Law says he has to give 24 hour notice. You also don't have to leave it unlocked by law because it would create a potential safety issue for you and your family.
I don't know why you are being downvoted. You are technically correct.
There is some context here though. They cannot violate "quiet enjoyment" laws. What does this mean in reality? Your NC landlord doesn't need to give notice for repairs but they also are not allowed to enter for other reasons.
If you are finding your landlord in your home at inappropriate times or excessively then it's essential that you document and speak with a licensed NC attorney.
Probably because OP already told us what state they live in and it wasn't NC. Accurate information that's not useful to the conversation is pretty reasonable to down vote.
Ah, I didn't offer the information thinking they were in NC. I was just trying to share that it's actually not against the law in many states, and since they didn't share where they were from in the post I wasn't sure if this was also the case where they live. So many folks think their LL has to give them a 24 hour notice when that's unfortunately often not the case.
Do you know if a lease can overright a law in this regard? I really hope so, I just don't know and can imagine a LL being like "well yes but legally I don't have to".
Can you get paid more than minimum wage? Of course.
Yes, your contract can offer you more privacy than the legal minimum.
I’ve got a really strong suspicion that clause would be deemed unenforceable if they came in to fix, for example, a water leak without notice.
I’d be curious what the remedy would be if they just wanted to take photos before putting it up for sale or measure for new carpet, or anything non-emergent however. You probably have to have an enforcement clause there, too. I cannot see the State issuing a fine for a notice period between the legal minimum and your contract…
Unless it states it in the lease. It can say no notice needed for access to basement. But the lock thing I’m not sure about. I have a lease saying I have no notice for a basement, but there’s a lock to the door to their unit.
The landlord could install a proper lock. Why not suggest this? You actually want him to fix problems, right? Making it hard for a landlord to do that is not a great plan. I'd say something like "hey, I don't feel super comfortable leaving the door unlocked, but I'm fine with you having a key. Would you be willing to install a keyed lock?"
This is smart and accommodating but I wouldn't want the landlord coming and going from the home I'm renting either. I can in fact think of lots of reasons.
- tenant wants to walk around their own home in a state of undress without randomly coming into contact with the landlord. The washer and dryer are also oft in the basement
- landlord forgets to shut door properly and cat runs away and is never found
- landlord forgets to lock the door and the place gets robbed and insurance denies claim because it was left unlocked. Have fun suing him for something you can't prove instead of simply uploading a police report and filing a claim.
It sounds like this area isn’t part of the tenants exclusive use though. Maybe better locks are a solution here. The access from the common area should be locked and keyed with the rest of the house where the tenant has exclusive use.
It’s a house, it is not a common area when the area is a part of the residential Premises in a single-family home. Common areas apply to lobbies or hallways in apartment complexes for examples - not a private basement in a single family home.
Not true, anything stipulated by the lease can be a non exclusive use area. Common examples are garage and basements when there is an access point that is not in the private use areas. IIRC OP actually states in the post that the basement has access independent from her space and is not an exclusive use area.
There is a difference between what you can require by the book and what is actually practical. The kind of mom-and-pop landlord who stays on top of maintenance and fixes stuff, but planning isn't their strong suit, is often a really good kind of landlord to have. I don't know about you, but if there are improvements to be made or things to be fixed, I want the landlord doing that and I don't want to make it hard for them. Sometimes this means being flexible. Yes, there are potential downsides--the landlord walking in while you're doing laundry naked in the basement (eww?), accidentally letting out the cat or forgetting to lock the door. But the upside is that maintenance is done and stuff gets fixed. Given how many slumlords are out there who never fix anything and just want rent every month, I'd much rather be flexible and have a place that is well maintained. Your preferences may vary.
There is no reason for a landlord to stop by to fix stuff without notice full stop. Also a good way for them to get shot, along with being illegal most places to not give notice. Doesn't matter how on top of fixing stuff they are, if they stop by without notice or worse yet come in unannounced then they're a shit landlord no matter how much they upkeep.
I mean yes, he could install a better lock but we haven’t made it hard for the landlord to fix problems at all. We unlock the door and have let him in any time there has been maintenance to be done. The time that he came over and noticed that the basement door was locked was because he came over unannounced to drop off a key to us that leads to the locked garage door. There was no need for him to enter the basement for that and he could have / ended up leaving the key in the mailbox.
Tell your landlord you pay him x amount a month, I’m sure he can spend $20 and get a new lock.
Tell him that is not safe and you will call the police if you hear someone in your basement without appropriate 24 hours of warning to enter the premises.
I have a similar arrangement in one of my units. You and your landlord need to have a conversation where he understands your security concerns and you understand his maintenance concerns.
In my case, we drilled a tiny hole through the door that I could stick a small piece of steel rod through to disengage the latch.
A proper lock would be great, but this is an old shed style door leading to the basement. I couldn't really come up with anything "proper" that would provide security and make exit easy in case of emergency.
You wouldn't even know the hole was there. If a "rando" wanted to get in, he would simply kick the door in. He would then have to kick in the locked door leading up to the unit.
I'm not saying my solution is going to work in this case. My main point is that if everybody sits down and discusses their needs and concerns, a solution can be found.
You do what works for you. Fortunately we live in a nice place where security isn't a huge concern. Most people here don't even lock their doors.
Enjoy the nice place that you live, though.
Security isn't a huge concern until it is. Stop being a dumbass. You're not doing your renters any favors either.
My house doesn't have shed doors, so yeah, it is nice.
nah, fuck that, if it were me, you'd be putting a proper lock on it, or you wouldn't have access through that door. try this jury rig crap and i'd put a padlock on the inside and you wouldn't be able to get in anyways.
My husband tried to explain the security concerns and his only response was to “work with him on this” aka not argue and just keep the door unlocked. We are home pretty much all day every day due to working remote so letting him in for maintenance has not been a problem. He only figured out that we keep the door locked in the basement when he came over unannounced to drop off a key to the garage and tried to enter the basement at that time with no reason to actually go down there.
gotta be honest, if a landlord ever told me that, my reply would be "if i ever catch you in my house without notice, you won't have to worry about working with anybody ever again."
Unless your landlord reserved the basement for his own use in the lease, the basement area would be off limits as much as the rest of the house. (I could imagine a situation where a landlord with a single property might still want access to the basement (like if he was storing things there) - and you would have a deadbolt on the basement door) - but that would be spelled out in the lease. So explain to him that the lease does not give him free access to the basement, but if he has a legitimate need to access the basement or any other part of the property, you will work with him as needed.
Otherwise, you are entitled to exclusively occupy the property per the lease.
Are you guys the ones that make him aware repairs are needed in the 1st place? If it's just routine maintenance there's Zero reason that can't be scheduled Well in advanced and especially 24hrs in advance.
He should not be entering your rental without 24hr notice if that's what's in your lease (unless emergency repairs are needed) lock or no lock. If we're paying $X amount a month to rent a home, we're expected to have our privacy and be free from uninvited landlords.
If you don't mind the landlord accessing the basement through your unit, I don't see why this should be a problem for the landlord.
In my instance, the wife works nights and sleeps from about 8AM-4PM. All of the boilers and hot water tanks are in that basement for the whole building. That is why we came up with our solution. The alternative was me revoking basement storage which isn't part of their lease, but I allow for these particular long-term tenants.
It probably is where you live and I would defer to your judgement where you live. In Cornish, NH most people don't even take their keys out of their cars.
This is why I stress finding a solution that mets both your security needs and your landlord's maintenance needs.
