Changing locks on a rented house

Werdnal

BonitaG wrote: »

Anyway, s21 for asking for permission to install a lock complying to minimum safety standards will never stand up in court.

Section 21 does not need to stand up in court. LL need not give a reason, as S21 is a no fault notice.

Not saying I agree that an S21 should be issued in this case, but some LLs would!

As for not changing locks as it prohibits in the contract, this is also wrong.

Werdnal

BonitaG wrote: »

No need to be offensive or talk down on me! You could just point out my mistake in a factual manner instead of calling me an idiot. I'm trying to help to the best of my knowledge and according to my experience. And I try help people prevent making mistakes I or people I know made.
Neither mine nor your experiences are universally applicable, even if you seem to think you are the only one who knows anything.

No-one being offensive, just correcting your mistake and lack of knowledge on the subject. In this case, your "experience" is not applicable as you do not seem to understand what the S21 is or how it works and therefore your advice to OP is incorrect. If you are going to give advice, please take the corrections to that advice in the way it is meant and learn from it. You are not "helping people" if you given them the wrong information!

theartfullodger

Werdnal wrote: »

Section 21 does not need to stand up in court. LL need not give a reason, as S21 is a no fault notice.

Slight wrinkle: The tenant can challenge the S21 through the court regarding it being invalid due to either wording, dates or deposit not protected..

A surprising number of landlords, agents & solicitors get S21 & other paperwork wrong: I have known of a solicitor getting it wrong 4 times.... charging his delighted landlord client each time....

Werdnal

theartfullodger wrote: »

Slight wrinkle: The tenant can challenge the S21 through the court regarding it being invalid due to either wording, dates or deposit not protected..

Thanks artful, but in the context of this post the statement was that the S21 would not stand up in court if it was issued as a result of Tenant changing locks without LL's consent. Therefore, the fact that the S21 does not need a reason still applies and LL would not need to justify in court why it was issued.

Obviously, your other points would apply in rendering the S21 invalid.

theartfullodger

And tenant can also of course challenge on the basis that the service of the S21 was wrong...( didn't happen at all {if LL has no evidence..}, didn't happen as per. tenancy agreement, didn't happen before the required date.. etc etc etc...).

Loads of opportunity for delay & fees for 'm learned friend...

cwcw

Geenie wrote: »

Read the rental agreement. It will state if you can change locks without permission from the LL and if you need to give them copies. The AST's I use state that this is so. It is not a question of snooping round, but being able to enter the property in an emergency, when tenants are away, and the property may be in danger from fire or flood. I have had occasions to do this.

The advice above saying to do it without permission is not at all helpful, despite the LL not responding.

:rotfl:

Ah yes, the good old "patient emergency services" scenario. Picture the scene and assess the likelihood.... house sets on fire while tenants happen to be away, neighbours call 999 and the fire crew turn up. "Is anyone in?" they wonder. "No, we must break the door down", they decide. "But wait", they say, "this is a rented house, we must check if the landlord has a key". So the fire crew do their best to dig out a contact number for the landlord, ring him or her up, and sit outside waiting for him to turn up with the key.

Biggles

Looks as though the OP has lost interest....

sham63

Biggles wrote: »

Looks as though the OP has lost interest....

Another 'drive-by newbie' ?

:wave:

martyn05

Send a letter to the LA saying that you are going to change the lock on the front door to comply with your insurance company's requirements and you will arrange for a spare key to be sent to them. At the end of your tenancy you will re-fit the original lock unless your landlord wishes for it to remain in which case you will come to some sort of mutual agreement with him.

cwcw

martyn05 wrote: »

Send a letter to the LA saying that you are going to change the lock on the front door to comply with your insurance company's requirements and you will arrange for a spare key to be sent to them. At the end of your tenancy you will re-fit the original lock unless your landlord wishes for it to remain in which case you will come to some sort of mutual agreement with him.

Why send a spare key to the agent? I'm not sure many insurance companies are too keen on unregulated, unqualified and random members of the public having keys to a house they're insuring.