No key for rental house front door!

ThatElliottGirl

Hi,

We received the keys for our new rental property this Monday, and when we went to the house, found that we did not have a key for the front door. It's got two locks; a yale lock (which we do have the key for) and a standard handle with a lock (which we don't have the key for, but wasn't locked).

The letting agent has just come back to us saying that the landlord has a key that works, but is on holiday until Monday. Obviously, we're not keen on moving all our stuff in before we have a properly locking front door, but we need to move in this weekend as our lease on our current house ends on the 31st, and we won't have time during next week to move.

What would you do? The situation doesn't really seem fair, but I appreciate that the letting agent seems to have done all they can.

Thanks for any help!

kibs88

I suppose as long as you have 1 key it should be okay.

If you are really worried you could go to your local DIY shop and just buy a barrel lock, usually £3 and then when the LL comes back it will only take 5mins to change it back, its really simple just 3 pins to hold it in, at least then you will feel a bit safer.

Out,_Vile_Jelly

Are you and your belongings really desperately unsafe behind a door which only has one lock?

princeofpounds

I don't understand... it does lock with the yale right? Many doors only have a yale. As long as you haven't lied with your contents insurance the risk is pretty minimal I'd have thought.

ThatElliottGirl

I suppose it's not desperately unsafe; the reason I'm worried it's just a yale is because the front door has a big glass pane in the middle; someone could easily smash the glass and just unlock the door. I suppose they could just smash the glass and climb in anyway, but it just feels so stupid to have all my things in a house with no proper locking door.

I tried to explain the situation to the insurance company, and I think they understood, but it says in the papers we have that we're not insured if the door is not locked; surely if we're not using a lock we have, then it's not locked? I suppose maybe I'm over-reacting, but I just wanted to check at least I've done everything possible to get it sorted out.

Edited to add: thank you for the barrel lock suggestion; I googled it and they looked so complicated! I'm not really a DIY person, but thank you anyway.

princeofpounds

If it's locked, it's locked. Smashing glass is breaking and entering, not leaving anything unlocked. The problem would arise if your insurance said you had one type of lock and you actually had another.

Think about it - if I was prepared to smash glass I could climb into 99% of houses round my area without bothering with the lock. Except 1st floor + flats maybe

ThatElliottGirl

Oh, now you put it like that...I'm clearly just being ridiculous!

Thanks for all the help everyone, I will double check on the insurance documents when they come through that it's all okay, and then I will STOP WORRYING!

franklee

Is the Yale just a night latch?

I wouldn't be happy with just a night latch (A lock which is mounted onto the surface of the door as opposed to being morticed into the edge of the door.) I'd be wanting a mortice deadlock too (The lock fits into a mortice that has been ‘cut out’ of a timber door edge. The locking action is achieved by a bolt that shoots out of the lock into the striker plate when the key is turned).

Often doors have both which may be what you have.

Scribble

If it's a wooden door, I wouldn't change the barrel lock - last time I was in a similar situation I put a big bolt on the top and bottom of the door, like these http://www.homesecurityinformation.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/self-locking-door-bolt.jpg - you can use the back door then and keep the front door bolted, which means no-one could get in by forcing the yale.

The door was flush to the surround in my case so that was very straight forward... just piloted the holes and screwed them on. It would require some chiselling if not.

theartfullodger

Scribble's suggestion if helpful BUT the Landlord may decide you damaged his property (the door) if you do it without his permission.

Also you are living somewhere where the Landlord can lock you in/out of the house with his key, not nice.

In your shoes I'd write (write not 'phone, keep a copy) to the LL, copy the letting agent saying you will be adding a bolt & having a locksmith change the lock-you-don't-have-a-key-for so that Landlord's property can be effectively protected. You will of course let the LL have a key. And the LL will pay.

Your (tenancy) contract is with the Landlord, not the agent, so it is the Landlord you need to communicate with, ultimately.

Cheers!

Lodger (A Landlord)

barnaby-bear

ThatElliottGirl wrote: »

Hi,

We received the keys for our new rental property this Monday, and when we went to the house, found that we did not have a key for the front door. It's got two locks; a yale lock (which we do have the key for) and a standard handle with a lock (which we don't have the key for, but wasn't locked).

The letting agent has just come back to us saying that the landlord has a key that works, but is on holiday until Monday. Obviously, we're not keen on moving all our stuff in before we have a properly locking front door, but we need to move in this weekend as our lease on our current house ends on the 31st, and we won't have time during next week to move.

What would you do? The situation doesn't really seem fair, but I appreciate that the letting agent seems to have done all they can.

Thanks for any help!

I wouldn't worry too much about some random burglar guessing there's only a weak yale lock. In rental it's not the randoms it's the string of previous tenants, their dodgy mates, person they let stay a few days etc who usually do the mysterious break in with no forced entry, most tenants copy keys (so don't pay if lose them and can give them to mates etc)... in your case the keys already gone walkies so we know the keys in possession of persons unknown - change the barrel or make sure you have walk-in insurance that covers no forced entry....