> breaking into rented flats
What? That's so...weird. Why tenants don't change the locks on the main doors as they move in? Is it also because of the contracts?
What? That's so...weird. Why tenants don't change the locks on the main doors as they move in? Is it also because of the contracts?
My landlady has the keys, organizes the cleaning lady to come (and gives her the keys), I'm pretty sure she even once dusted and washed the dishes in the sink herself when she was watching over some crew cleaning the ducts.
The whole benefit of renting is not being burdened with owner's problems. Hard to achieve when they can't access the apartment.
In some countries it's not allowed to change it without permission from the landlord, and in others it is allowed but you need to immediately give them a copy of the key anyway.
But I believe that in most countries it is the case that the landlord cannot invade your privacy, even if they have a key (I know this is the case in Australia). So them having a key is mostly irrelevant (since lockpicking is a skill you can pick up in a weekend -- and picking the lock of a tenant's door is about as legal as using a key that the tenant was forced to give you).
All of that being said, I don't understand why changing the locks makes a difference. It's very easy to ask a locksmith to open the door for you, especially if your name is on the title (not to mention that most house locks are trivial to pick anyway). Whether or not the landlord has a key is mostly immaterial, what matters is whether it is legal for them to use it (because picking the lock would arguably have similar legality).