Bedroom door locks - Landlord Forum thread 168643

Bedroom door locks by Amy in NY (NY) on January 8, 2009 @13:12

I rented a 3 br apt to 3 students. Once moved in they inquired about having individual locks on their rooms (the rooms can be locked from inside, but not from the outside now) I am not keen on having 3 more keys to the apt, and drilling doors, so I told them no. All three are part of the same lease, and I told them that they are like family to eachother. Besides, all their belongings must be insured according to the lease. What are your thoughts on this

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Re: Bedroom door locks by Micah on January 8, 2009 @13:21	[ Reply ]

I'd say no. If they don't trust eachother then they shouldn't be living together. Make sure they know that when they install their own locks (which they will) that they will be responsible for returning the doors to the original condition (which will mean brand new doors!).

Re: Bedroom door locks by Monica on January 8, 2009 @13:48	[ Reply ]

Ditto to what Micah said.

Re: Bedroom door locks by Debbie on January 8, 2009 @15:22

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I had that happened to me with one unit.

Tenant (mother and boyfriend) added lock to their bedroom door because of her 13 years old daughter.

At that time, I couldn't quickly think of a reason to say "No". That's several years ago and they already moved to buy a house (they were good tenants).

I've forgotten about it until I read this thread. I'm still uncertain if I would have the right to say "No".

What are your thoughts on Amy and my cases?

Re: Bedroom door locks

Re: Bedroom door locks by KT (MN) on January 8, 2009 @16:02	[ Reply ]

They are probably just wanting to put the kind of door knob on that has the push button lock. Not really secure, but just enough of a pain for the other person. Damage should not be done to the door for something like that...however, I would not like to have to deal with extra keys either.

Re: Bedroom door locks

Re: Bedroom door locks by K (FL) on January 8, 2009 @16:37	[ Reply ]

I'd put money on them installing locks anyway so it behooves you to reconsider. Do you want college students drilling away at whatever lock they decide on or do you want to install someone nicer? You know they don't care about your doors. And if you're getting college students now, won't future college students appreciate the locks later?

Re: Bedroom door locks by Kirstie (NY) on January 8, 2009 @18:38	[ Reply ]

I also rent to college students. On each door to the bedrooms I installed a key locked door knob. Basically like one you have on a front door, not a deadbolt. Lock with key on outside, rotate button on inside. All of the tenants might be "family" but they do appreciate the ability to lock their doors from potential guests. All my locks came with two keys so I kept one key for me and one to them. Each lock/knob was about 10 dollars at Home Depot so it wasn't a great expense. I think it was a worthwhile investment.

Re: Bedroom door locks by Ed (MI.) on January 8, 2009 @20:06	[ Reply ]

If they are afraid of having their belongings stolen I would tell them to purchase a personal lockbox or safe. You can find them at Wal-mart , Lowes , or Home Depot for about $90.00 for a 2 cubic ft. model, or $20-30, for a lockbox. Plus carry renters ins. for about $10 per mo.

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Re: Bedroom door locks by CA LL (CA) on January 8, 2009 @21:50	[ Reply ]

I, like Kristy, have what are called "hall door locks", keyed on the outside, button lock on the inside. I also rent to college students who like the added sense of security to be able to lock their bedroom door, if they choose, because not everyone can fit their computer, stereo, etc in a personal lockbox or safe. Sometimes their roommates have people over and they like to be able to secure their private space. I installed the locks myself so I could keep a key in case of emergency. Everyone is happy.

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Re: Bedroom door locks by Anonymous on January 8, 2009 @22:54	[ Reply ]

If they have normal privacy locks, simply replace those with keyed entry door locks. There will be no drilling or damage to the doors. When they leave, if you want, replace with the original privacy locks. This takes only 4 screws and about 10 minutes to replace these. Yes, you'll have more keys, but happy tenants and no damage to the doors. If these are old original Victorian doors, simply find the right skeleton keys to the doors. Almost all of these had the skeleton keyed locks. Give a skeleton key to the tenants. If they are all keyed to the same lock, replacement locks are available for these. It costs a little more than a lock for modern door, but there will be no damage to the old doors.

Re: Bedroom door locks by Henry on June 13, 2020 @18:02	[ Reply ]

I have ordered a new bathroom door lock by Vizilok at https://vizilok.com/collections/bathroom-indicator-locks and was surprised by the quality of assembling this type of hardware. My home design improved significantly after the installation because the one I ordered was in a chrome lever. This can be a perfect solution in case you need individual locks in your apartment.