What canI do if I changed all the locks for a new tenant and found that they changed them again without my permission?
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What canI do if I changed all the locks for a new tenant and found that they changed them again without my permission?
Isn’t this a safety issue?
Asked on January 20, 2012 under Real Estate Law, New Jersey
Answers:
FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
If your tenants re-changed the locks on the rental that you own without providing you a key, you need to sit down with them and advise them that under the law, you as the unit's landlord and owner are entitled to have the keys to the unit. In essence, you need access to the rental in the event of an emergency (fire, earthquake, water intrusion and the like).
If the tenants refuse to provide you with a key to the rental after you request them to give you one for safety issues, their failure to provide such very well could be considered a material breach of the lease warranting the termination of the tenancy by you.
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