Submitted by [deleted] t3_z8tsu5 in LifeProTips
[deleted]
Comments
DJKGinHD t1_iyd8c74 wrote
And not hand out keys to 3rd parties...
greentiger1326 t1_iydaa83 wrote
As a maintenance supervisor with almost 200 apartments. I must speak on this. Key control is one of my pet peeves. While we do hand out copies of one certain key to our vendors (contractors), that key only opens certain doors. The key to your apartment I literally create the day before you move in. The locks on your apartment are changed when you leave. Anytime the key copy that I keep in my office leaves that office, The individual who took it has to give us their ID, and depending upon the work being done I have to accompany them. I do an inventory of every key in that box once a month. If someone breaks into your apartment, the first thing I do is change your lock and throw out every copy of the old key that I had. We keep copies of your keys in case of emergencies. We need access to every apartment in the building in case of flood fire or injury. If you change your locks, and I don't have copy of your key, and your pipes burst, either I or the fire department is going to have to break open your door. Also, it's probably in your lease that you can't change your keys. This is not a great LPT.
RallyX26 t1_iydc1up wrote
You are better than 99% of the maintenance managers I've encountered. I always made sure that I abided by the contract I signed, which (in my case) always stipulated that you may change the locks but you must give notice and provide (usually two) keys to the management.
In my state, by law a landlord must give at least 12 hours notice to tenants before making a non-emergency entry, but multiple times I came home to muddy boot prints on my floor (one time it was paint, which was fun). No notice was given, and no note was left explaining the reason for entry.
It's good that you have high standards and trust yourself to stick to them, but even if I'm your tenant, I don't know you from Adam and I would rather trust myself to give you a key that is impossible for you to copy. No offense, but you're not looking at this from the perspective of a tenant.
MyNameIsSkittles t1_iydkuqb wrote
Why aren't you reporting your landlord to your tenancy authority?
This is why slumlords do what they do. No one reports their ass
RallyX26 t1_iydzc6n wrote
Because this was 8 years ago and I didn't know about tenancy authorities
MyNameIsSkittles t1_iydznk8 wrote
Right so the LPT would be: learn who your tenancy authority is and learn the tenancy laws. Report landlords for not following them
You don't just go change the locks. For most people that would result in eviction
IrishJesusDude t1_iyd8k3m wrote
If you live in the kind of building that cuts keys for contractors and just lets them walk away to use them, then the building management is the problem, not the keys.
RallyX26 t1_iyd97la wrote
Some people don't have a choice of where they can live, and sometimes management changes during your contract period. Control what you can.
Prometheus188 t1_iyda17w wrote
What makes you think you’re allowed to change these locks?
RallyX26 t1_iydcdm3 wrote
What makes you think that you shouldn't read and abide by your lease. Obviously this is dependent on being able to do so.
Illustrious-Quiet442 t1_iyda4jk wrote
I'd suggest that you check your lease- in many cases it is a violation to change the locks without consent from the landlord (and providing them a key). The main reason that landlords/property management companies require access is in case of a physical emergency- say a fire or flood, and if they cannot access the apartment it is very likely that YOU would be responsible for the damages to the apartment and building.
I'd also like to add....most property management companies have their own key-cutting machines, so realistically the "Do Not Duplicate" mark would not make one bit of difference.
keepthetips t1_iyd6h9a wrote
Hello and welcome to r/LifeProTips!
Please help us decide if this post is a good fit for the subreddit by up or downvoting this comment.
If you think that this is great advice to improve your life, please upvote. If you think this doesn't help you in any way, please downvote. If you don't care, leave it for the others to decide.
MyNameIsSkittles t1_iydkxs3 wrote
99% of apartment dwellers won't be able to do this
NoSoulsINC t1_iyd7qll wrote
If you live in an apartment you may not be allowed to change the locks yourself. A reputable management company will change the locks between tenants.