Most condo security problems start at a door. A fob that was copied at a kiosk, a guest waved through because the desk was busy, a contractor who signed in at 9 and never signed out. Good condo access control is less about the hardware on the wall and more about the routine behind it: who gets a credential, who checks it, and what gets written down.
This guide covers the three groups that pass through a Hamilton condo lobby every day, residents with fobs, their guests, and contractors, and the steps that keep each one accounted for.
What condo access control covers
In practice, condo access control has four parts. The credentials (fobs, keys, garage remotes and buzzer codes). The records (who holds which fob, who signed in, who was let into a suite). The people at the desk who apply the rules. And the rules themselves, which the board sets and owners can challenge.
However, a new reader on the front door fixes the first part only. If the fob list is three years out of date, or the guest log sits open on the counter, the building is no safer than it was.
Fobs: issue, audit and deactivate
Fob copying is a known problem in Ontario condos. A CM Magazine article on fob cloning, published by the Association of Condominium Managers of Ontario, explains why: most building fobs carry no encryption, so a cloner only has to read the number and write it to a blank, and blanks sell online for about $10. As a result, copies end up with short-term rental guests, in lockboxes, or with people who moved out years ago.
The same article also makes a practical point about price. When a corporation charges $50 to $100 for a replacement fob, residents have a reason to go to a copy shop instead. In other words, keeping the official replacement easy to get, at the desk or the management office, removes that reason.
For day-to-day condo access control, the fob routine looks like this:
- Issue against a record. Tie each fob to a suite and a named holder. The desk does not hand out fobs; management issues them and the desk checks the list.
- Deactivate, do not delete. When a fob is lost or a tenant leaves, switch it off but keep the record, so a later swipe shows up as an attempt on a known card.
- Audit on a schedule. Compare active fobs against the current owner and tenant list. Suites with more fobs than occupants are the first to check.
- Watch for signs of copying. One fob used at two doors at once, a fob used at hours its holder is never home, or different people using the same card.
Encrypted fobs are the long-term answer, but they usually mean new readers and sometimes a new panel. Until the reserve fund allows it, the audit is what keeps copied fobs in check and condo access control honest.
Guests: a sign-in routine that holds up
Guests are where a busy desk cuts corners. A clear routine takes under a minute and gives the board a record it can rely on:
- Ask who they are visiting and call up to the suite. The resident confirms, not the guest.
- Log the name, suite, time in and, for overnight guests or anyone given a temporary fob, the time out.
- Keep the log out of sight. A visitor book open on the counter shows every caller who lives where and when they are out.
- Do not buzz in a guest whose host cannot be reached. Offer to take a message instead.
- Watch the door after the guest goes through. One confirmed guest should not become three people.
For regular visitors such as cleaners, caregivers and dog walkers, a registered fob limited to set days and hours works better than repeat calls to the suite. That keeps them in the access record instead of a pile of handwritten entries.
Contractor sign-in and condo access control
Contractors cause more access gaps than guests because they need doors propped, service rooms opened and elevators held. A workable contractor process has five checks:
- Booked in advance. The desk has the work order or the owner’s written permission before the crew arrives. No booking, no entry until management confirms.
- Signed in by name. Company, each worker’s name, suite or area, and expected finish time.
- Keys and fobs signed out. The desk logs any service room key or temporary fob against a person, and it comes back before they leave.
- Doors checked. Loading and stairwell doors propped for a delivery get closed and checked on the next round.
- Signed out. Time out recorded. An open entry at the end of a shift goes in the handover notes.
This also protects the corporation, and it is the part of condo access control most often skipped. When a resident reports damage in a hallway, the contractor log shows who was working on that floor and when.
Tailgating, propped doors and the garage gate
Even well-run fob systems leak through people following someone else in. The parkade gate is the usual weak point, because a car can follow another car through before the gate closes. A guard on rounds checks the gate cycle, the stairwell doors from the garage and any door held open with a wedge. The guard logs each one with the time, so the property manager can see whether it is the same door every night.
What the condo rules allow
Fob limits, guest sign-in and contractor hours usually sit in the corporation’s rules. Under the Condominium Act, 1998, rules are there to promote the safety, security or welfare of owners and the property, and to prevent unreasonable interference with the use of units and common elements. CM Magazine’s guide to condo rules describes the process: the board passes a rule, and owners have 30 days to call a meeting to amend or repeal it, which takes a request from at least 15% of owners.
So if your building wants to ban fob copying or cap the number of fobs per suite, that is a rule for the board and its condo lawyer, not a desk instruction. Once the rule is in place, the desk enforces it the same way for everyone.
Where a licensed guard fits in condo access control
Ontario requires a valid licence for anyone working as a security guard, and an agency licence for any business selling guard services. You can check both on the province’s private security page, which links to the public licence registry. StandBy Security holds PSISA agency licence #30000322.
A guard acting for the corporation can ask someone without a reason to be in the building to leave. Under Ontario’s Trespass to Property Act, a person told to leave by the occupier, or by someone the occupier authorizes, has to go. However, the guard has to do it reasonably: in Jia v. TSCC 1479, a court found a Toronto condo liable when its superintendent used excessive force removing a visitor. Calm words and a written incident report are the standard.
For example, for things that are not emergencies, such as a suspicious vehicle in the visitor lot or mischief to a door, the desk calls Hamilton Police on the non-emergency line, 905-546-4925. Anything where someone is hurt or in danger is 911.
If your building has staff at the desk now, the question is whether they are licensed to do the security part of the job. For a licensed guard at the desk, see our front desk security guards and our condominium security services cover buildings across Hamilton. For the wider picture, see the top security risks in Hamilton condominium buildings.
A quick condo access control checklist
- Every active fob belongs to a current owner or tenant.
- The desk switches off lost and unused fobs and keeps the record.
- Replacement fobs are easy to buy at a fair price.
- Residents confirm their guests, the desk logs them, and the log stays out of view.
- Contractors book ahead, sign in by name and sign out.
- Guards check the garage gate and stairwell doors on every round.
- The board writes the access rules, and the desk applies them the same way to everyone.
Common questions
Can a condo stop residents from copying their fobs?
The board can pass a rule against unauthorized copying, and many Ontario corporations have one. In addition, pair the rule with regular fob audits and a reasonably priced official replacement, or residents will keep using copy shops.
Should the front desk ask guests for ID?
Under most condo access control routines, a normal visit needs only the resident’s confirmation and a log entry. However, photo ID makes sense when the desk is letting someone into a suite while the owner is away, or handing over a temporary fob. Follow what your building’s rules say.
Who is responsible for contractors once they are inside?
The owner or manager who booked the work is responsible for the contractor’s job. The desk, on the other hand, is responsible for knowing they are in the building, what they hold, and when they leave.
Reviewed by the StandBy Security operations team. Last reviewed: .