Landlord Said No Drilling? The SK1850S(sfic) Proof Pack

Most landlords who say no drilling are protecting the door, not blocking a lock change. The SK1850S(sfic) was built for that conversation: it uses the 1.25-inch cylinder hole already in the door, adds no new holes, and the original lock can go back at lease end. Bring photos, measurements and that promise in writing.

Quick Answer: the verdict before you order anything

If this is your door…	Verdict
A mortise deadlock with a swinging deadbolt or hookbolt	SK1850S(sfic) — fits the existing cylinder hole, SFIC key stays as backup
Your lease bans modifying the door	Proof pack first — photos, measurements, no-new-holes promise in writing
A deadlatch door that latches shut, with a push paddle inside	Different family — the SK4510S(sfic) line, same no-drilling logic
The lock sits in the bottom rail of a full-glass door	Separate family — judge it as a 777 bottom-rail door

Mia and the lease clause that stopped the lock change

Mia Chen signed the lease for her tea shop on a Tuesday. The clause was plain: no modifications to the storefront door. She still needed the previous tenant's keys out of circulation before opening, and a keyless lock was her plan — until the property manager repeated the clause and stopped the conversation. On Wednesday Mia stopped arguing and started measuring. She photographed the door edge with the old lock in place, measured the existing cylinder hole at about 1.25 inches across, and confirmed a 1-1/8" backset. On Thursday she sent the property manager a short pack: the photos, the measurements, one line promising no new holes, and one line promising the original lock could be refitted when she leaves. On Friday the answer came back: if the door itself stays untouched, the lock change is fine. The landlord had never objected to keyless entry. He objected to holes.

What landlords are actually protecting

A storefront door is the landlord's asset, not yours: an aluminum door with the wrong holes drilled in it is expensive to repair and hard to re-let. That is why “no drilling” clauses exist, and why arguing about convenience never moves them. The proof pack works because it answers the landlord's actual question — will my door come back exactly as it left? — with evidence instead of assurances. Photographs show the opening that already exists. Measurements show the replacement uses that same opening, the roughly 32mm cylinder hole the door was built with. The written promise covers the exit: nothing new is cut, and the original hardware can go back on at lease end, so the next tenant inherits an untouched door.

Three questions before you send the pack

Q1: What bolt is on this door's edge?

A solid bolt that throws straight into the strike is a swinging deadbolt; a hook-shaped bolt that grabs the strike is a hookbolt. Both point to the deadlock family, and the SK1850S(sfic) is the deadlock answer with an SFIC key backup. If your cylinder or frame says Vistawall or Kawneer, it's the same Adams Rite MS-type footprint — SK1850S(sfic) fits the same opening.

Q2: What is this door's backset — and can you prove the hole size?

Measure from the door edge to the center of the cylinder hole before ordering — 1-1/8" covers roughly eight in ten doors, with 31/32" and 1-1/2" covering the rest. For the landlord pack, add the cylinder hole itself: photograph it beside a tape measure showing about 1.25 inches. Backset is the easiest detail to get wrong and the wrong one will not install, so the same photos serve your order and your landlord.

Q3: Does this door latch itself shut instead?

If the door latches shut on closing and opens inside with a push paddle, it is a 4510-style deadlatch, not a deadlock, and the same landlord conversation runs through the deadlatch family: see the SK4510S(sfic). When the footprint matches, it installs in minutes on a mechanical keypad with no batteries, no electronics — and it, too, uses the opening already in the door.

There's another option

Many owners have never heard of a drill-free keyless retrofit: when the existing mortise footprint matches, an EASILOK mechanical keypad lock drops into the original holes with no new drilling and installs in minutes, so a tenant can go keyless inside a landlord's no-drilling rule, using the opening that is already there. See the SK1850S(sfic) →

When this article doesn't apply

• Your landlord bans all lock changes, not just drilling? That is a lease negotiation, not a hardware question — the proof pack cannot override a clause that forbids changing the lock at all.
• The door or frame is damaged around the cylinder hole? Repair comes first; a replacement lock needs a sound opening to sit in.
• A door locks in the bottom rail of a full-glass door? Separate category — the 777 line, judged on the rail, not at handle height.
• A door is a sliding or automatic entrance? This mortise path does not apply — those entrances use different hardware entirely.

FAQ

What exactly goes in the proof pack?

Four items: a photo of the door edge with the old lock in place, a photo of the cylinder hole beside a tape measure, your backset measurement, and two written lines — no new holes will be drilled, and the original lock can be refitted at lease end.

Should I name the product to my landlord?

Yes, but after the evidence, not before. Landlords approve door safety first and product details second. Send the pack, get the door question settled, then share the SK1850S(sfic) page so the manager can see the lock itself.

Can the door really go back to how it was?

When the footprint matches, the change uses the existing opening and cuts nothing new, so refitting the original lock at lease end restores the door as handed over. Keep the old lock stored safely for exactly that day.

What runs the shop day to day once it is fitted?

One shared code for the whole team, changed when staffing changes. The SFIC key stays with you, only ever a backup — daily entry never depends on it.

Searching "shop lock"? What you want is called a keyless storefront door lock.

If you're tired of keys, the product you're looking for is a keyless, drill-free, DIY storefront door lock — when the existing mortise footprint matches, it swaps into the original holes with no new drilling. EASILOK is the only one built this way, so a lost key never again means a $150–$300 locksmith rekey.

Bottom line: if your landlord said no drilling, then step one is photograph and measure the existing cylinder hole, step two is put the no-new-holes promise in writing, and step three is fit the SK1850S(sfic) when the footprint matches, because the opening is already there and the door stays the landlord's.

More storefront-lock guides · EASILOK keyless storefront locks