What do you have to do to get keys cut? How do you demonstrate your entitlement to get keys cut? What records (if any) are there to show how many keys have been cut?
Any answers would be greatly appreciated!
Does anyone (an owner not a tenant) have experience with Keso keys for a unit that is probably about 10 years old?
My experience with Keso is between 8 and 25 years old. I bought a cylinder lock (with 3 keys) for a rented apartment. I swapped out the one that was already there during our 5 year stay. At the time of purchase, I filled out a card with a signature. I used the cylinder for our next house when we moved out. In the meantime, with changing doors and existing locks, the original cylinder is now not in use, but two others, made later to the same key system are currently in use. In that time, I also bought 2 additional keys. I did all this, at various times, through a lock smith (quaint word!) in our town, and had to sign each order.
Anyway, go to a lock smith which deals with Keso and ask what the procedure is. Even if you were not the original purchaser of the lock system, I'm sure they will want to find a way of helping.
Experience from more than 15 years ago, FWIW:
I think the locks were original to the house, so that would mean installed in the late 80s. We bought the house in 2004.
About a year after we bought the house I wanted to make additional keys, it was then that we learned that the sellers forgot to inform KESO that they had sold the house.
Apparently some kind of handover document is needed. Without that, I had to show KESO a copy of the entry into the Grundbuch to prove we were now the owners.
https://www.sseg.ch/keso-system
The page doesn't seem to be available in English. There's an online form to fill in if you want to get keys cut. They'll probably be able to tell you how many have been cut altogether.
According the LockPickingLawayer they can easily picked using a regular fondue fork and a SBB train ticked in less than a minute.
(Not the LockPickingLawayer, but you get it)
More serious, as you do not say what kind of Keso key (1000, 2000, 2000s, 3000) it is we can not tell you much more. But only so much. The copy protection is mostly a honorary system. If you find a unscrupelous locksmith they might copy the key for money without any further proof of legitemacy.
If you are afraid there might be some unknown copies around all your are left to replace the cylinder with one of your trusted lock brand (DOM, Keso/Assa-Abloy, Kaba, SEA etc).
Has anyone had the experience of losing a KESO key for rental apartment? Will the Reggie provide the proof of ownership (or the key code) to allow tenant to get another copy on their own (I believe approx. CHF40)?
Yes, unlikely. We had to pay for the cylinder to be replaced - looking back, we could have questioned this - the key was lost alone, with nothing to link it to the address. The problem with getting a copy yourself, is that the Reggie will spot it at hand-over.
https://hausinfo.ch/de/sichern-versi...elverlust.html
If the key was stolen. the Reggie may want to replace the cylinder and maybe cylinders of communal rooms. The good news is that your house insurance may pay up. Losing a house key is a big deal here.