There was a building manager (if it could be called as such) but they were responsible for coordinating mandatory inspections (fire hazards, alarms, etc) and common areas. They were absolutely not responsible for keys. Not all places are the same.
Edit: Should also mention people owned these properties, it wasn't rental apartments.
I don't know the outcome, I left shortly after. People owned these units, HOA can force a particular style of lock to match all the other units, but they can't bust into homes and force homeowners to change their locks. How each homeowner resolved the issue wasn't their concern, but I do think they hired a locksmith as a courtesy. It just took HOA a long time to figure out what to do.