What is considered your first function as a landlord? Your resident’s safety. If ever your tenant changes your property’s locks without soliciting your blessing, continually give them the benefit of the doubt. If ever the locks were switched with new ones on account of roommate difficulties, domestic abuse, divorce, etc., you’ll want to do away with any risk of liability. This will not only enable you to avoid lawsuits but also situate you as a dependable landlord who is available for tenants in difficulty.
If you find that your tenant has changed the locks by themselves, speak to each other before making conjectures. It could be that by wasting time waiting for a locksmith, it might make them vulnerable to new occasions of domestic violence. Be sure that your renters would only substitute the property locks so as to secure themselves and their belongings from theft, vandalism, and other dangerous behaviors.
So that you’re on the right side of the law, ensure open communication with your tenants. From the outset, specify in your lease terms whether they are authorized to change the locks and if/when they must provide you with a new set of keys. Your sway in relation to these clauses can be controlled by state law. For example, California and New Jersey permit residents to change locks without providing additional keys unless it’s explicitly stated in the lease that they may not do so.
You’ll want to place emphasis on the significance of your renters supplying you with a current set of keys so that at all times you are able to enter the premises of your property in Bothell. Unfettered access will be needed to perform emergency repairs that could be harmful to the resident, their belongings, and your property.
What’s the significance? Whenever a tenant moves in, your job as the landlord is to supply working locks and keys. Then they take charge. This denotes that they’re in charge when it comes to the replacement costs of keys and locks. You won’t suffer the loss of anything from your tenant’s effort to safeguard themselves and their possessions, so as long as they comply with the procedures outlined in your lease or you follow up to remind them to do so. In the event that you’re unable to perform an emergency repair due to a lock change, negotiate with the tenant as to whether or not you’ll deduct the cost of the repair from their security deposit.
Always document the renter’s request or notification of changing the locks and reply in no time at all. Documented communication must indicate whether the tenant means to issue copies of the new keys or if they opt to restore the locks to their original condition when they vacate your property. If your tenant fails to coordinate with you or to form alternative suggestions after an ample grace period, you are permitted to tell them that you mean to deduct the replacement costs from their security deposit.
One possible way to discourage tenants from changing locks on their own is by changing them between every tenant. Former tenants ought to never have the possibility of re-entry after vacancy even if you find them trustworthy. It is significantly important to be aware of who has access to your property to avert being sued for a future resident’s monetary losses. Yet, when keys are returned, you cannot be certain as to how many copies were made, who they were lent to, or where they currently reside.
You can depend on Real Property Management Eclipse to replace the locks before a new resident moves in. We also attend to all of the tenant communication to verify that your Bothell property is protected from harm. Call 425-209-0252 today to explore all of our property management services and how you can profit.
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