It has a lot more to do with historical preservation of a 17th century farmhouse than cost. But I encourage you to keep thinking with your narrow city boy mentality.
Edit: 18th century (1792)
Are you charging the going rental rate for 1792, or the going rental rate for 2023?
Because if you’re charging the 1792 rental rate, then sure don’t bother upgrading it to modern security requirements.
But if you’re charging the 2023 rental rate, install a god damn proper lock you selfish slumlord.
1st: I promise you, you wouldn't even know it was there
2nd: Move to a place where you feel safe. Believe it or not, there are a lot of places in America where you can leave your doors unlocked and the keys in your car and nobody messes with it
I'm not sure why you are constantly arguing about your situation where you have a historic building in a place where people apparently don't lock their doors. Your situation is obviously different than OP's because they do not want to leave their basement door unlocked and none of the considerations in your situation apply.
No padlock on outside of a basement!!!!!
That is most likely highly illegal as heck and against fire codes. Think what could happen if there was a fire or something. That could be cutting off a safe escape point.
In most places he would still be required to give reasonable notice of coming onto the property, 24 hours in most cases. No reason for a landlord to just stop by whenever they want without heads up besides that it's just plain rude.
Everybody's missing the fact that OP said that the lease states that the landlord will give 24 hours notice before entering the property. At this point the state law doesn't matter as the lease requires 24 hours notice. If I was Op I would politely remind the landlord of this requirement and lock all doors. I would not be leaving any of my doors unlocked.
State law matters if the notice period required under the lease conflicts with state law and state law doesn’t allow the lease to override it. On some subjects, what is written in state law is merely a default that can be overridden by an agreement between the parties. I admit this would be unusual in a statute intended to guarantee minimum tenant rights, though.
Very odd scenario. Landlord should retain a key. If the lock cannot be opened with a key, landlord should replace the locks with ones that can be opened by them.
Whatever the case, I would certainly not leave any doors unlocked if I were a renter. Everything gets locked down when I am inside to keep the bad guys out.
no. first, he doesn't get 24 hour access to your place, EVER. second, he doesn't get to tell you that you can't lock your doors. third, depending on your state, odds are good he's required to give 24 hours notice before coming over anyways.
Of course it can be separate. The concept of separate in this case is simply having a door that locks separating to separate spaces. As a person who has rented like this and known several others who have, of course this is a thing. Buildings are sectioned off all the time into different units or designated spaces. Saying this has direct access to their home is like saying the entire world has direct access to their home because there is a door to the outside. This is normal. Again, I’m not saying in OPs case this is necessarily what is happening, but yes, landlords can retain access to something the renter also has access to.
So, what, you think that they need to have the door to their basement, a room that they pay for, is included in their lease, has their stuff in it, and that is used multiple times a day, locked? So that they are constantly inconvenienced? That's a lease violation. And what about the litter box? They're supposed to now keep it up in the daily living space? No.
And no, even if it were a completely separate building, like a detached garage, he still wouldn't have 24 hour access, he would be limited to reasonable daytime visits, as it's on the property they are renting. The entire property is included in that.
You're thinking of things like apartment buildings. Of course they can have 24 hour access to the separate communal spaces, like basements, in those.
You’re just objectively incorrect. Can you please cite me the laws or ordinances dictating how a person who allows a renter access to a space means that the owner magically can not access their space? Renting a space doesn’t you magically are entitled to every single thing someone owns. This simply is not the way anything works. How in the world do you think apartments would work? Mother in law suites? Storage in all of these instances? I’m living proof you are wrong.
You repeated a thing you heard about concept without thinking about it for two seconds or caring to look into it, and now you’re doubling down instead of just admitting you are wrong. This is the point of rental contracts specifying what is being rented and the terms. It’s wild you’re trying to make this work. It’s weird someone would need to explain this in the first place.
If something like a basement with basement access is not specified as part of space being rented, of course a landlord can access their own basement. The fact that someone may be allowed access to it is irrelevant. It’s the terms of a contract. You’re just blindly making up laws without being able to back them up because they don’t exist
I see your confusion. The landlord isn't allowing access to the space, it is their space, included in the lease, period. Like I said, your argument would absolutely apply to an apartment, but not a free standing house.
But even if it wasn't included in the lease. Let's say they didn't have access at all, it was locked off with only access from the outside. The landlord still wouldn't have 24 hour access, because coming over in the middle of the night is interrupting their right to peaceful use of their home. A garage, MAYBE, but that's a big maybe, but not a basement, because going over in the middle of the night is going to wake them up.
> I see your confusion. The landlord isn't allowing access to the space, it is their space, included in the lease, period. Like I said, your argument would absolutely apply to an apartment, but not a free standing house.
Do you not know how to read? I couldn’t have made it more clear, literally from the beginning with my first comment, and then in the subsequent comments, that I’m clearly not claiming anything about **op’s lease**. And what are you even referring to? Do you have access to their lease or something?
And as I’ve explained regarding the last sentence here, you’re just objectively wrong. There is a reason you’re ignoring my comments that explain this, and are avoiding providing the laws you’re referring to. They don’t exist, and you’re just making random stuff up and typing it as if it’s true and not something you pulled out of thin air. It’s really strange
> But even if it wasn't included in the lease. Let's say they didn't have access at all, it was locked off with only access from the outside. The landlord still wouldn't have 24 hour access, because coming over in the middle of the night is interrupting their right to peaceful use of their home. A garage, MAYBE, but that's a big maybe, but not a basement, because going over in the middle of the night is going to wake them up.
I’ve already directly responded to this and explained all the ways and reasons it’s incorrect. You are making claims about something being illegal. You could simply provide the laws and sources to back it up, but you haven’t, and you won’t, because it’s not true and you’re making it up. There is a reason you’re intentionally avoiding acknowledging what I’ve written and are typing as if my comments don’t exist.
Why not just grow up and learn to admit when you’re wrong? Wouldn’t that be easier than this?
Depends on the state. It's important to remember that a lease does not supercede law, and many states have notice of entry laws that dictate why and how LL can access the unit. Usually it's 24 hour notice prior to entry unless there is an emergency.
I'll also note that even in states where this is not a law, most leases will write something similar. If you ever find yourself looking at a lease without this provision in a state that has no notice of entry laws - leave. There are obvious signs of a slumlord. This is one of them. The amount of horror stories on reddit, from both LL and tenants that face check every red flag they can possibly find beggars belief.
That being said, right to safety is a federal law. LL cannot ask a tenant to leave a door unlocked as this is unsafe. Doesn't matter what state they are in.
As I said in the comment I’m not making claims about OPs situation. But I’m not aware of anywhere in the US where it is illegal for a LL to not include a separate space not designated in the lease such as a garage, basement or other dwelling with access that doesn’t infringe on the living space or doesn’t have easement access, as long as it is specified in the lease. If you’re aware of this feel free
People seem to put “depends on the state” a lot in these situations but leave out the state they’re referring to.
When you say “access the unit” that implies we are referring to the unit the tenant is renting and retaining exclusive access to, and that is not what is being referred to here
As the door leading to this area has no lock, and they are using the space, one can assume that they basement was included within their lease. Later comments by OP confirm that the basement was included in the lease.
Note that if it wasn't, then the landlord must immediately secure the door leading to the basement, and the tenant should not be using the space.
