Tenants win right to physical keys over smart locks from landlords

Post by nate_meurer » Sat, May 11, 2019, 4:04 AM UTC

balabaster wrote: post #164

adwww wrote: post #22

When I was last renting (in the UK) I changed my locks the day I moved in, then swapped them back to the original cylinders when I left. I thought it was pretty good practice not to have a door with an unknown number of previous tennants, cleaners, letting agents, landlords etc with access.

It never occurred to me not to change the locks. The minute I start paying rent, I always saw it as my home. Upon viewing the place, I make explicitly clear that I expect it to be cleaned and anything that's broken shall be fixed prior to my taking possession and that I will consider the contract null and void if it's not. I ensure this is written into the contract so that if it's not taken care of, the contract is n…

Post by TomMarius » Sat, May 11, 2019, 6:08 AM UTC

ginko wrote: post #227

TomMarius wrote: post #181

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Entirely legal in EU, btw

That's not true. In Austria at least, a landlord certainly can't enter a rented-out apartment unannounced.

Post by romwell » Sat, May 11, 2019, 7:10 AM UTC

hdfbdtbcdg wrote: post #352

btilly wrote: post #295

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My memory says that in NY, the landlord cannot enter or authorize someone else to enter without 24 hours notice to the tenant. This is not widely known, and virtually every rental contract says otherwise. But those terms are unenforceable. For the record, I learned this from a lawyer living in New York as an example of why many landlords choose not to rent to lawyers. It turns out that while discriminating on the bas…

In the UK good landlords want to rent to lawyers. Failure to pay rent would eventually compromise a lawyer's professional body membership.

Post by setquk » Sat, May 11, 2019, 10:04 AM UTC

maxkwallace wrote: post #334

setquk wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We changed the locks originally because we caught him in the place doing an inspection unannounced. All our clothes had been gone through and the computer turned on. Funny sounding inspection. The marmite was deserved. If you’re going to make someone’s life miserable and insecure for six months then we’re going to roll out the red carpet on pettiness.

To anyone reading this: if this happens to you, please talk to a lawyer. Please do something to protect future tenants, get the landlord's info online. Don't seek retribution just for yourself.

Post by criley2 » Sat, May 11, 2019, 12:44 PM UTC

HEHENE wrote: post #323

criley2 wrote: post #261

Earlier quoted context omitted.

With a 24 hour notice (or 48), yes it is legal. They can post notice and come by merely to inspect the state of the property.

This is not true in California. I had a landlord who wanted to enter all apartments to inspect for evidence of pets (someone had seen a cat inside the building) and I told them exactly where they could shove it. (Paraphrased from CA Civ Code 1954) A landlord may enter the dwelling unit only in the following cases: - In case of emergency. - To make necessary or agreed repairs, exhibit the property, or perform move in/…