5 ms·

This just sounds unreasonable. How about: 1) Hire locksmith. 2) Have them replace app-supported lock with regular metal key one. 3) Profit (in time & annoyance

This just sounds unreasonable. How about: 1) Hire locksmith. 2) Have them replace app-supported lock with regular metal key one. 3) Profit (in time & annoyance saved). 4) While you're living there, if landlord threathens legal proceedings: hire lawyer & "see you in court". 5) When you leave: hire locksmith to revert lock to app-supported one. If landlord requests so. Sure there's ownership. But for all intents & purposes, while paying rent you are owner of said apartment, right? If doorlock isn't working, fix it.

Sohcahtoa82 3y ago
Do you even need a locksmith? I was always under impression that all you needed to replace a lock in a door was a screwdriver and a new lock from Home Depot.
bsder 3y ago
You can probably do that on your personal door but doing that on a shared access front door will very much get you in hot water.
NoZebra120vClip 3y ago
> But for all intents & purposes, while paying rent you are owner of said apartment, right? Wrong. You don't own that place, the owner owns it. And they have the right of entry in emergency situations, or typically with 48 hours notice. They will bill/sue/evict you for tampering with the entry locks, for sure.
- c22 3y ago
  The notice is so you can make a plan to let them in.
  - NoZebra120vClip 3y ago
    I don't know about you, but my landlord keeps a cabinet of keys for every unit on the property. When they come to make even a routine maintenance call, they have already obtained my permission to enter, and if I don't answer the door, then they key right in. Check your lease; YMMV; most people aren't actually allowed to tamper with their door locks. Shocker, I know, right? When the Constable comes to evict you, your landlord/owner's going to have the keys to let him in.
    - hooverd 3y ago
      Whatever the penalties are for a landlord abusing that, they probably aren't severe enough.
  - nucleardog 3y ago
    There are cases where they are allowed to enter without notice. If, for example, the unit below yours has water coming through the ceiling I don't know of anywhere that requires them to give you 24-48 hours notice.
    - StockHuman 3y ago
      Canada, Mexico, most of South America, most of Europe implement such a notice minimum. The US is an outlier in that sense.
- nucleardog 3y ago
  > They will bill/sue/evict you for tampering with the entry locks, for sure. I'd have a hard time believing anything comes of it if they try. Let's say: * You contacted the landlord and let them know the lock was not functional and you'd been unable to access your unit on several occasions. You'd had to sleep at friends' houses several times due to being unable to access your unit. You give them a reasonable timeframe within which to respond appropriately given the severity of the situation (i.e., replace the lock the next day not just send you the phone number for Latch tech support). * The landlord did not appropriately resolve the situation. * You replaced the lock with a simple keyed lock without damaging the old lock. You then immediately notified the landlord and provided them a copy of the key. (They also have a legal right to access the unit.) Where I am, you have committed an act that is explicitly contrary to statutes governing residential tenancies. However, you did so in response to what was effectively an illegal lockout. (It doesn't matter if their intent was to improve the unit--they effectively restricted you from accessing it when you have a legal right to do so.) They can: 1. Bill you: They can send you some paper. The question is how they enforce collecting the money. It's possible, though unlikely, they _may_ be able to obtain an order for "damages". In this case that would amount to about 15 minutes of a their maintenance staff's time to put the lock back. Using the typical rates I've seen the boards here use for that kind of unspecialized work, you'd be out about $5-8. 2. Sue you: For what? What outcome are they trying to have the court enforce? The court isn't going to order the lock put back and effectively enforce an illegal lockout. 3. Evict you: They already tried to do that via an illegal lockout. I cannot see any board here ordering an eviction in response to changing locks in a way that the landlord's access was never restricted--it's completely disproportionate. They're also generally not going to order an eviction over something that could be easily rectified without an eviction (put the old lock back on, matter's settled, everyone go home). The "courts" are people, not computers blindly applying a set of instructions. If their options here are (1) to enforce putting the lock back and lock you out of your unit; (2) to evict you because your smartphone isn't compatible with the lock the landlord wants to use; or (3) tell the landlord to kick rocks and fix their damn locks, I'd put my money on #3. (I'm an involuntary landlord in Canada. I've had to argue in front of a tenancy board--the "court" with original jurisdiction over disputes under the tenancy act--a time or two or thirty. In preparation for that, I've probably read more previous decisions than some of the people _making_ those decisions. IANAL YMMV offer not valid in conjunction with any other offers or promotions HTH HAND.)
- em-bee 3y ago
  in some countries you absolutely have the right to replace the lock at will. at worst you may have to reinstall the original lock when you move out. the landlord has no right to enter your home without you being present, no matter what. if there is an emergency like a fire or a broken pipe then they may have to break the door if you can't get there fast enough, but that then should be the least of your worries.
seanmcdirmid 3y ago
you don't need a locksmith to replace your lock. Just use a screwdriver.
JohnFen 3y ago
> But for all intents & purposes, while paying rent you are owner of said apartment, right? No, at least not in my US state. I cannot, for example, paint my apartment, install new carpeting, change the locks, or any other modifications to the premises without my landlord's permission. Doing so would violate my lease and I could technically be evicted for it. You do have some specific rights as a renter, but they aren't even close to the rights you'd have if you owned the place.

