Do I have to tell the LL I changed the lock?

theartfullodger

I had students in a house. I'd fitted thumb-turn lock for safer quicker exit in case of fire. Tenants said they wanted to change for keyed both outside & in. I declined, and would have taken court action had they. I, all other posters, do not know outcome should that have got that far.

Best regards to to all including those who disagree with me.

Ricardo1980

robatwork wrote: »

Just remember who may have the key to your property if you don't change the locks.

Anybody.

That's a good point, specially in my case, because days ago someone sent a Before Action Letter against the former tenant about a debt of several grands.

molerat

The only consequences to changing the locks could be :

1. If the LL needed to enter in an emergency and the locks had been changed so their key would not fit the tenant could be held responsible for the cost of making good after breaking in / locksmith costs.
2. The cost of replacing the locks and keys to a suitable standard if the originals were not refitted at end of tenancy.

Anything else has no cost or negative impact to the landlord and would not stand up in a court.

The only way the LL could find out the locks had been changed, unless an obvious change of external hardware was made, was by trying to effect an illegal entry into the property.

marksoton

theartfullodger wrote: »

I had students in a house. I'd fitted thumb-turn lock for safer quicker exit in case of fire. Tenants said they wanted to change for keyed both outside & in. I declined, and would have taken court action had they. I, all other posters, do not know outcome should that have got that far.

Best regards to to all including those who disagree with me.

I do think there's a distinction to be made between changing a barrel and fundamentally changing the locking mechanism completely.

Especially in your example AL where the change would be signifificant.