or a clean original rather than a worn copy.

Our property has a lot of separate gates. Is there a way to manage that with fewer keys?

Yes, a master key arrangement is a common answer: individual gates each keep their own key for day-to-day use, while one additional master key opens all of them for whoever manages the whole property, such as an owner or a maintenance contractor. Setting this up means recombining or replacing the cylinders involved so they share a compatible pinning structure, which is planned out before any single gate's lock is touched, so the system works as intended once finished.