Tenant called locksmith on bank holiday

rahrah21

Ok, so our tenant sent a text message at 7pm on Easter Monday saying the front UPVC door would not lock. The house is in a cul-de-sac, with a front garden area, in a nice safe area. Tenant messaged to say there was an issue, and we said that it wasn't an emergency warranting a locksmith on a bank holiday. T went ahead and called a locksmith from out of the area, at a considerable cost and is now witholding rent demanding its our responsibility. I don't think it should be an emergency as there was no risk to anyone, and it could have waited until the next day. Are we now responsible for this call out? T made no attempt to get agreement, didn't try other companies who were local or cheaper and is now being abusive about this. 

comeandgo

Is your tenant male or female?  I’m female and if my door could not lock I would regard it as an emergency.  I think it would also invalidate contents insurance.

Emmia

The front door didn't lock, and you don't think that's concerning - would you have also covered the cost of lost belongings if they'd been stolen as a result of a break in via the unlocked door?

I'm with your tenant on this. Break ins happen in "safe" areas.  I would personally be unhappy about sleeping in a house without a locked front door

rahrah21

I should have clarified that the main UPVC lock didn't work, but there is a slide bolt

Emmia

rahrah21 said:

I should have clarified that the main UPVC lock didn't work, but there is a slide bolt

It's not a lock though.

I've personally experienced someone breaking through a door secured with only one of those when I've been asleep - terrified doesn't cover how I felt.

rahrah21

I just wondered what the actual law is though? I have no way of knowing what caused the lock issue in the first place as T not forthcoming with any information as to the cause

Annisele

I'm not surprised T made no attempt to get agreement - you'd already said you didn't think it was an emergency, so T knew agreement wouldn't be forthcoming.

I think I'm probably with T on this one (regardless of whether T is male or female). But that does depend somewhat on how much the repair cost. If it was £200 I'd think the LL should suck it up; if it was £20,000 I'd think T was in cahoots with a dodgy locksmith.

tooldle

I don't think it is unreasonable to expect to be able to secure the property. I too live in a nice safe area and in a cul de sac. Chancers trying doors do come our way from time to time. We lock our doors as it is the accepted safer position i.e. lower risk to persons and property when housed behind a securely locked door. 
As an owner occupier, i might not call a locksmith in the circumstances you describe, but i would certainly secure the property one way or another, accepting that this may mean some damage that i would later need to rectify.  

theoretica

Was that the main/only entrance? A slide bolt on the inside is not much use if you need to go out. While it is one consideration about security while the tenant was in, it would be a even more of an issue if they needed to leave next morning...

lisyloo

I would not be prepared to sleep in an unlocked house overnight (I'm female FWIW).
I would however negotiate with the landlord and say I wanted a fix or hotel.

Bonniepurple

theoretica said:

Was that the main/only entrance? A slide bolt on the inside is not much use if you need to go out. While it is one consideration about security while the tenant was in, it would be a even more of an issue if they needed to leave next morning...

Or during the day.  And as for the timing, keys and locks break at the oddest times - including once in the early hours of a Christmas Morning when my brother and I were returning from Midnight Mass.  The key broke in the lock.  I then had to use my phone (trying to hold it so there was some form of signal!) to quietly call my parents to ask them to come and open the front door!

In that instance, it was a Yale lock so we just locked it from the inside and used the back door.  If we couldn’t have secured it, or the house was a mid terrace, it would have been a locksmith.