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Does my landlord policy include replacement locks as part of the cover?

This really depends on your let property insurance policy and the circumstances surrounding the need to change locks.

In some cases, your let property policy may typically provide replacement locks for doors and windows, up to a pre-set amount and subject to certain terms and conditions. Please check your policy document or contact us for clarification.

There are a number of circumstances where you may need to change your locks.

That might include situations such as:

  • after a burglary in which they have been damaged;
  • after a burglary where, even though the locks are still sound, you believe your security has been compromised by the theft of keys etc.;
  • in circumstances where either you or your tenants have lost a set of keys and you wish to change the locks for security reasons;
  • situations where your locks have broken or jammed due to age or poor maintenance;
  • where you have recently evicted tenants and have been unable to recover the full set of keys or feel copies may have been made of the originals;
  • you are just changing locks to higher security models.

The control of keys is typically a concern for many landlords and it is far from unusual to find that tenants have lost or misplaced entire sets. In such circumstances, where you are facing the need to change locks for tenant-related reasons, you may be able to demand that your tenants pay. You may need to ensure though that you clearly highlight in advance through the tenancy agreement that all such charges will be to the tenants’ account.

At the time you take an inventory and prior to your tenants moving in, make sure that the keys and locks situation is clearly and unambiguously documented.

Make sure they sign for receipt of a specified number of keys and accept that all locks around the property are in good working order (assuming that they are).

This may help eliminate at least some of the reasons for needing to change your locks during or at the end of the tenancy.

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