Tenants have moved in and wants extra keys cut. One of the keys is a Yale type, I assume can be cut at any outlets. But the front door is a more specialist security lock that needs a code, making it more expensive. Shall i tell the tenants to just cut the keys themselves or get them pay for it and cut the keys for them. i’ll have to cut the front door myself anyway because i can’t give them the code. Secondly, do LLs always change the locks at each tenants’ move-out. This seems an expensive venture for short stay tenants. Advice appreciated.
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Let them cut the keys for internal doors
I only issue the correct amount of coded keys for external doors but would never permit additional copies
Our external doors are coded keys
If they are returned I don’t change locks because they are coded so they don’t have copies
If they don’t return them I charge for change of locks and cutting ( contracted)
If they pay for additional keys they could argue it’s their property so then they still have access to the property on departure
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I always change the euro locks in between tenants as I swop them between properties (the locks not the tenants), also I just keep a few as spares. Less than a tenner a time and 5 mins to swop
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Oh, mine is a house and there are no internal doors, just the front and back door. Tenants argument is that her and her partner needs a copy each. I understand their point but as it’s my first time dealing with this, I’m trying to work out the implications for me.
I hope that if two people moved in you didn’t just give them 1 key. That would be a ridiculous error of judgement. It’s quite obvious, they need access each, and won’t always be together.
Personally, I give ‘at least’ a key to each tenant plus a spare, that they can use as they wish, eg relative, cleaner, contractor etc
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Who is on the agreement
If it’s both then they should each have a copy
I only permit copies for tenants not partners as they are a guest
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I don’t think this is fair. Tenants too should be able to have guests stay, and those guests should be able to let themselves into / out of the house, whilst the tenant is at work for example.
We should not be restricting how a tenant lives there lives, and restricting the number of keys in this way.
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My tenants have had ‘guests for three months’
I’ve also had tenants keep spares and return to properties and steal goods from new tenants as they had access
I now have coded keys so I control how many copies there are
I don’t want to change locks on a portfolio for all the houses every academic cycle
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I just swap Eurolocks between different properties when a tenant changes. It’s dead easy to do.
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Get more laser cut keys for them, 3 is reasonable just make sure you get them back
I use thumb locks on front door to allow egress without a key in event of fire
Euro locks easy to change, i dont change unless there was an upset with outgoing tenant
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I only have one property, and end of each tenancy my husband changes the barrels on the locks we have 3 sets of barrels for the back and front doors that we rotate.
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I always give keys to each tenant on the contract renting the property. I swap the lock when they leave with others I have changed in other properties. It’s no big deal. I don’t mind if they make a copy as any damage is down to them at the end of the day no excuses. It’s their home for however long so they need to live in it how it works for them like we do. Just keep it simple.
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