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Landlord being an idiot

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  • DaftyDuck
    DaftyDuck Posts: 4,609 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    JohnnyZee wrote: »
    Ok, I have now gotten some more information. The lock the tenant wants to change is "ERA" brand, not the more expensive "EVVA". That identical lock can be obtained for about £40 from various hardware shops. Also, to duplicate the 2 other keys would cost £10 each. So total cost should be about £60ish.

    Now tell me, is the landlord being fair by asking for £150?? Who decides what is the right price? And I understand the landlord is free to put whatever lock he wants, but can he just pass on the cost to the tenant without their say? Also, is it fair to ask to landlord to furnish receipts?

    But... there are two locks to be replaced, and two sets of keys: those to the rented flat, and those to the communal door.

    So, that'd make a cost of around £120. You find a locksmith that'll fit two locks for £150.

    Even if the front door lock can be reprogrammed (and it sounds like it can't), that still takes time.

    Yes, the landlord is being fair - indeed, it sounds like he's doing much of the work for little reward. Add in the time to buy the locks, the travel time to fit them, the possibility the job takes longer than he expects...

    The landlord is not being an idiot.... but somebody certainly is! ;)
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 35,242 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    At this rate, it would be quicker to go and look for the damn keys that the idiot tenant lost.
  • lisa_123_2
    lisa_123_2 Posts: 4 Newbie
    Unfortunately, the tenant is responsible for lock replacements if they lost the keys. Our landlord charged us £400, because we picked the property with a very special expensive lock, we just had to pay it :(
  • bertiewhite
    bertiewhite Posts: 1,904 Forumite
    1,000 Posts
    JohnnyZee wrote: »
    I am not sure what brand the current locks are, but wouldn't it be fair for the tenants to pay only part of the cost? The lock is going to outlast the tenancy agreement.

    That's irrelevant - they wouldn't need changing at all if a key hadn't been lost.
  • FBaby
    FBaby Posts: 18,374 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Say you (or your friend) don't pay, he gives you notice to end the tenancy, he asks for a deduction for the costs of changing the locks, you refuse, it goes to the ADR. He makes a case showing receipts for the lock and keys, and then say that he changed it himself and charged £60. You can bet that he would get the full amount.

    Would you rather pay and remain in the property, or pay and have to look for somewhere else (with the agency costs that come with it that will be much more than the £60 he is asking for his labour).
  • JohnnyZee
    JohnnyZee Posts: 41 Forumite
    parkrunner wrote: »
    Yes. A couple of hours labour time for arranging and fixing plus the parts (which you have costed) seems perfectly reasonable.
    The £150 is excluding any labour. LL wants to try to change the lock himself. TBH, if you get a like-for-like lock, anyone with simple DIY skills can change that lock. I have seen it and can do it for them.
  • Slithery
    Slithery Posts: 6,046 Forumite
    Eighth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    JohnnyZee wrote: »
    The £150 is excluding any labour. LL wants to try to change the lock himself.

    So are you saying that the landlords labour isn't worth anything?
  • kelpie35
    kelpie35 Posts: 1,789 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    A very expensive mistake the tenant has had to learn.

    Either pay up or shut up.

    I would not wish to have you as a tenant.
  • chucknorris
    chucknorris Posts: 10,793 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    kelpie35 wrote: »
    A very expensive mistake the tenant has had to learn.

    Either pay up or shut up.

    I would not wish to have you as a tenant.

    Seconded, hopefully you spot the idiots (using the OP's description of the landlord, not one that I would normally use over one mishap) when you vet them, but sadly it doesn't always happen. Just goes to reinforce though, be careful who you let into your property.
    Chuck Norris can kill two stones with one birdThe only time Chuck Norris was wrong was when he thought he had made a mistakeChuck Norris puts the "laughter" in "manslaughter".I've started running again, after several injuries had forced me to stop
  • JohnnyZee
    JohnnyZee Posts: 41 Forumite
    Wow! Is this forum full of landlords who have no empathy for tenants? I am not saying the tenants should not pay for their mistake, all I am asking is what is the fair and just amount?
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