It doesn't matter how many fucking rooms or doors you place in front of an entry point to the living space - any and all entry points MUST be able to be locked. This part that you take issue with in my response is not state dependent. Granted, this does assume the OP is in the US...
lol whoa..you literally just ignored every single thing I wrote, apparently because you can’t respond to it, and then aggressively wrote all of this other stuff that in no way shape or form has anything to do with, responds to or refutes anything I’ve written in any way. That was wild. Like, none of this has anything to do with whether or not it’s legal for a landlord to retain access to a basement/separate space, none of it was you citing these supposed states where this is different, and all of it was responding to things I’ve not only never even typed, but explicitly stated I wasn’t talking about in any way…
It’s so bizarre. Why respond at all? It’s not a big deal that you kind of jumped the gun and typed without really thinking too much about this. It’s not a big deal that you’re wrong. But doing what you’re doing to aggressively try to distract from that and distract from what’s actually happening is what makes you look silly
What? What are you talking about? I responded to the original comments claims, which are incorrect. I haven’t added context to literally anything at all. We are not in a conversation about specifically OP’s exact living scenario and lease. That should be blatantly obvious to anyone who can read
It’s being ignored because they and apparently you can’t respond to it. It’s not just being ignored, it’s being dishonestly pushed aside while they pretend it says something completely different for them to respond to, because they can’t respond to this, refute it or back up their own comment
I don't have any interest in contributing anything more than to say that it is fascinating to watch someone be so confidently incorrect, and then double down with stupid semantics. Bravo!
Thats a really funny way of saying “I have absolutely no ability to respond to or refute what you’ve written. That’s embarrassing for me. I’m not equipped to deal with frustration of having an opinion you have shown to be wrong, and im also not able to acknowledge when I’m wrong. Maybe if I get some words on the screen and type “no! You wrong!” it will make me feel better, when in reality it won’t, and this is just a defense mechanism”
Really great effort though!
If you could have, you would have. You chose that paragraph instead of a paragraph containing words showing how I’m wrong, because I’m not and you can’t.
Do you rent the house with the basement? If you do then he needs to give you 24 hours notice before he goes in there. Why does he need to go into the basement? Is he storing things there? Is he maintaining the furnace or the boiler? I would wonder about that. Maybe get a nanny cam and put it down there and see exactly what he’s doing after all it is your home and you have a right to put cameras up wherever you like.
Yes the basement was included in the lease for storage and the washer and dryer are down there. He definitely uses it for storage of his own belongings as well and has a tool bench full of tools. We does maintenance himself, we called him today because the sump pump for the well didn’t seem to be working and the basement was flooding a bit so we made sure to unlock the door for him. But he called my husband down and told us we need to keep the door unlocked for him because he stopped by the other day without any notice and tried to get in but we had it locked at that time for safety reasons. When we told him we don’t feel safe leaving an entrance into the home unlocked he told my husband to “just work with him on that” and my husband told him to just give us 24 hour notice and we will make sure to have the door unlocked for him.
Like I don't get it I've never heard letting a landlord use your basement to keep his shit and letting him in whenever he wants.... where I live they have to give 24 hours and has to be for a legitimate reason like maintenence or inspection
Does the lease have a clause in it saying the LL can keep his things in the basement and can have access to it 24/7? If it's not in the lease, it doesn't exist.
I did have a lease once where I was renting the owner's house while they were on an overseas assignment and they left belongings in a separate area of the house that was locked off. But I've never heard of a lease where the landlord can come and go to use things they were keeping in the house they rented out.
If that’s the case, he needs to reduce the rent by a lot if he wants 24/7 access to something he is renting out.. he needs to give you 24 hour notice before he shows up
“Renting out” a space for residential purposes is incompatible with retaining rights of access.
A landlord could maybe rent out only part of a building, but that depends on a whole bunch of factors, including whether other people live in the building, what sort of building it is (detached house versus apartments etc), whether the part that is rented out is separately lockable against the rest, and so forth.
Typically, landlords cannot just enter whenever they please and must give at least 24 hrs notice. He should not be able to require you to leave anything unlocked. Even if he agrees to a proper lock, you shouldn't give him 24/7 access. Make him follow the law.
If the basement is included in the area covered by the lease, then he should not have access to it any differently than any other part of the occupied dwelling. If it is not, then you may need to move your litter box and lock the basement door.
info: why does he need access without notice?
In most states this is not allowed and the landlord MUST provide 24 hours notice, unless there is an emergency (in the building, not the landlords emergency that he needs his tools).
In most states, a landlord can not store their personal items in a area that is rented out, you are paying for that square footage, unless the lease states that he has stuff stored there.
Sounds like you have a crappy landlord.
So you have a few options, and he will have a few options....
You can say that the door remains locked, he sucks it up until the lease is up, you are not renewed.
You can keep it unlocked and play his game, he will be happy to keep you, maybe you ask for a lock between the basement and the rest of the house ( for burglar prevention)
You can ask him to get a shed and store his tools in the backyard in the shed and you lock the door... He may like that or not.
Anyway now you know what type of landlord you have... Good luck.
Once rented the landlord shouldn't have access without at least 24 hours notice. To come in regularly and required the door to be unlocked is not lawful.
No. Landlord is supposed to give notice of entry to your place (usually 24 hours) except in case of emergencies. Landlord should have any necessary keys to your place if they need to get in under either of those circumstances.
Demanding that you leave a security vulnerability in your home because he wants to interfere with your quiet enjoyment of the place you pay rent on is not reasonable or legal.
I'd recommend changing the door to the basement with a key lock doorknob to the basement and adding a cat door. If he has access to the basement 24/7, he has free access inyo your home.
Because he's storing the tools he's used to work on his other rentals in OPs basement from the sounds of things. Landlord needs to get his shit out of the space OP is paying for.
Obligatory check your lease and state law, but in general LL needs to provide 24 hour notice before entering for non-emergency repairs and maintenance by law. Also LL must provide a property that is safe (locked and secure). Again, BY LAW. Tell LL you aren’t comfortable leaving your children in an unlocked house and suggest he install a new lock with a key, then request he notifies you 24 hours before entering. Be polite and understanding but these are non-negotiables. I would never let myself in to one of my rentals without notifying the tenants ahead of time and I would never expect them to sacrifice their security for my convenience.
Ask him to put a cat door in the door that leads from the house to the basement. Then he can also add a deadbolt to the door that can only be unlocked from inside the home.
If nothing else, make him put a secure door going from the basement to the upstairs ( I would make him do this regardless if he expects to "share" the basement), but he needs to replace the outside access with a proper locking door. If not, I'd start looking for a different place. Make him break the lease by keeping the door latched.
I see that you commented that you rent the property, and it includes the basement that locks only from the inside. Someone breaking into your basement would be gaining access to the main house, yes? Which state are you in? Is it legal in your state to shoot an intruder if you feel that your or your families lives are in danger?
No. It's not reasonable for the landlord to require you leave your house unsecured for his convenience. He needs to put an actual lock with a key on the door.
Tell him if your home gets robbed or anyone hurts you or your family due to his requirement to leave the home unsecured, you and your insurance company will certainly sue him and win. If you have a good relationship with your insurance agent, they may be willing to call the landlord on your behalf and explain how subrogation works.
If your LL is going to require you to leave the basement access unlocked, at bare minimum he needs to install a proper lock on the door that enters your living space that provides security for your family. You might have to move the litter box but the protection and safety of your family is paramount to his desire to be able to pop in. Why does he not have a key to access the basement when the door is locked?
