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On the Spot Thought: Only the Landlord Should Be Able to Change the Locks on a Rental
All sorts of bad things can happen when a tenant changes the locks, especially when the landlord or property manager doesn’t have a key.
Among them: the tenant might refuse access to the apartment for inspections, there could be an emergency within the apartment (fire, water overflows, medical issues) and the landlord can’t get in to address it, or the tenant could move out leaving the door locked behind him. These scenarios leave the landlord with little option but to break the door down, or take it off at the hinges… neither of which is preferable over being able to just use a key.
Changing the locks poses another possible problem in that sometimes a tenant might undertake the process himself, even though he’s not particularly skilled… and the door gets so badly damaged that replacing it entirely becomes necessary. So who has to pay when that happens? The tenant won’t be happy, but how can it be the landlord’s responsibility to pay for a damaged door under these circumstances?
Make certain to add this requirement into your lease!
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