Landlord charges me to collect spare house key

[Deleted User]

It seems there are two attitudes on here, people who forget their keys and leave at least one copy somewhere else - who accept these things can happen, and the people who never lose keys who seem rather condemning.

I am afraid I did go through a stage in life (stressful) when I forgot my keys a fair bit. I didn't have anyone to leave a spare with, and was scared to leave one somewhere where it could be found. So I did train myself to not forget my keys after some expensive disasters. And my life is a bit more organised now.., in my case the forgetting keys thing seemed to reduce as I got older.

The LL is charging you less than having the locks changed would cost, but I do think its a bit of a cheek to charge £30. But I am afraid the only way you can make this a waste of time for the LL is to do as advised, give someone a key, hide it in a reliable safe lock or train yourself to stop on the inside of the front door and check you have your keys on you before you leave. This includes before you take the rubbish out, and leave the door on the latch (I've known this to fail with me lol).

I hope you manage to sort out something workable. I'd hate paying the LL £30 too.

unforeseen

Maybe the LL is doing it to make them think about putting other plans in place to deal with the situation.

It is an inconvenience to the landlord to have to cater for your negligence so they have decided on a market value for that inconvenience. You either pay it or get a locksmith.

LadyDee

R e s p o n s i b i l t y! How old are you - 10?

If this was Friday, I'd think it was a wind-up thread by a regular in the guise of a Newbie. As it isn't Friday I still think it's a wind-up thread by a regular in the guise of a Newbie, who's bored.

Ridiculous.

lookstraightahead

I remember making my daughter walk two miles to fetch a key I had told her to remember 3 times. She was going to uni the following month and I wouldn't be around to help. She's not forgotten her key since. Good for the landlord. Next time I wouldn't be available and the tenant would need a locksmith.

AnotherJoe

If you don't have any neighbour or any friend you can leave one with, take a spare one, double bag it in plastic locktight bags inside a small plastic sealable container and bury it in the garden a couple of inches under a stone so it's not visible if someone lifts the stone.

saajan_12

Clhoulton wrote: »

My partner and I have a good relationship with our LL, however, if we ever manage to forget our keys (this has happened twice in six months) - that is a lot! what is causing this? Do you stop to check and run through everything before closing the door? Can you get a copy cut and keep it with a friend / neighbour / safe box? the LL charges us £30 to get the spare. She does not deliver the key to us. We have to collect it from her when she's home. - the LL doesn't have to give you a key at all, so if you want it then she can specify the terms ie collect from her house. If she brought the key to us then I would have no issue paying her for the time. - at what rate? you're not employing her, you're negotiating a service. She can charge for the inconvenience of liaising and staying home for you. However, it irks me that we're paying her to go and collect them ourselves for a key she already has cut. - then don't pay.. don't forget / keep your own spare / change the locks if you forget them.. I suspect the £30 is the cheapest or easiest solution for you.
What are my rights? - the rights you have as a tenant anyway.. this is an additional separate service not required of the LL. Is this just unethical - I don't see it as unethical to charge for doing something ie make a key available. or can I decline to pay the fee? - Yes. THe LL can decline to provide the key. Then you're left finding your own way into the property and if you or a locksmith etc you hire causes damage, that woudl be on you to cover the repair costs. Is it even worth it for £30? I am on minimum wage and my partner is a student,so we don't have a whole lot of money but I don't want to ruin my relationship with LL. - then why not make more financially savvy provisions? eg be more careful of not forgetting your key, or get a spare cut and keep it with a neighbour / friend.
Thanks in advance!

walwyn1978 wrote: »

Is this in the contract? If so you signed for that clause with the rest and you have no recourse, ethical it isn’t but you did sign.

If not, then I’d be interested to see what some of the in the know LL regulars on here think...

Do you mean the original tenancy contract? That is irrelevant, as this is a separate service the OP is asking of the LL. Both parties are free to negotiate or decline.

pimento

bobbymotors wrote: »

Next best thing is to get a spare cut yourself and hide it somewhere.

When my husband lived alone (before I caught him), he put a spare key in a padded envelope and asked his newsagent (who saved the paper for him while he was away) to look after it. The newsagent never knew his address. I thought this worked quite well.

AnotherJoe

LadyDee wrote: »

R e s p o n s i b i l t y! How old are you - 10?

If this was Friday, I'd think it was a wind-up thread by a regular in the guise of a Newbie. As it isn't Friday I still think it's a wind-up thread by a regular in the guise of a Newbie, who's bored.

Ridiculous.

Only a matter of time before it becomes an "MSE dilemma"

Clhoulton

Thanks all for the responses! Managed to get LL to give us keys for the dead bolt rather than the yale lock, the former of which is kept locked at all times now so we have to unlock it to get out.

G_M

Clhoulton wrote: »

Thanks all for the responses! Managed to get LL to give us keys for the dead bolt rather than the yale lock, the former of which is kept locked at all times now so we have to unlock it to get out.

Just to throw a spanner in the works and open out the "MSE dilemma", is this not a fire risk? Slows down your exit considerably.


(sits back and waits for competing views.....!)