As a rental property owner in Woodstock, you know that your residents often have serious concerns regarding their personal safety. As new residents move into a rental home, they might bring up questions about changing the locks to ensure that former residents or other individuals with keys to the property will no longer be able to enter the residence. Local laws in certain places do not require a landlord to change the locks between residents, and some property owners might think that such a cost is unnecessary.
If the resident asks, do you need to change or re-key the locks?
The simple answer is no, you are most likely not required to change the locks upon request. However, you have to consider the possible consequences of not doing so.
As the property owner, you are to supply your Woodstock residents with the means to secure the home. Once residents sign the lease, you provide them with keys, garage door openers, or passcodes to give them access to the property but to give them the means to secure the property too. Residents habitually create numerous copies of their keys for family members or even neighbors, and they can sometimes forget to collect and properly destroy these copies once they move out of a rental home.
If you don’t change or re-key the locks, and somebody is able to access the residence illicitly, you could get sued and be deemed liable for damages. Especially in situations concerning domestic abuse, divorce, or family problems, or even if a past roommate is an issue, changing the locks between residents is an essential step in protecting yourself from legal liability.
Of course, the locks are only one element of a rental home’s system. Garage door openers, keypads, and other access devices could also be possible risks. Residents might have given entry codes to repairmen, babysitters, or others who require access to the home when they are not there. Meticulous management of passcodes, remote controls, and so on need to be incorporated in your property management strategy, including changing codes or replacing remote controls when necessary so as to ensure your residents’ safety.
At Real Property Management East Cobb, we want to make certain that your residents are the only people who have access to your rental properties. That is why we consider lock changes between residents as a significant component of our property management services. Our approach is designed to protect you and your properties using industry’s best practices. To learn more, contact us online or call us at 770-622-5657 today.
We are pledged to the letter and spirit of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the Nation. See Equal Housing Opportunity Statement for more information.