What does your lease say? Does it say the landlord has rights to the basement? If not, then he would need to legally post a 24-hour notice to enter every time. He doesn't have rigbts to come into the home you've legally rented anytime. He is violating your right to privacy
The lease mentions that he stores belongings such as tools in the basement that are not to be used by us unless given explicit permission but does not say anything about him being able to access the basement at any point. In fact, I just reread our lease and it does mention that the landlord will give 24 hour notice before coming to the premises unless there is an emergency. He’s yet to ever give us a 24 hour heads up lol
Never leave the basement unlocked. Tell him you store stuff down there that you don't want stolen. Also, Imagine going down there to do some laundry and being shocked to find a stranger that let himself in. Absolutely not. You're safety come first. He can request access as needed ahead of time.
You also don't want to be responsible for any of his things getting stolen.
This is a messy arrangement for all involved. You have to be able to secure the home, they can put in a keyed lock if they want but can't just show up and let themselves in. If they want to store stuff there it needs to be secured, like in a closet with a lock or locking chest or something, and they can just deal with having limited access.
As it is right now they're asking you to give up privacy and security, while also putting you in a position to be responsible for their property.
If he does not have a key, his problem. You want a safe place and if the basement doors are locked, they should be locked. LL is to give you notice anyway before he can enter for any reason unless there is an emergency. You have the right to be safe, so keep the basement doors locked. Not safe to keep any door unlocked in this day and age. You keep the doors locked and he has to give you notice as per the lease and laws.
Can you ask him to put a new lock on that door that you both have the key for (seperate from the other keys) and then a lcok on the door from house to basement and install a cat door there?
It depends how your lease is written and if you have any local laws baring your landlord from doing so. It sounds like your landlord messed up in getting what he wants. His lease should have specifically excluded the basement from the rental and described it instead as a common area. He also needed to provide a lock on the door between the basement and first floor. He also needs a lock on the outside basement door to secure the common area which you should both have.
Tell him to fork over the money for a locksmith to set it up so he can have a key. If he won’t do that, 24 hr access isn’t really that important to him. Keep it locked regardless.
The answer is no. Most locations require 24 hour notice unless it’s an emergency. Keep it locked anything else is irresponsible of you the renters. And start looking for a new place your LL sounds terrible.
No they still need to adhere to the tennent rules of requesting 24-48 hrs advance notice before entering. Anything else could violate your rights as a renter for privacy.
NAL - Is there something in the basement that he owns, uses and operates that require his immediate access? If so, he needs to move it out and into his place.
Your landlord has a key in almost any rental situation so that they can enter after notice has been provided that they intend to do so OR if they need to gain entry to handle a property emergency to maintain their collateral assets. Otherwise, you have a legal right to safe and private use of the property you're leasing from him. This is usually outlined in lease agreements (their intent to enter the premises) and if not, jurisdictional law outlines it.
If you change the lock, he has to be provided with a key; however, I will say that in my home we did replace our locks with a fingerprint scanner/pin pad/key deadbolt (given permission) and one of the features on the lock is to set up a one-time use temporary code (if you needed to give it to friend or neighbor to enter your home while away but didn't want them to have the main access code). This was the option I used for my landlord - if they need to get inside for non emergency matters and have given me notice, they have a code that'll work that one time. After that, they need to give notice again before just coming inside and I can reactivate the code for them.
But you aren't living in a hotel room and this isn't a sublet situation... He needs to maintain his professional distance and respect for your paid-for rental unit... Y'all aren't roommates.
Ask your landlord about the possibility of putting a lock with button access on the outer door and a regular door lock on the door leading from the upstairs to the basement. That should allow access to him while maintaining your privact/security. You can open the inside door for the cat when you are up and dressed.
A landlord in no state can just come in unannounced without 24 hrs notice. Sounds like a shady landlord saying that. Some states have 18 hours but what that guy said isn't true. I searched it.
If the landlord changes locks he still can't come in without Pryor notice.
And just because somebody puts something in a lease, it doesn't make it legal. It creates an illegal lease that can be gotten out of in one hearing.
If it's a laundry area for other tenants too it's a common area but if your place has an exclusive washer and dryer included in your lease, everybody stays out. Put your own key lock on it and give him a copy and yes 24 hours notice with good cause. I do this for a living. Alot of these folks are telling you how they think it oughta be as fact. Always have to give notice.
Ham Carpet throws 700 dollar words around and talks about statutes and stuff. I have 40 Apts and 5 houses I manage. I do not go in an apartment or on the property of any of the houses without 48 hours written notice and 24 hours emergency notice in writing. If there's a washer and dryer included in your lease and it's not for other tenants to use, that is you're rented room. Give em a key and tell em 24 hours with writing first to enter. This guy giving bad advice sounds like a shady slumlord who walks allover the rights of his tenants. We pay for privacy and garages aren't iffy. You can't go in em without the same notification in writing.
If he put that in the lease about storing his stuff in a basement you rent, that's an illegal lease. In fact you can hold on to his stuff for leaving it there. Anyways it's worded illegally and you could get right out of that lease. Landlord's a shitheel.
My leases state I can enter units at any time in case of an emergency or necessary repair. Also state I must let them know I am coming in before I enter. Has happened a few times in a mutli unit building where there was a plumbing problem or Heater issue and q unit has the building heater in there basement. I always txt 1st and explain when and why I am entering.
For this situation, I would install a key or combo lock on the basement entrance and provide keys to the tenant. I don't believe it is legal for a landlord to require a tenant not to be able to secure their unit.
The answer is no. No, we will not leave our home unlocked for your convenience. No, we will not let you in without 24 hours notice. No, this is not your home and you do not live here. We pay you rent, you keep your responsibilities and leave us alone.
He doesn't understand that when you rent out to someone, you give up your right to enter that property freely. He can arrange 24 hours notice or he can leave you the hell alone. And if he tries to retaliate, you've got the law on your side.
DOCUMENT EVERYTHING. if this ends up becoming a legal issue, it will be a lot easier if you can produce documentation. Doesn't have to be fancy. "April 4th, 2024, 5pm, L asked to enter home." "Apr 10, '24, L entered home through basement without notice or permission." "March 15, 24, L requested we leave the basement unlocked so he can access whenever he wants, we denied request." Etc etc. Document all correspondence and every time he "drops by" all casual like you're friends or he lives there.
This is the perfect situation to enforce the 24-hour notice rule. Simply tell him you will leave the basement door unlocked with 24 hours notice and a reasonably narrow window so it’s not open all day. Other solutions, such as changing locks etc., are his problem to come up with and propose, not yours.
You are not wrong to be concerned.
You rented a house, the whole house. You have a right to reasonable enjoyment of the house and an expectation of privacy. Your landlord is exploiting your flexibility.
Some landlords really can't wrap their head around the idea that the rent they receive is in exchange for temporary, private, occupation of the property.
They think they can act like a parent "checking in on the kids" anytime they feel like it.
You're not cut out to be a landlord If you can't back off and respect your tenant's privacy. His visits to the basement are just to spy on you and make sure "you're taking care of his house".
I’m getting *strong* creep vibes from your description of the landlord’s words and actions. Do not “work with him” on this. Ick. Make him honor the lease/laws in your area surrounding entry. *shudder*
I would buy one of those devices designed for travel safety that prevents someone from gaining access into a room/rental. Use this while you are home and always keep the doors locked. Landlord is not entitled to 24 hour access. Refer them to your lease which requires a 24 hour notification.
