You may think that the responsibility for keeping a home secure rest solely on the person living within that home, but if you own or manage a rental property you, too, have a responsibility for keeping your tenants safe. Just as the appliances and basic condition of the house are part of your rental agreement and you are responsible for ensuring that they are functional and safe, making sure that basic home security measures are in place is an important part of your role as a landlord.
Your complete service locksmiths in Forest Lodge offers these tips for ensuring that you keep up your end of the responsibility of protecting the security of those living within your rental property:
- Every time a new tenant moves into a property, whether that property is a single-family home or apartment complex, it is your responsibility to ensure that the locks are changed. New locks should be purchased each time, and they should include locks in the doorknob, slide locks, and deadbolts.
- Keys to your tenants properties should never be kept in your office. In many locations it is not lawful for a landlord to maintain the key to a rental home. If you are permitted to have such keys, however, they should be kept in a very secure location and information regarding what property the keys lead to should not be kept nearby.
- The windows of a rental property can represent an appealing point of entry for a home invader. This is why a window should be replaced every few years, or should be replaced with advanced models that include security measures such as redundant locks and window stops.
We will warn you that if a home invasion occurs in a rental property that you own, the occupant may have the right to file charges against you. It is better that you ensure the security of a home before allowing a new family to move in.
Also due to the high number of students in and around Forest Lodge and the Glebe area it’s a good idea to get restricted keys installed so they can’t copy the keys and give them out. It will maintain your security to a higher level.
