NO LOCKS fitted in our student house toilets / bedrooms; is this allowed?

A_Phoenix_of_Tangerine

Currently moving my stuff into a private sector student house for this academic year. It's a 5 bed house, 2 other tenants so far apart from me (but haven't seen them yet), no-one has moved in yet but contracts began on the 1st of September. We all have individual contracts.

When I collected my keys and had a proper look around the property I noticed something that I hadn't before; the fact that none of the bedrooms, or the bathroom and toilet have locks! I've never experienced this before in a shared student property, and was wondering whether this is even legal in a registered student house, especially when the tenants are strangers and on their own separate contracts? I'm pretty sure that the lack of locks on bedrooms can void insurance; when I asked the landlord about this (at that point I hadn't noticed the lack of bathroom locks!), he said that that might be the case with some insurence companies but probably not all if I were to shop around. He said that the (council? can't remember, someone with the role of surveying the property, anyway) had challenged him about the locks, but his response was that we'd be on a joint contract (which we're not) and that since we're all living with each other in the same house we'd know each other and that we therefore wouldn't be stealing each others stuff. Hmmm...

But obviously intruders can break through the front door / ground floor windows (no window locks either, plus only one normal key lock on door since the back-up yale lock is broken), and if you don't have extra locks on your own door then surely you're completely at risk? So is this a legitimate way for the landlord to be acting? He said that he can't stop me from fitting my own lock, but it'd have to be one that could be opened from both within and outside my room, because of fire risk apparently; no deadlocks, outer padlocks etc, or he said he'd remove them. But surely the locks that can be used from both sides would need a locksmith to fit it, for the door to be hollowed out for the lock to fit in, and for the door frame etc also to be modified to receive the catch?! That's gonna be a crazy amount of money for one individual student who not unreasonably wants their stuff to be secure!

Would the landlord not be responsible for footing up the bill for installing locks that should (i'd imagine) already be there?

I haven't really a clue, so any constructive feedback that you can offer would be so much appreciated

whitfreak

Things have changed since I was a student, but if you are all on individual contracts then I'd imagine the property is now classed as multiple occupancy. As such they now have to be licenced, and therefore meet minimum standards. Not sure what these standards are but I believe it revolves around H&S so locks might not come into it. The fact that he told the council that it would be a joint lease makes me think you're house isnt registered, (joint leases arent multiple occupancy as you are all liable for each others bills/rent, etc etc).

Right, before you right up the council you need to check a couple of things. Firstly, check your contract, to check that it is individual. Check how your deposit will be held, as just cus its a student let doesn't mean its exempt from the deposit schemes. Check your inventry, as you should do this to see whether you agree that, a) everything listed is there, b)its in the contidtion listed. With luck things like locks will be listed as there and working, if so he's got to sort that out.

Presuming it is an individual contract, then give the council a call and see if the property is registered, and what standard it needs to be to be registered.

Your student union probably has an accomidation office, get down there asap as they should be able to give you more accurate advice. If he advertised through them then he might have signed up to an additional code of conduct, giving you extra leverage.

Lokolo

Locks are needed if you have insurance.

But if you want locks why not fit them yourself? Thats what my housemate did, he wanted room insurance so put his own lock on the door.

StudentSlob

I've recentley had this issue aswell, the difference being that I know all my flatmates and that we are in a join lease. We're effectively a family in the eyes of contract law.

We are not able to lock bedrooms from outside, but we can from inside for privacy.

Have you considered getting contents insurance for the whole house with your flatmates?

lokolo wrote:

Locks are needed if you have insurance.

But if you want locks why not fit them yourself? Thats what my housemate did, he wanted room insurance so put his own lock on the door.

Do not do this without prior consent from the landlord. The contract will probably state that you will require permission to perform any alterations to the property and he'll be within his rights to bill you to restore the door to previous condition.

bestpud

I don't know if you have to have a lock on your bedroom door, but I find it shocking there is no lock on the bathroom or toilet door of a shared house! :eek:

I'd want one on my bedroom too, personally, if only while in there. Really though, don't people normally want to lock their room while out too?

I second calling the council to double check the LL can do this, and perhaps you can get general advice from the uni too.

mellymeep

I had this same problem in my last house, but there isn't actually any legal obligation for the landlord to supply locks on your bedroom doors. you're right in that it invalidates you're insurance, try and get written permission from the landlord to fit your own (and keep a copys of the letters just in case) you'll probably have to remove them when you move out and make right any damage to the door frame.

we didn't have a lock on our bathroom door either, reported it to the landlord and just bought one of those little latch ones from Wilkinsons and screwed it in ourselves.

glider3560

At my last place (private rented, but not aimed at students) the landlord was more than happy for me to fit any additional locks provided I left them when I moved out. I didn't think the security was particularly good so I fitted my own front door bolts and window locks.

ThinkingOfLinking

I think you should check with the council and/or CAB; I'm sure the LL should at least pay for the locks on the bathroom and toilet doors.

My ex LL refused to let me put a lock on my door and threatened to sue me for criminal damage if I fitted one; £4000 of stuff got stolen/damaged my housemates and their psycho friends.