Am I obligated to change the locks of an occupied unit?

Question

I just closed on my first duplex. Both units are occupied with inherited hud tenants. One of them is a looney problem tenant that will not have her lease renewed (2 months from now) due to renovations. Her latest request is that I change all the locks because the previous owner had the keys and she doesn't feel safe.

The previous owner is a sweet old man that has had keys to her door for the passed 10 years. Why all of a sudden it would be a problem is beyond me? The previous owner gave me all the keys.

I don't see a reason to change the locks out and I don't think she is unsafe. I will for sure be changing them once she leaves in 2 months. Is there any law obligating me to?

Matt M. · Answer

@Slade S.

Make him/her feel safe by spending $30 and 15 mins changing the locks. This shouldn’t even be a question.

Adam Martin · Answer

I strongly suggest picking your battles and this one is not worth fighting. I doubt there is a real safety issue however she does and this small token of goodwill could pay off later when you are non renewing. Others have mentioned it but Kwikset smartkey locks are my favorite. You can rekey them in under a minute and they are reasonably priced. Where I live the Lowes and Home Depot are a mile apart and if there are 2 locks I buy one at each store so I have 2 sets of keys. One for now and one for the turnover. I have about 10 separate keys at this point on rotation and will have more as I continue to purchase.

Theresa Harris · Answer

Up to you. You can buy a re-keyable lock (eg kwikset) and install it now and change the key when she moves out. It will also reduce costs later on when you have other turnovers in tenants.

Mackenzie Long · Answer

Do you really want to piss off someone who is about to leave? Just do it and move on.

Sam Shueh · Answer

You as new landlord should keep the place safe. I will buy the programmable combination lock put in place so you can change the combo as needed.

Jasmine Delves · Answer

Regarding laws, it depends on where you are. In most states, there's no legal requirement for a landlord to change locks between tenants. As mentioned above though, it might be worth looking into a KwikSet or SmartKey cylinder lock so you can rekey it every time a new tenant moves in. Instead of replacing the whole lock, you can just replace the key.

Michael Noto · Answer

She probably gave the key to someone she doesn't want to have it and is just using the landlord as a way to get you to do it.

Andy Webb · Answer

What does the lease say? What does your state property code dictate? (Association leases here in Texas refer to property code, which is very specific about locks. And in Texas, you inherit the lease when you buy, so I would defer to that).

Andy Webb · Answer

@Joe Splitrock - great point right there:

"Keep in mind that liability increases when a tenant reports an issue. Being aware of a risk and not taking action to prevent a problem can be viewed as negligence. You become more liable when negligence is involved."

Am I obligated to change the locks of an occupied unit?

Am I obligated to change the locks of an occupied unit?

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