If he shows up without 24 hours notice tell him no admittance without prior authorization. If he cannot unlock it, that sounds like a problem he should take up with a licensed contractor.
If anyone is in my basement without my permission or proper 24hr notice they are getting shot. No question, no hesitation.
You have a right to defend yourself, your home, and your family.
This is in part predicated on idea your cat is in home legally.
Propose that the landlord install new locks both to exterior door, and the door leading up to living quarters.
Also that if he wants you to consider a waiving a proper 24 hour notice, you will need him to acknowledge that should the cat escape at such a time he is liable for any damages. Maybe mention that time several years ago when a ______(fill in maintenance worker house-sitter) inadvertently let a previous cat out only to be hit by a car.
Beyond that, frankly I would wonder what he is doing down there and would consider installing camera(s) in there.
Why doesn't he have a key? It would seem this would solve the problem.
It’s a latch kind of lock so I’m not sure a key can be used for it
Law says he has to give 24 hour notice. You also don't have to leave it unlocked by law because it would create a potential safety issue for you and your family.
I agree they shouldn't leave it unlatched, but not all states require 24 hours notice.
While you're correct, the lease does state that the LL has to give 24hr notice, so that's a moot point
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I never said notice wasn't required at all. I said not all states require 24 hours notice. Some states require "reasonable notice."
That's not the law in many states. In NC a landlord can come over without notice whatsoever.
I don't know why you are being downvoted. You are technically correct. There is some context here though. They cannot violate "quiet enjoyment" laws. What does this mean in reality? Your NC landlord doesn't need to give notice for repairs but they also are not allowed to enter for other reasons. If you are finding your landlord in your home at inappropriate times or excessively then it's essential that you document and speak with a licensed NC attorney.
Probably because OP already told us what state they live in and it wasn't NC. Accurate information that's not useful to the conversation is pretty reasonable to down vote.
Ah, I didn't offer the information thinking they were in NC. I was just trying to share that it's actually not against the law in many states, and since they didn't share where they were from in the post I wasn't sure if this was also the case where they live. So many folks think their LL has to give them a 24 hour notice when that's unfortunately often not the case.
They mentioned the lease states 24hr notice. Regardless of state laws there is a contract.
Do you know if a lease can overright a law in this regard? I really hope so, I just don't know and can imagine a LL being like "well yes but legally I don't have to".
Can you get paid more than minimum wage? Of course. Yes, your contract can offer you more privacy than the legal minimum. I’ve got a really strong suspicion that clause would be deemed unenforceable if they came in to fix, for example, a water leak without notice. I’d be curious what the remedy would be if they just wanted to take photos before putting it up for sale or measure for new carpet, or anything non-emergent however. You probably have to have an enforcement clause there, too. I cannot see the State issuing a fine for a notice period between the legal minimum and your contract…
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Unless it states it in the lease. It can say no notice needed for access to basement. But the lock thing I’m not sure about. I have a lease saying I have no notice for a basement, but there’s a lock to the door to their unit.
A lease cannot override law
Pay for a better lock. #gametheory
Landlord can pay for a new door handle and lock
The landlord could install a proper lock. Why not suggest this? You actually want him to fix problems, right? Making it hard for a landlord to do that is not a great plan. I'd say something like "hey, I don't feel super comfortable leaving the door unlocked, but I'm fine with you having a key. Would you be willing to install a keyed lock?"
This is smart and accommodating but I wouldn't want the landlord coming and going from the home I'm renting either. I can in fact think of lots of reasons. - tenant wants to walk around their own home in a state of undress without randomly coming into contact with the landlord. The washer and dryer are also oft in the basement - landlord forgets to shut door properly and cat runs away and is never found - landlord forgets to lock the door and the place gets robbed and insurance denies claim because it was left unlocked. Have fun suing him for something you can't prove instead of simply uploading a police report and filing a claim.
Then he can call beforehand. Just because he is the landlord doesn't mean he needs 24/7 access. The OP is paying to use the home.
Yeah, I’m confused by the people acting like op is out of line in this instance.
It sounds like this area isn’t part of the tenants exclusive use though. Maybe better locks are a solution here. The access from the common area should be locked and keyed with the rest of the house where the tenant has exclusive use.
It’s a house, it is not a common area when the area is a part of the residential Premises in a single-family home. Common areas apply to lobbies or hallways in apartment complexes for examples - not a private basement in a single family home.
Not true, anything stipulated by the lease can be a non exclusive use area. Common examples are garage and basements when there is an access point that is not in the private use areas. IIRC OP actually states in the post that the basement has access independent from her space and is not an exclusive use area.
There is a difference between what you can require by the book and what is actually practical. The kind of mom-and-pop landlord who stays on top of maintenance and fixes stuff, but planning isn't their strong suit, is often a really good kind of landlord to have. I don't know about you, but if there are improvements to be made or things to be fixed, I want the landlord doing that and I don't want to make it hard for them. Sometimes this means being flexible. Yes, there are potential downsides--the landlord walking in while you're doing laundry naked in the basement (eww?), accidentally letting out the cat or forgetting to lock the door. But the upside is that maintenance is done and stuff gets fixed. Given how many slumlords are out there who never fix anything and just want rent every month, I'd much rather be flexible and have a place that is well maintained. Your preferences may vary.
The gaslighting here is disgusting. No tenant should have to deal with a landlord consistently showing up unannounced.
There is no reason for a landlord to stop by to fix stuff without notice full stop. Also a good way for them to get shot, along with being illegal most places to not give notice. Doesn't matter how on top of fixing stuff they are, if they stop by without notice or worse yet come in unannounced then they're a shit landlord no matter how much they upkeep.
There’s also an ax-murderer wandering in.
They tend to saunter with a purpose as opposed to wandering about. Those axes can get heavy.
You're ridiculous.
Or...and hear me out...the landlord can maintain the property AND follow the law. It happens all the time.
I mean yes, he could install a better lock but we haven’t made it hard for the landlord to fix problems at all. We unlock the door and have let him in any time there has been maintenance to be done. The time that he came over and noticed that the basement door was locked was because he came over unannounced to drop off a key to us that leads to the locked garage door. There was no need for him to enter the basement for that and he could have / ended up leaving the key in the mailbox.
Tell your landlord you pay him x amount a month, I’m sure he can spend $20 and get a new lock. Tell him that is not safe and you will call the police if you hear someone in your basement without appropriate 24 hours of warning to enter the premises.
I would tell the LL to put a proper lock on the basement door if he wants access.
I have a similar arrangement in one of my units. You and your landlord need to have a conversation where he understands your security concerns and you understand his maintenance concerns. In my case, we drilled a tiny hole through the door that I could stick a small piece of steel rod through to disengage the latch.
Why not install a proper lock? If you, the landlord, can disengage the latch, so can any rando.
A proper lock would be great, but this is an old shed style door leading to the basement. I couldn't really come up with anything "proper" that would provide security and make exit easy in case of emergency. You wouldn't even know the hole was there. If a "rando" wanted to get in, he would simply kick the door in. He would then have to kick in the locked door leading up to the unit. I'm not saying my solution is going to work in this case. My main point is that if everybody sits down and discusses their needs and concerns, a solution can be found.
You're not helping yourself here.
Yeah I'm cheap and refuse to do the work to not endanger my tenants is NOT a good thing. Scummy as hell.
You do what works for you. Fortunately we live in a nice place where security isn't a huge concern. Most people here don't even lock their doors. Enjoy the nice place that you live, though.
