Island houses and summer rentals
A Shelter Island house is usually one of three things: a year-round home, a summer place shut for the winter, or a rental that changes hands through the season. Year-round owners call about worn deadbolts and keys that stick. Summer owners want a house that stays locked while they are away, so before you leave we can rekey, add a deadbolt to a side or basement door, or install a keyless lock so a caretaker gets a code you can cancel later. A safe bolted in place gives papers and valuables a home while nobody is living there.
Rental owners need control over who holds a key. Rekeying or resetting codes between tenants keeps last season’s keys from opening this season’s doors, and nobody has to send keys back across the water.
Shops, offices and island businesses
The island has its own chamber of commerce and a business community that serves residents and summer visitors alike. When a lock fails at an island shop or office, help is a ferry ride away, so it makes sense to keep the hardware in good order. We install and repair commercial locks and exit devices, fit Medeco or Mul-T-Lock high-security cylinders on doors that guard stock or records, and build master key systems for buildings with several doors. Seasonal staff are part of business here, and a rekey after they leave in the fall means their keys open nothing next year. Keypad and electronic locks work too, since a code can be deleted the day someone’s job ends. We also fit file cabinet locks and install, open and repair business safes.
Property managers who look after several island houses get the same approach: separate keys for each address, codes for cleaners and crews, and a rekey whenever a ring goes missing.
Two ferries, one island town
Shelter Island is its own town in Suffolk County. The South Ferry links it with North Haven on the South Fork, and the North Ferry runs to Greenport on the North Fork. Dering Harbor, on the north side, is an incorporated village. Shelter Island Heights, also on the north shore, grew out of a Methodist campground in the late 1800s and is where the North Ferry lands. West Neck Harbor is an inlet at the southwest end, Coecles Harbor cuts into the east side, and a large share of the island is protected land in the Mashomack Preserve.
Call The Village Locksmiths
Lockout calls for island homes and businesses are answered 24/7, and estimates are free. Call (631) 324-2547 and we will plan the visit around the ferry.