Sohcahtoa82 3y ago

Do you even need a locksmith? I was always under impression that all you needed to replace a lock in a door was a screwdriver and a new lock from Home Depot.

bsder 3y ago

You can probably do that on your personal door but doing that on a shared access front door will very much get you in hot water.

NoZebra120vClip 3y ago

> But for all intents & purposes, while paying rent you are owner of said apartment, right? Wrong. You don't own that place, the owner owns it. And they have the right of entry in emergency situations, or typically with 48 hours notice. They will bill/sue/evict you for tampering with the entry locks, for sure.

c22 3y ago
The notice is so you can make a plan to let them in.
- NoZebra120vClip 3y ago
  I don't know about you, but my landlord keeps a cabinet of keys for every unit on the property. When they come to make even a routine maintenance call, they have already obtained my permission to enter, and if I don't answer the door, then they key right in. Check your lease; YMMV; most people aren't actually allowed to tamper with their door locks. Shocker, I know, right? When the Constable comes to evict you, your landlord/owner's going to have the keys to let him in.
  - hooverd 3y ago
    Whatever the penalties are for a landlord abusing that, they probably aren't severe enough.
- nucleardog 3y ago
  There are cases where they are allowed to enter without notice. If, for example, the unit below yours has water coming through the ceiling I don't know of anywhere that requires them to give you 24-48 hours notice.
  - StockHuman 3y ago
    Canada, Mexico, most of South America, most of Europe implement such a notice minimum. The US is an outlier in that sense.
nucleardog 3y ago
> They will bill/sue/evict you for tampering with the entry locks, for sure. I'd have a hard time believing anything comes of it if they try. Let's say: * You contacted the landlord and let them know the lock was not functional and you'd been unable to access your unit on several occasions. You'd had to sleep at friends' houses several times due to being unable to access your unit. You give them a reasonable timeframe within which to respond appropriately given the severity of the situation (i.e., replace the lock the next day not just send you the phone number for Latch tech support). * The landlord did not appropriately resolve the situation. * You replaced the lock with a simple keyed lock without damaging the old lock. You then immediately notified the landlord and provided them a copy of the key. (They also have a legal right to access the unit.) Where I am, you have committed an act that is explicitly contrary to statutes governing residential tenancies. However, you did so in response to what was effectively an illegal lockout. (It doesn't matter if their intent was to improve the unit--they effectively restricted you from accessing it when you have a legal right to do so.) They can: 1. Bill you: They can send you some paper. The question is how they enforce collecting the money. It's possible, though unlikely, they _may_ be able to obtain an order for "damages". In this case that would amount to about 15 minutes of a their maintenance staff's time to put the lock back. Using the typical rates I've seen the boards here use for that kind of unspecialized work, you'd be out about $5-8. 2. Sue you: For what? What outcome are they trying to have the court enforce? The court isn't going to order the lock put back and effectively enforce an illegal lockout. 3. Evict you: They already tried to do that via an illegal lockout. I cannot see any board here ordering an eviction in response to changing locks in a way that the landlord's access was never restricted--it's completely disproportionate. They're also generally not going to order an eviction over something that could be easily rectified without an eviction (put the old lock back on, matter's settled, everyone go home). The "courts" are people, not computers blindly applying a set of instructions. If their options here are (1) to enforce putting the lock back and lock you out of your unit; (2) to evict you because your smartphone isn't compatible with the lock the landlord wants to use; or (3) tell the landlord to kick rocks and fix their damn locks, I'd put my money on #3. (I'm an involuntary landlord in Canada. I've had to argue in front of a tenancy board--the "court" with original jurisdiction over disputes under the tenancy act--a time or two or thirty. In preparation for that, I've probably read more previous decisions than some of the people _making_ those decisions. IANAL YMMV offer not valid in conjunction with any other offers or promotions HTH HAND.)
em-bee 3y ago
in some countries you absolutely have the right to replace the lock at will. at worst you may have to reinstall the original lock when you move out. the landlord has no right to enter your home without you being present, no matter what. if there is an emergency like a fire or a broken pipe then they may have to break the door if you can't get there fast enough, but that then should be the least of your worries.

seanmcdirmid 3y ago

you don't need a locksmith to replace your lock. Just use a screwdriver.

JohnFen 3y ago

> But for all intents & purposes, while paying rent you are owner of said apartment, right? No, at least not in my US state. I cannot, for example, paint my apartment, install new carpeting, change the locks, or any other modifications to the premises without my landlord's permission. Doing so would violate my lease and I could technically be evicted for it. You do have some specific rights as a renter, but they aren't even close to the rights you'd have if you owned the place.