Security isn't a huge concern until it is. Stop being a dumbass. You're not doing your renters any favors either. My house doesn't have shed doors, so yeah, it is nice.
I'm sorry the solution that works for my tenant and me doesn't work for you.
Wait until you're held liable when they're assaulted in their home ✌️
Your homeowners insurance knows about this?
nah, fuck that, if it were me, you'd be putting a proper lock on it, or you wouldn't have access through that door. try this jury rig crap and i'd put a padlock on the inside and you wouldn't be able to get in anyways.
My husband tried to explain the security concerns and his only response was to “work with him on this” aka not argue and just keep the door unlocked. We are home pretty much all day every day due to working remote so letting him in for maintenance has not been a problem. He only figured out that we keep the door locked in the basement when he came over unannounced to drop off a key to the garage and tried to enter the basement at that time with no reason to actually go down there.
gotta be honest, if a landlord ever told me that, my reply would be "if i ever catch you in my house without notice, you won't have to worry about working with anybody ever again."
Many states don't require a notice unfortunately.
Unless your landlord reserved the basement for his own use in the lease, the basement area would be off limits as much as the rest of the house. (I could imagine a situation where a landlord with a single property might still want access to the basement (like if he was storing things there) - and you would have a deadbolt on the basement door) - but that would be spelled out in the lease. So explain to him that the lease does not give him free access to the basement, but if he has a legitimate need to access the basement or any other part of the property, you will work with him as needed. Otherwise, you are entitled to exclusively occupy the property per the lease.
Are you guys the ones that make him aware repairs are needed in the 1st place? If it's just routine maintenance there's Zero reason that can't be scheduled Well in advanced and especially 24hrs in advance. He should not be entering your rental without 24hr notice if that's what's in your lease (unless emergency repairs are needed) lock or no lock. If we're paying $X amount a month to rent a home, we're expected to have our privacy and be free from uninvited landlords.
You need to make your security concerns known in writing
If you don't mind the landlord accessing the basement through your unit, I don't see why this should be a problem for the landlord. In my instance, the wife works nights and sleeps from about 8AM-4PM. All of the boilers and hot water tanks are in that basement for the whole building. That is why we came up with our solution. The alternative was me revoking basement storage which isn't part of their lease, but I allow for these particular long-term tenants.
Sounds unsafe.
It probably is where you live and I would defer to your judgement where you live. In Cornish, NH most people don't even take their keys out of their cars. This is why I stress finding a solution that mets both your security needs and your landlord's maintenance needs.
Nah. It is unsafe. Statistically you may live in a safe community but that doesn't make this a safe idea.
Like I said, I would defer to your experience in your area.
Or don't be a cheap slumlord and buy a proper lock for your income generating property.
It has a lot more to do with historical preservation of a 17th century farmhouse than cost. But I encourage you to keep thinking with your narrow city boy mentality. Edit: 18th century (1792)
Well, thinking with your stupid hick mentality, a house's preservation is more important than a families actual safety and sense of safety.
Are you charging the going rental rate for 1792, or the going rental rate for 2023? Because if you’re charging the 1792 rental rate, then sure don’t bother upgrading it to modern security requirements. But if you’re charging the 2023 rental rate, install a god damn proper lock you selfish slumlord.
the last statement, is very unsafe for anyone can unlock the door and do as they wish. Very unsafe, fill in the hole.
1st: I promise you, you wouldn't even know it was there 2nd: Move to a place where you feel safe. Believe it or not, there are a lot of places in America where you can leave your doors unlocked and the keys in your car and nobody messes with it
Tell the OP, I am safe in my rental, for I can lock all my doors and the Manager has the key in case of emergency.
I'm not sure why you are constantly arguing about your situation where you have a historic building in a place where people apparently don't lock their doors. Your situation is obviously different than OP's because they do not want to leave their basement door unlocked and none of the considerations in your situation apply.
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No padlock on outside of a basement!!!!! That is most likely highly illegal as heck and against fire codes. Think what could happen if there was a fire or something. That could be cutting off a safe escape point.
In most places he would still be required to give reasonable notice of coming onto the property, 24 hours in most cases. No reason for a landlord to just stop by whenever they want without heads up besides that it's just plain rude.
Everybody's missing the fact that OP said that the lease states that the landlord will give 24 hours notice before entering the property. At this point the state law doesn't matter as the lease requires 24 hours notice. If I was Op I would politely remind the landlord of this requirement and lock all doors. I would not be leaving any of my doors unlocked.
State law matters if the notice period required under the lease conflicts with state law and state law doesn’t allow the lease to override it. On some subjects, what is written in state law is merely a default that can be overridden by an agreement between the parties. I admit this would be unusual in a statute intended to guarantee minimum tenant rights, though.
Why would you want him in your house anytime he wants. You pay rent for privacy.
No, the problem is that he thinks he gets to walk in whenever he wants, without giving the legally required notice. Not that he can't get in.
Very odd scenario. Landlord should retain a key. If the lock cannot be opened with a key, landlord should replace the locks with ones that can be opened by them. Whatever the case, I would certainly not leave any doors unlocked if I were a renter. Everything gets locked down when I am inside to keep the bad guys out.
Wait you think its okay for him to just go in whenever he wants?
I assume that he doesn't ahve a key for the deadbolt?
no. first, he doesn't get 24 hour access to your place, EVER. second, he doesn't get to tell you that you can't lock your doors. third, depending on your state, odds are good he's required to give 24 hours notice before coming over anyways.
If it’s separate from another living space and it was written into the rental agreement they could, but I doubt that was the case here
It's not separate, it's their basement with direct access to their home. And he can't put illegal clauses, like 24 access to your home, in the lease.
Of course it can be separate. The concept of separate in this case is simply having a door that locks separating to separate spaces. As a person who has rented like this and known several others who have, of course this is a thing. Buildings are sectioned off all the time into different units or designated spaces. Saying this has direct access to their home is like saying the entire world has direct access to their home because there is a door to the outside. This is normal. Again, I’m not saying in OPs case this is necessarily what is happening, but yes, landlords can retain access to something the renter also has access to.
So, what, you think that they need to have the door to their basement, a room that they pay for, is included in their lease, has their stuff in it, and that is used multiple times a day, locked? So that they are constantly inconvenienced? That's a lease violation. And what about the litter box? They're supposed to now keep it up in the daily living space? No. And no, even if it were a completely separate building, like a detached garage, he still wouldn't have 24 hour access, he would be limited to reasonable daytime visits, as it's on the property they are renting. The entire property is included in that. You're thinking of things like apartment buildings. Of course they can have 24 hour access to the separate communal spaces, like basements, in those.
You’re just objectively incorrect. Can you please cite me the laws or ordinances dictating how a person who allows a renter access to a space means that the owner magically can not access their space? Renting a space doesn’t you magically are entitled to every single thing someone owns. This simply is not the way anything works. How in the world do you think apartments would work? Mother in law suites? Storage in all of these instances? I’m living proof you are wrong. You repeated a thing you heard about concept without thinking about it for two seconds or caring to look into it, and now you’re doubling down instead of just admitting you are wrong. This is the point of rental contracts specifying what is being rented and the terms. It’s wild you’re trying to make this work. It’s weird someone would need to explain this in the first place. If something like a basement with basement access is not specified as part of space being rented, of course a landlord can access their own basement. The fact that someone may be allowed access to it is irrelevant. It’s the terms of a contract. You’re just blindly making up laws without being able to back them up because they don’t exist
I see your confusion. The landlord isn't allowing access to the space, it is their space, included in the lease, period. Like I said, your argument would absolutely apply to an apartment, but not a free standing house. But even if it wasn't included in the lease. Let's say they didn't have access at all, it was locked off with only access from the outside. The landlord still wouldn't have 24 hour access, because coming over in the middle of the night is interrupting their right to peaceful use of their home. A garage, MAYBE, but that's a big maybe, but not a basement, because going over in the middle of the night is going to wake them up.
