Should The Council Change The Locks ?

Ms_Chocaholic

My mum recently accepted the tenancy of a sheltered housing flat nearby. There was a quite significant delay between the offer being accepted and the keys being handed over and we have since found out that it was because they had lost them.

The Housing Officer visited my mum and explained they had been lost and my mum was initially happy for new keys to be cut (my mum was given the warden's key for the time being). After speaking to her and explaining that anyone could gain access to her fla (and that the keys probably had a tag on them giving the full address), she changed her mind and we immediately wrote to the Housing Department to request the locks be changed.

Although mum had a letter saying that the locks would be changed, a few days later she got two spare keys dropped off at her flat (same key as the wardens, so the locks had not been changed).

I've rang the Housing Department today (on mum's behalf) to ask when locks will be changed. Housing Officer explained that the keys are not "lost", they are within the Housing Department somewhere, they must be because the warden remembers dropping them off. However my question to her was, if they don't know where they are, how can they be sure that they are there !!!

I said to the Housing Officer that if the locks are not changed and my mum's valuables go missing, then will the responsibility fall on the Housing Department because they have not changed the locks and lost the original keys.

What do you think? Should they change the locks?

Thanks

Ms C X

scope

A new lock barrel is £4 from screwfix.. Go and get one before you waste more time sending letters - then think about trying to get the money back.

pcwilkins

It's quite possible that the council are right and that the keys are within the department somewhere. Your question ("if they don't know where they are, how can they be sure that they are there !!!") is not really valid --- I know that my phone is on my desk somewhere even if I can't see it right now, because I remember putting it there. People often lose their keys at home and they don't immediately go around changing all the locks, because they know they are in the house somewhere and will turn up.

I said to the Housing Officer that if the locks are not changed and my mum's valuables go missing, then will the responsibility fall on the Housing Department because they have not changed the locks and lost the original keys.

Probably not, because you would have no way of proving that the thief gained access with the lost keys. Perhaps the last person who lived there had a copy made and kept it. Perhaps they just picked the lock. There's no way you can just assume it was the lost keys that were used.

So I doubt they will change the locks. If I were you I would either do as scope says and do it yourself or just don't worry about it. If people are determined to break into the flat, the fact that they don't have a key will not stop them.

Peter

vivatifosi

I change all the locks on my home any time I move as you don't know who previously had copies cut (eg members of the previous occupant's family, their cleaners, previous lodgers). Nothing to do with the council who are probably very trustworthy.

For the sake of about £4-12 depending on the lock type, its just not worth the worry you put yourself through otherwise, and Yale and Euro locks are particularly easy to do (though you may need to make sure you get the right size, I know my Euro locks are two different sizes). There's plenty of advice on doing this if you google "how to change a lock". I've done it, so it must be easy!