Landlord issue. (lost keys)

Pate · 22 Jul 2011 at 14:31

Okay, I've sought help from my student housing advice centre, but they didn't have a clue so I thought I'd ask here in the vain hope someone would know.

Anyway, 9 of us lived together in a rather large house and we have come to the end of our tenancy.

8 of us have returned our keys, but the last person lost their keys on the last day. The landlord has now said that he will have to change the locks on the persons door, fair enough, but will also have to change both locks on the front door (yale and chubb) and charge us for both the locks and 12 new keys for each. Something he has said is going to cost us many many hundreds of pounds.....

Seems a bit harsh for losing one key. Is he well within his remit to charge us this?

Greebo · 22 Jul 2011 at 14:37

Yes. Of course he needs to change the main door locks as the new tenants would be insecure if somebody could gain access to the house.

Check your contract though.

Of course, you are all jointly responsible but really the person who lost their keys should pay.

Jono · 22 Jul 2011 at 14:42

What Greebo said, basically. You'll probably all be jointly responsible under the terms of your tenancy agreement, but it's unfair that you should all have to pay.

Andy90 · 22 Jul 2011 at 14:44

The locks themselves are the easy part - they're not too expensive.

The main cost is going to be getting the 24 keys cut.

Teknobry · 22 Jul 2011 at 14:45

You should have just got another set of keys made from one of the others.
I bet that's all the landlord will do, yet will charge you for lock changing.

Pate · 22 Jul 2011 at 14:46

How much would you reckon it would cost to get replaced? The landlord is talking way over £300. Does that sounds about right?

Killerkebab · 22 Jul 2011 at 14:47

I spent three years in student housing, 10, 10, and then 4 bedroom house. Every time at least one person didn't have keys.

The worst landlord charged us £25 for a single new key, the nicest one £10 each key. Certainly never heard of charging that much or going through that much hassle :/ Even if the landlord thought you were the worst tenants in the world and decided to get a bit of 'revenge' as it were, I still don't see that happening. Weird.

EDIT: Thinking about it, I'm assuming your deposits were similar to ours (i.e: ~£3k total?). What else is he taking money out for? If the poster above is right that he'll probably only get a single key cut and pocket the rest, he might be trying to get you to pay for something else.

Glaucus · 22 Jul 2011 at 14:48

Ether do it your self, locks are easy to change and it'll probably be like £150 for locks and keys.
Or just get a set of keys cut and say you found them.

Probably get it for a lot less if you shop around Nd ask key cutter for. Significant discount for cutting so many keys.

Killerkebab · 22 Jul 2011 at 14:50

AcidHell2 said:
Ether do it your self, locks are easy to change and it'll probably be like £150 for locks and keys.
Or just get a set of keys cut and say you found them.

This. The hardest bit is if he's also lost his room key though. They're not so trivially replaced, as in you can't ask your housemate for his key to cut a copy of

"andy" · 22 Jul 2011 at 14:50

check your contract but it sounds about right

youd expect him to have insurance for this sort of thing though , im sure in my contract we just had to pay the premium of £100 or so if we did this

after all with 9 students in a house its likely a key will go missing !

Greebo · 22 Jul 2011 at 14:50

AcidHell2 said:
Ether do it your self, locks are easy to change and it'll probably be like £150 for locks and keys.
Or just get a set of keys cut and say you found them.

Probably get it for a lot less if you shop around Nd ask key cutter for. Significant discount for cutting so many keys.

Hard to do if you've handed the other 8 sets in now..............

Glaucus · 22 Jul 2011 at 14:51

Killerkebab said:
This. The hardest bit is if he's also lost his room key though. They're not so trivially replaced, as in you can't ask your housemate for his key to cut a copy of

You change that one. A few pounds for a door lock and unless he has a spare key, he's not going to remember notches.

Glaucus · 22 Jul 2011 at 14:51

Greebo said:
Hard to do if you've handed the other 8 sets in now..............

Missed that, do it yourself then.

Of if You let him do it. Demand a quotes and get receipts. To make sure he does it.

"andy" · 22 Jul 2011 at 14:52

snap a similar looking key and say ''whoooooops i need a new key''

probably too late now

PhillyDee · 22 Jul 2011 at 14:57

If the landlord is claiming it is that much, offer £50 to just replace, or tell him you will pay the invoice amount when he presents it to you. Don't cash landlord over £300 without the proof that it cost that much!

I bet he will go the £50 route.

Efour · 22 Jul 2011 at 15:02

OFC it wont cost that much for him to do it all. Hes a bussiness and can charge an "unreasonable" ammount as he wants i would have thought at the end of the day.
Its a complete inconveneaince to him too, waste of half a day.

Glaucus · 22 Jul 2011 at 15:03

No he can't. He's not even meant to take it out of deposit. He is meant to give you an invoice and you pay that. He can't take profits or do anything else you say.

Greebo · 22 Jul 2011 at 15:10

tbh as said, ask for the invoice and pay that. It shouldn't be hundreds.

As a general rule we charge £59 for labor which we think you will agree is very reasonable. And to give you an idea of the prices of the most popular locks - a new deadlock will cost around £37, a Euro Cylinder £39 and a Rim Cylinder from £19.90

http://www.alwayslocksmith.co.uk/locksmith-tips/how-much-does-it-cost-to-change-locks

plus say 12 keys at £2 each = £24 so £160ish tops.

Pate · 22 Jul 2011 at 15:17

Thanks for the advice.

Then again, he charged us £500 because one of our windows cracked during the year and he had to replace a few panes of glass, so I'm not holding out hope!

Jono · 22 Jul 2011 at 15:31

Sounds like a cowboy. Insist on a proper invoice. Sounds like he'll try to pull a fast one on you.