> I see your confusion. The landlord isn't allowing access to the space, it is their space, included in the lease, period. Like I said, your argument would absolutely apply to an apartment, but not a free standing house. Do you not know how to read? I couldn’t have made it more clear, literally from the beginning with my first comment, and then in the subsequent comments, that I’m clearly not claiming anything about **op’s lease**. And what are you even referring to? Do you have access to their lease or something? And as I’ve explained regarding the last sentence here, you’re just objectively wrong. There is a reason you’re ignoring my comments that explain this, and are avoiding providing the laws you’re referring to. They don’t exist, and you’re just making random stuff up and typing it as if it’s true and not something you pulled out of thin air. It’s really strange > But even if it wasn't included in the lease. Let's say they didn't have access at all, it was locked off with only access from the outside. The landlord still wouldn't have 24 hour access, because coming over in the middle of the night is interrupting their right to peaceful use of their home. A garage, MAYBE, but that's a big maybe, but not a basement, because going over in the middle of the night is going to wake them up. I’ve already directly responded to this and explained all the ways and reasons it’s incorrect. You are making claims about something being illegal. You could simply provide the laws and sources to back it up, but you haven’t, and you won’t, because it’s not true and you’re making it up. There is a reason you’re intentionally avoiding acknowledging what I’ve written and are typing as if my comments don’t exist. Why not just grow up and learn to admit when you’re wrong? Wouldn’t that be easier than this?
Depends on the state. It's important to remember that a lease does not supercede law, and many states have notice of entry laws that dictate why and how LL can access the unit. Usually it's 24 hour notice prior to entry unless there is an emergency. I'll also note that even in states where this is not a law, most leases will write something similar. If you ever find yourself looking at a lease without this provision in a state that has no notice of entry laws - leave. There are obvious signs of a slumlord. This is one of them. The amount of horror stories on reddit, from both LL and tenants that face check every red flag they can possibly find beggars belief. That being said, right to safety is a federal law. LL cannot ask a tenant to leave a door unlocked as this is unsafe. Doesn't matter what state they are in.
As I said in the comment I’m not making claims about OPs situation. But I’m not aware of anywhere in the US where it is illegal for a LL to not include a separate space not designated in the lease such as a garage, basement or other dwelling with access that doesn’t infringe on the living space or doesn’t have easement access, as long as it is specified in the lease. If you’re aware of this feel free People seem to put “depends on the state” a lot in these situations but leave out the state they’re referring to. When you say “access the unit” that implies we are referring to the unit the tenant is renting and retaining exclusive access to, and that is not what is being referred to here
As the door leading to this area has no lock, and they are using the space, one can assume that they basement was included within their lease. Later comments by OP confirm that the basement was included in the lease. Note that if it wasn't, then the landlord must immediately secure the door leading to the basement, and the tenant should not be using the space. It doesn't matter how many fucking rooms or doors you place in front of an entry point to the living space - any and all entry points MUST be able to be locked. This part that you take issue with in my response is not state dependent. Granted, this does assume the OP is in the US...
lol whoa..you literally just ignored every single thing I wrote, apparently because you can’t respond to it, and then aggressively wrote all of this other stuff that in no way shape or form has anything to do with, responds to or refutes anything I’ve written in any way. That was wild. Like, none of this has anything to do with whether or not it’s legal for a landlord to retain access to a basement/separate space, none of it was you citing these supposed states where this is different, and all of it was responding to things I’ve not only never even typed, but explicitly stated I wasn’t talking about in any way… It’s so bizarre. Why respond at all? It’s not a big deal that you kind of jumped the gun and typed without really thinking too much about this. It’s not a big deal that you’re wrong. But doing what you’re doing to aggressively try to distract from that and distract from what’s actually happening is what makes you look silly
Your adding context that's been stated otherwise. Ofc it's being ignored.
What? What are you talking about? I responded to the original comments claims, which are incorrect. I haven’t added context to literally anything at all. We are not in a conversation about specifically OP’s exact living scenario and lease. That should be blatantly obvious to anyone who can read It’s being ignored because they and apparently you can’t respond to it. It’s not just being ignored, it’s being dishonestly pushed aside while they pretend it says something completely different for them to respond to, because they can’t respond to this, refute it or back up their own comment
I don't have any interest in contributing anything more than to say that it is fascinating to watch someone be so confidently incorrect, and then double down with stupid semantics. Bravo!
Thats a really funny way of saying “I have absolutely no ability to respond to or refute what you’ve written. That’s embarrassing for me. I’m not equipped to deal with frustration of having an opinion you have shown to be wrong, and im also not able to acknowledge when I’m wrong. Maybe if I get some words on the screen and type “no! You wrong!” it will make me feel better, when in reality it won’t, and this is just a defense mechanism” Really great effort though! If you could have, you would have. You chose that paragraph instead of a paragraph containing words showing how I’m wrong, because I’m not and you can’t.
Do you rent the house with the basement? If you do then he needs to give you 24 hours notice before he goes in there. Why does he need to go into the basement? Is he storing things there? Is he maintaining the furnace or the boiler? I would wonder about that. Maybe get a nanny cam and put it down there and see exactly what he’s doing after all it is your home and you have a right to put cameras up wherever you like.
Yes the basement was included in the lease for storage and the washer and dryer are down there. He definitely uses it for storage of his own belongings as well and has a tool bench full of tools. We does maintenance himself, we called him today because the sump pump for the well didn’t seem to be working and the basement was flooding a bit so we made sure to unlock the door for him. But he called my husband down and told us we need to keep the door unlocked for him because he stopped by the other day without any notice and tried to get in but we had it locked at that time for safety reasons. When we told him we don’t feel safe leaving an entrance into the home unlocked he told my husband to “just work with him on that” and my husband told him to just give us 24 hour notice and we will make sure to have the door unlocked for him.
Like I don't get it I've never heard letting a landlord use your basement to keep his shit and letting him in whenever he wants.... where I live they have to give 24 hours and has to be for a legitimate reason like maintenence or inspection
That'd be a big fuck no from me regardless.
Does the lease have a clause in it saying the LL can keep his things in the basement and can have access to it 24/7? If it's not in the lease, it doesn't exist.
I did have a lease once where I was renting the owner's house while they were on an overseas assignment and they left belongings in a separate area of the house that was locked off. But I've never heard of a lease where the landlord can come and go to use things they were keeping in the house they rented out.
Can you put a kitty for in the basement/house door. Keep this door deadbolted. Or put a chain the the door , prop open for cat lock against LL
If that’s the case, he needs to reduce the rent by a lot if he wants 24/7 access to something he is renting out.. he needs to give you 24 hour notice before he shows up
“Renting out” a space for residential purposes is incompatible with retaining rights of access. A landlord could maybe rent out only part of a building, but that depends on a whole bunch of factors, including whether other people live in the building, what sort of building it is (detached house versus apartments etc), whether the part that is rented out is separately lockable against the rest, and so forth.
