As a landlord, your rental property is likely one of the biggest investments of your life. So, it’s natural to want to protect your financial interests throughout each tenancy. One of the rare issues that many landlords experience is when a tenant changes the locks or Lock Changing Guide to their property without permission, which can be an understandably stressful situation to deal with.
There are various reasons why a tenant might change the locks, such as feeling that their privacy has been breached, the existing locks aren’t secure, or due to a fall out with their landlord. Regardless, it’s an incredibly taxing situation for a landlord to deal with, especially if you’re unsure where you stand legally.
If you’re a landlord dealing with tenants who have changed your locks or Lock Changing Guide, be sure to check out what emergency locksmith Leeds experts have outlined here on where you stand in these situations.
Can Tenants Change the Locks to My Rental Property?
In most instances, tenants cannot change the locks to a rental property. The reason for this is that landlords are legally obligated to provide a safe property for renters, meaning they require around-the-clock access so they can complete necessary health and safety inspections.
For example, if there are issues with electrical or gas appliances, a landlord needs access to the property to allow tradespeople to complete inspections and repairs, even if the tenant isn’t home. If a tenant changes the locks without permission, then a landlord cannot perform their legal duty to provide a safe property.
As a result, most tenancy agreements state when a landlord is legally allowed to use their key, usually for emergencies, repairs, maintenance, welfare checks, etc.
So, it’s a good idea for landlords to ensure that tenants are fully aware of these rules before signing the agreement to ensure they know exactly what is and isn’t allowed during their stay. Doing so will reduce the chances of misunderstandings and tenants changing locks or Lock Changing Guide without your permission!
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Are There Circumstances When a Tenant Can Change Locks to a Property?
There are a few very rare instances where a tenant might have a case that they were within their rights to change the locks to your property. All UK tenants have the right to quiet enjoyment, which basically means that once they’re living in the property, they have the right to do so without interference from anyone, including the landlord.
A tenant can therefore argue that they were justified in changing the locks or Lock Changing Guide, although it does require specific circumstances.
The Landlord is Regularly Accessing the Property Without Notice
Landlords have the right to access their property for inspections, emergencies, and important maintenance tasks, but cannot enter the property whenever they want. Doing so means they’ll be interfering with the tenant’s right to quiet enjoyment.
If you need to access the property for inspections, repairs, or maintenance, you must provide written notice to the tenant before entering, unless it’s an obvious emergency and they’re not home or answering the door.
All UK landlords must provide suitable written notice before entering their rental property, unless it’s an emergency, and those who fail to comply with this rule could find that their tenants are 100% legally justified in changing their locks.
Tenants are Facing Security Threats
Tenants are also justified in changing the locks without the landlord’s permission when there are obvious security risks. If there has been a break-in or burglary that compromises the property’s safety, then a tenant is within their rights to change the locks or Lock Changing Guide.
Similarly, if keys are lost or stolen, then there is an obvious safety risk that someone can gain access to the property, so tenants are allowed to change the locks to increase security.
While tenants should still check with the landlord before changing locks in these situations, there’s a chance the landlord takes some time to respond. For example, they might call a 24/7 locksmith for an emergency lock change because the burglary happened late at night.
So, if the landlord takes too long to get back to them during an emergency, a tenant is well within their rights to change the locks without permission to ensure the safety of the property.
What to Do if a Tenant Changes the Locks
Finding out that your tenants have changed the locks without your permission can be frustrating, but it helps to find an amicable solution to save the cost and hassles of evicting them and finding new tenants.
If tenants changed the locks due to an emergency and couldn’t get in touch with you, then it might be worth simply asking why a lock change or Lock Changing Guide was needed and requesting a copy of the keys, especially if you share a good relationship and it was a justifiable situation.
Should the lock-changing process result in damage to the property, then it’s worth requesting reimbursement to cover repair costs. If there are problems with a tenant, it’s worth checking your tenancy agreement and making a log of all correspondence regarding the situation, as this could help with any legal matters.
Understandably, you might want to change the locks again to ensure the job is done correctly and that there’s no risk of duplicate keys being used without your knowledge, in which case it’s a good idea to call a reputable locksmith agency to replace the locks.
Changing the locks isn’t too expensive, with most quality locksmiths completing the work for around £100. As a landlord, it never hurts to have a long-term relationship with a reliable locksmithing agency, such as Lock & Key, who help with future lock repairs, installations, and replacements.
Conclusion
Tenants typically aren’t allowed to change locks on a rental property without explicit permission from the landlord because they require around-the-clock access to the property for inspections, repairs, maintenance, and emergencies.
Tenants can be justified in changing locks in certain circumstances, such as the landlord regularly accessing the property without notice. They can also change locks if there are obvious safety risks, like the aftermath of a burglary.
If your tenant changes the locks or Lock Changing Guide without permission and isn’t justified, then be sure to call a local locksmith, such as Lock & Key, to inspect the work and make necessary replacements and repairs. Consider requesting reimbursement for these costs and contact a solicitor should there be issues resolving the situation!
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