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Locking Up - providing locks for your rental units

By
Real Estate Agent with Keller Williams Realty Beverly Hills

In order to provide a rental unit that may be reasonably secured by a tenant, a landlord must provide locks on doors and windows.  Some jurisdictions have specific laws regarding what kind of locks a landlord is to provide.  Below is a list of locks and safety devices a landlord is generally required to provide:

  • a window latch on each exterior window
  • a doorknob lock or keyed deadbolt on each exterior door
  • a sliding pin lock on each exterior sliding glass door
  • a sliding door handle latch, or security bar on each exterior sliding glass door
  • a key-less bolting device (one that can only be locked and unlocked from the inside) and a peephole on each exterior door

If a lock breaks due to normal wear and tear, a landlord may not charge the tenant for replacement or repair of that lock.  If, however, a lock or device is damaged due to misuse by the tenant, tenant's guests or family members, the landlord can require the tenant to pay for it.

Golden Estate Mangement strictly adheres all guidelines and local laws regarding security for the tenants of the buildings we manage.  For more information about all of our services, visit www.GoldenEstateManagement.com.  We serve the Greater Los Angeles, Fort Worth, and Oklahoma City areas.

 

 

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Wallace S. Gibson, CPM
Gibson Management Group, Ltd. - Charlottesville, VA
LandlordWhisperer

Some of your illustrations are regulated by state and local ordinances * I understand Sacramento landlords must change locks between residential tenants * and I change mine when tenants do not return all of the keys or there is an eviction or skip....I have never used a tenant accidental lock-out as a profit center as many multi-unit mgmt policies indicate...I have dial combination key boxes on my properties and if a tenant gets locked out, I can give them the combination so they can get into their home....

Oct 02, 2009 11:22 PM