Should a landlord pay for a locksmith?

Reply to the comment left by Aastha gautam at 04/10/2022 - 10:34Fair enough, just tell your tenants to pay the locksmith’s bill then.

Reply to the comment left by Dylan Morris at 04/10/2022 - 10:38
Thats the thing tenant is not admitting.
Not only they fail to secure the property which has all the furniture of mine in it.
They also choose not to carry all the keys as well.

Tenant argument - they will decide how they want to lock the property.
They left one lock open so landlord should do a same mistake and put the insurance at risk as well.

From the mixed responses here, it would suggest both you and your tenants are partly to blame and therefore you should both share the cost.

I suggest you ask for a suitable contribution and split the cost, say them £100, you £150. That should keep the peace.

Going forward, I would suggest keeping a full set of keys locally, either by installing a key safe outside the property or with a third party key holder such as KeyNest (Google it).

Reply to the comment left by Aastha gautam at 04/10/2022 - 10:46Stop worrying about what the tenants think it’s immaterial. You clearly think they’re in the wrong so just tell them to pay the bill. End of.

I can understand why you're hacked off, however, I can also understand why the tenant feels you should pay.

1) You refer to a Yale lock and a "main" lock. I would ask the tenant why they did not use both locks. Maybe they feel that the Yale lock is secure enough? Did they "double-throw" it? Did they not use the main lock as they knew you were calling by?

2) I would want to know how the locksmith gained entry. If the Yale lock was not "double-thrown" and it was a simple matter of sliding something between door and frame, that would support your arguement that the door had not been secured properly.

3) Was the locksmith called out-of-hours? Was it a simple/quick job (as in 2. above)? Was £250 reasonable?

4) Did you attempt to phone the tenant before leaving to query the single locking (or did you not notice)?

Depending on the facts, you could suggest to the tenant that the cost is shared. However, on the basis of what you have posted, I would not push too hard. If the door was locked and required a key for entry, you should probably have left it the same way.

I have changed the locks on all my properties so that every external door has two locks that share the same key.
My HMO bedsit rooms don't have self locking latches they all have mortice locks that requires a key to lock so no accidentally lockouts if the wind slams the door shut. All the bedsit room locks are unique but all keys are operate the main communal doors. I give all tenants a spare key that I encourage them to lodge securely outside there room, eg in their car or office desk, with nearby friend or relative, hidden in thier cupboard in the communal kitchen or bathroom.

All my HMO houses have a key safe hidden outside.

Local agent has a full set of keys to all my flats.

I get very few lockouts now and when I do it's never my fault and I never have to pay.

Well Aastha, no way would I be paying for an issue caused by the irresponsible actions of your tenant.

I would write to them telling them that their actions-
Are in breach of the tenancy agreement
Have breached the terms of your insurance
That both locks need to be securely logged in the future.
If you do not do this you can't expect your insurance to cover any claims which may arise. Which would be my main issue here.

If your tenant doesn't pay the £250 I would deduct it from the deposit when she leaves. Incidentally , has she let you have sight of the receipt for payment?

Reply to the comment left by Lyn at 04/10/2022 - 13:08
Hi lynn, yes they have provided the proof of receipt.
They have already deducted the charges and paid less rent.
Tenant argument - they will decide how they want to lock the property.
So i dont have energy to argue with someone who doesn't want to understand and will cut the charges from security deposit.

Reply to the comment left by Graham Bowcock at 03/10/2022 - 17:39Yes. And that will be the crux of it all. The door was deemed to be safe & secure when you arrived otherwise you would have raised it with them initially rather than wait for the locksmith. That will be their argument. Suck it up in my opinion.

Reply to the comment left by Lyn at 04/10/2022 - 13:08
In breach of their tenancy agreement? That's not gonna wash.