Keys for every lock?

[Smilla]

I have just had a request from our new tenants for keys to some locks that we consider unneccessary.

We have just turned our PPOR into a rental property. It is a ground floor apartment, with a sliding door out onto the patio that faces the street, and a sliding door out onto the patio which is in a secure building courtyard (in addition to the main door which has a lock and deadbolt and isnt accessable by the public).

The two sliding doors both have a type of bolt lock at floor level - you push the bolt down into the floor so there is no way the door can be opened from the outside. The door also has a standard type lock at waist level, with a lever you push up/down to lock/unlock it. Both of these locks also have key holes.

I can understand that they may wish to get a key for the waist high lock, but I think providing a key for the floor level bolt, considering that it can't be operated from the outside anyway, is unneccessary. We have always just locked the door by pushing the lever and bolt, as considering that the bolt goes into the floor an outside key is useless anyway.

As we never received any keys from the previous owners, we'll have to get keys made so I'm wondering if this is something we are legally obligated to do?

If something has a lock are you legally obligated to provide a key for it regardless of whether it provides additional security (essentially there are two sets of locks on each door).

thoughts appreciated.

 

[hobo-jo]

Interesting question.

Reasonable security
The law states that a landlord must provide and maintain such locks or
other security devices as are necessary to ensure that the premises are
reasonably secure.What is ‘reasonably secure’ will vary in different
situations.

http://www.findlaw.com.au/Downloads/fairtradingNSW_renting.pdf

I would say that if there is a key lock waist high and a bolt down the bottom that can be used to secure the door (even if is not key locked) then you are providing "reasonable security". Have you tried just telling the tenant that you don't have a set of keys for it?

 

[sailor]

Agreed...just tell them you don't have keys, and that as it can be made secure with the bolt, you will not be having them made. If they insist, tell them it can be arranged at their expense.

 

[yadreamin]

If they really push for keys then go to a sliding glass door business and you can buy new lock barrels for these locks for about $6 each.
l did it and it takes about 5 mins and a phillips head screw driver per lock

 

[The Y-man]

Smilla,

Is the bolt needed for deadlocking the door?

The waist high latch can be defeated relatively easily with force - the bolt is usually much harder.

remember there are 2 thimgs required:

1. to prevent entry (even if glass is broken)
2. to prevent exit (easy path to cart you stuff out).

A dead locked bolt is effective in preventing the second.

Cheers,

The Y-man

 

[ddcd1902]

Hi there,

I suggest supplying the keys - I guarantee the cost of them will be far less than that of a compensation claim should they ever get robbed, as unlikely as it is.

Maybe change the whole lot? Especially if the previous owners haven't given all the keys to you - it would be unnerving for me knowing someone potentially has keys to my property.

Take photocopies of the keys so when they vacate you know what they must return to you and if they don't they'll have to cough up for replacements

 

[65fbk]

You could tell them you don't have keys and offer to remove the extra locks. I'll bet you won't have to do anything
But seriously, it won't cost much if you can swap the barrel yourself.

 

[kathryn d]

All of our locks are master locks. Can't be duplicated.
They sign for the amount of keys supplied. If all aren't returned, we replace and charge the tenant.

 

[Monty Burns]

the lock that goes into the floor does it have a second hole so that the door can be locked open a few cm's for air flow?
my parents had a glass door with this type of lock on it so that it could be locked close or open

 

[TSS]

Given any crook can bypass a sliding glass door by jamming a screwdriver into the bottom corner and popping the glass, the deadbolt is one more thing they have to manouvere before they can actually open the door ... makes it harder to carry stuff out if they have to pass it thorugh shattered glass.

Also, like my PPOR, the deadbolt could be used to lock the glass sliding door open ajar (about 4 inches) allowing breezeway with the security of a deadbolted lock.

If it were me, I'd cough them up, but make sure it is noted they have the keys, so if they get lost, they replace.

 

[Jacaranda]

As other posts have said it is cheap and easy to do, so I would do it, especially if this is all the tenant is asking for.

All costs incurred should be tax deductible and more importantly you have a happy tenant.

 

[JoannaK]

I don't know about the legislation in VIC, but in NSW if there is a lock on something then a key must be supplied, no matter how insignificant you think it is, and you must supply one key per tenant listed on the lease.