Landlord responsibility for door security

KILL_BILL

Does the landlord have a onus of care to ensure that any property he rents meets some minimal insurance requirements.

for example the communal door to the building which leads to the front door to my flat only has a yale lock and since i moved in i commented to the letting agents that when people go out they dont check that the letch is closed properly.

also the door to my flat only was fitted with a yale lock and 2 lever mortice lock.

i have had a break in and even though i declared on the policy that the doors dont have a 5 lever mortice lock the insurance company are saying that they will elect to deduct a £250.00 excess under the endoresement policy unless a 5 lever mortice lock is fitted on all doors or a upvc multipoint lock

G_M

There is no law requiring a landlord to have a certain level of security.
IF the landlord has insurance (and there is no requirement for him to do this, except as a condition of his mortgage assuming he has a mortgage) the policy PROBOBLY specifies a minimum security level. However, that is a matter between the LL and his insurer. If he fails to comply with the insurance terms, his insurance is invalid. Again, that is HIS problem, not the tenant's.

However, a responsible LL should take this seriously. WRITE to the LL, at the address on the tenancy (and copy the agent if he uses one) asking if he'd agree to fit a 5 lever lock to your door.

If he refuses, buy yourself a replacement (5 lever) lock barrel and fit it yourself. Very easy with a screwdriver and costs £10? Keep the old one a replace it when you leave.

The main building entrance is probobly the responsibility of a managing company or freeholder, so harder to address. In your letter to the LL ask him to write to the Mgmt Co/freeholder to improve the building security with a 5 lever lock. Or Put up a sign asking residents to remember to lock it behind them?

abankerbutnotafatcat

I don't think OP should really fit the lock him/herself without LL permission as you'll need a drill and chisel (and maybe other tools, I watched my bf do ours the other day) to put a hole in the side of the door and if it goes wrong the door could be compromised -and, as we all know, front doors are expensive.

We got a 5 lever mortice lock for £15 from Wilkinsons and its seems solid enough but we were't too concerned as ours is for an semi-internal door not an external door.

This has all made me think of a situation I have as a LL - i'll start a new thread rather than sabotage this one!!

G_M

abankerbutnotafatcat wrote: »

I don't think OP should really fit the lock him/herself without LL permission as you'll need a drill and chisel (and maybe other tools, I watched my bf do ours the other day) to put a hole in the side of the door and if it goes wrong the door could be compromised -and, as we all know, front doors are expensive.

!!

What I suggested was

buy yourself a replacement (5 lever) lock barrel

This does of course assume the barrel you buy fits into the existing lock, but by taking the old barrel to B&Q or a locksmith you can get a similar sized replacement barrel.

Only tool needed is a screwdriver, and no drilling, cutting etc required.

See here.

Or here for how.

abankerbutnotafatcat

G_M wrote: »

What I suggested wasThis does of course assume the barrel you buy fits into the existing lock, but by taking the old barrel to B&Q or a locksmith you can get a similar sized replacement barrel.

Only tool needed is a screwdriver, and no drilling, cutting etc required.

See here.

Or here for how.

Yes, I was thinking that there was just the yale and that the whole mortice was new. Not sure how the replacement barrel thing works but as entire 5 lever locks can be bought for £15 it makes me wonder which is easier but from the point of view of an easy DIY job for the tenant I can see why the barrel option makes sense.

Werdnal

Just to complicate matters here, about 18 months ago we had a fire survey done through the freeholder of the block where our flat is located. Advice was that all locks on flat entrance doors should have thumb turn locks fitted, to ease exit in case of a fire. Tenants do not want to be fumbling in that dark to find keys at 2.00am with a fire raging in the flat next door and no power in the building!

OP, does your flat lock open from inside without a key? If not, your LL may be in breach of fire regs.

Ultrasonic

Isn't changing the lock without the landlord's permission likely to breach the tenancy agreement? I'm pretty sure all of the tenancy agreements I've signed have had a clause to that effect.

G_M

Ultrasonic wrote: »

Isn't changing the lock without the landlord's permission likely to breach the tenancy agreement? I'm pretty sure all of the tenancy agreements I've signed have had a clause to that effect.

Oh dear! This comes up so regularly!

Yes, many tenancy agreements have a 'don't change the lock' clause. And in normal circumstances I would not recommend it.

However, if the landlord is making unauthorised access to the property against the tenant's wishes (breach of 'quiet enjoyment') or the tenant believes others (previous tenant? contractors?) have copies of keys, or there is a security risk (as here) AND the LL is unwilling to do anything about it, then I would recommend a lock-change.

So, what could the LL do?

First - how will he know? Only by trying to come in using his key. If done without the tenant's permission this would be a breach of the tenant's right to 'quiet enjoyment' (except in an emergency - which is never fully legally defined and a VERY rare ocurrance * ).

Second - he could go to court to seek damages. What damages? Provided the tenant has kept the original lock barrel (so there is no need for the LL to repalce the lock later or get keys cut) the LL has incurred no costs (damages) so can claim noting.

Third - he could go to court to seek an injunction. A court instruction to the tenant to replace the lock. The tenant either agrees, or more likely explains to the court his reason for changing the lock (see above!) and the court most likely agrees the tenant has acted resonably.

Fourth - LL could get really annoyed and give the tenant Notice (S21). This could only happen when the Fixed Term of the tenancy has expired. And means the LL has a gap between tenants with no rent. Plus costs of finding a new tenant. So an expensive process for the LL. He'd have to be pretty stupid.....

Fifth - err, can't think of a 5th - but do you need one?

* emergency:
A fire? Fire brigade won't wait for keys!
Leaking pipe causing water damage? How on earth would the landlord know unless told by the tenant who would then grant access!
Annual boiler service? Definately NOT an 'emergency'!

Ultrasonic

G_M wrote: »

Oh dear! This comes up so regularly!...

I mostly posted what I did in case the OP didn't realise that this might be in breach of their tenancy agreement. Personally I would add to your list of downsides the risk of annoying the landlord if they do find out, which would likely make them less forthcoming if there were any other issues that needed addressing, and could easily cause deposit hassles upon moving out.

Although I do take your point that it should be unlikely that the landlord would find out it is not a risk that I'd choose to take myself.