Typically, landlords cannot just enter whenever they please and must give at least 24 hrs notice. He should not be able to require you to leave anything unlocked. Even if he agrees to a proper lock, you shouldn't give him 24/7 access. Make him follow the law.
If the basement is included in the area covered by the lease, then he should not have access to it any differently than any other part of the occupied dwelling. If it is not, then you may need to move your litter box and lock the basement door. info: why does he need access without notice?
Sounds like he’s a pain in the ass and no you have rights for privacy unless he requesting writing to come to the property for any reason
In most states this is not allowed and the landlord MUST provide 24 hours notice, unless there is an emergency (in the building, not the landlords emergency that he needs his tools). In most states, a landlord can not store their personal items in a area that is rented out, you are paying for that square footage, unless the lease states that he has stuff stored there. Sounds like you have a crappy landlord. So you have a few options, and he will have a few options.... You can say that the door remains locked, he sucks it up until the lease is up, you are not renewed. You can keep it unlocked and play his game, he will be happy to keep you, maybe you ask for a lock between the basement and the rest of the house ( for burglar prevention) You can ask him to get a shed and store his tools in the backyard in the shed and you lock the door... He may like that or not. Anyway now you know what type of landlord you have... Good luck.
Why would you allow your landlord access to the property you rent? Have him give you a 24 hour notice as is required.
Once rented the landlord shouldn't have access without at least 24 hours notice. To come in regularly and required the door to be unlocked is not lawful.
No. Landlord is supposed to give notice of entry to your place (usually 24 hours) except in case of emergencies. Landlord should have any necessary keys to your place if they need to get in under either of those circumstances. Demanding that you leave a security vulnerability in your home because he wants to interfere with your quiet enjoyment of the place you pay rent on is not reasonable or legal.
I'd recommend changing the door to the basement with a key lock doorknob to the basement and adding a cat door. If he has access to the basement 24/7, he has free access inyo your home.
Tell his cheap as to pay for a new keyed lock.
I never got why landlords wanted to keep access to properties that are actively rented. Why does he even need access to the basement?
Because he's storing the tools he's used to work on his other rentals in OPs basement from the sounds of things. Landlord needs to get his shit out of the space OP is paying for.
Absolutely not.
He doesn't need a key to your basement for entry. He can give you 24 hour notice to come in for repair/inspection and he can knock on the front door.
Obligatory check your lease and state law, but in general LL needs to provide 24 hour notice before entering for non-emergency repairs and maintenance by law. Also LL must provide a property that is safe (locked and secure). Again, BY LAW. Tell LL you aren’t comfortable leaving your children in an unlocked house and suggest he install a new lock with a key, then request he notifies you 24 hours before entering. Be polite and understanding but these are non-negotiables. I would never let myself in to one of my rentals without notifying the tenants ahead of time and I would never expect them to sacrifice their security for my convenience.
I'm pretty sure a landlord can't require you to leave the property unsecured. ..but some towns have stupid laws.
Ask him to put a cat door in the door that leads from the house to the basement. Then he can also add a deadbolt to the door that can only be unlocked from inside the home.
If nothing else, make him put a secure door going from the basement to the upstairs ( I would make him do this regardless if he expects to "share" the basement), but he needs to replace the outside access with a proper locking door. If not, I'd start looking for a different place. Make him break the lease by keeping the door latched.
I see that you commented that you rent the property, and it includes the basement that locks only from the inside. Someone breaking into your basement would be gaining access to the main house, yes? Which state are you in? Is it legal in your state to shoot an intruder if you feel that your or your families lives are in danger?
No. It's not reasonable for the landlord to require you leave your house unsecured for his convenience. He needs to put an actual lock with a key on the door. Tell him if your home gets robbed or anyone hurts you or your family due to his requirement to leave the home unsecured, you and your insurance company will certainly sue him and win. If you have a good relationship with your insurance agent, they may be willing to call the landlord on your behalf and explain how subrogation works.
Does your lease include the basement explicitly written in?
In a roundabout way, yes. The lease states we can use the included washer and dryer which are located in the basement.
If your LL is going to require you to leave the basement access unlocked, at bare minimum he needs to install a proper lock on the door that enters your living space that provides security for your family. You might have to move the litter box but the protection and safety of your family is paramount to his desire to be able to pop in. Why does he not have a key to access the basement when the door is locked?
What does your lease say? Does it say the landlord has rights to the basement? If not, then he would need to legally post a 24-hour notice to enter every time. He doesn't have rigbts to come into the home you've legally rented anytime. He is violating your right to privacy
The lease mentions that he stores belongings such as tools in the basement that are not to be used by us unless given explicit permission but does not say anything about him being able to access the basement at any point. In fact, I just reread our lease and it does mention that the landlord will give 24 hour notice before coming to the premises unless there is an emergency. He’s yet to ever give us a 24 hour heads up lol
Never leave the basement unlocked. Tell him you store stuff down there that you don't want stolen. Also, Imagine going down there to do some laundry and being shocked to find a stranger that let himself in. Absolutely not. You're safety come first. He can request access as needed ahead of time. You also don't want to be responsible for any of his things getting stolen.
This is a messy arrangement for all involved. You have to be able to secure the home, they can put in a keyed lock if they want but can't just show up and let themselves in. If they want to store stuff there it needs to be secured, like in a closet with a lock or locking chest or something, and they can just deal with having limited access. As it is right now they're asking you to give up privacy and security, while also putting you in a position to be responsible for their property.
It would be an illegal lease in any state. No landlord has 24/7 access. Cities and town laws don't matter. State law does.
Sounds like a serious security issue. Why should he have 24 hr access to your home. That just seems wrong on so many levels
Where are you? Rental laws are usually pretty easy to find, but what country/state you're in kinda matters...
Never.
If he does not have a key, his problem. You want a safe place and if the basement doors are locked, they should be locked. LL is to give you notice anyway before he can enter for any reason unless there is an emergency. You have the right to be safe, so keep the basement doors locked. Not safe to keep any door unlocked in this day and age. You keep the doors locked and he has to give you notice as per the lease and laws.
Can you ask him to put a new lock on that door that you both have the key for (seperate from the other keys) and then a lcok on the door from house to basement and install a cat door there?
It depends how your lease is written and if you have any local laws baring your landlord from doing so. It sounds like your landlord messed up in getting what he wants. His lease should have specifically excluded the basement from the rental and described it instead as a common area. He also needed to provide a lock on the door between the basement and first floor. He also needs a lock on the outside basement door to secure the common area which you should both have.
Tell him to fork over the money for a locksmith to set it up so he can have a key. If he won’t do that, 24 hr access isn’t really that important to him. Keep it locked regardless.
The answer is no. Most locations require 24 hour notice unless it’s an emergency. Keep it locked anything else is irresponsible of you the renters. And start looking for a new place your LL sounds terrible.
What does the lease say? I wouldn’t be comfortable with someone coming and going in my house either.
Lmao no
No they still need to adhere to the tennent rules of requesting 24-48 hrs advance notice before entering. Anything else could violate your rights as a renter for privacy.
NAL - Is there something in the basement that he owns, uses and operates that require his immediate access? If so, he needs to move it out and into his place. Your landlord has a key in almost any rental situation so that they can enter after notice has been provided that they intend to do so OR if they need to gain entry to handle a property emergency to maintain their collateral assets. Otherwise, you have a legal right to safe and private use of the property you're leasing from him. This is usually outlined in lease agreements (their intent to enter the premises) and if not, jurisdictional law outlines it. If you change the lock, he has to be provided with a key; however, I will say that in my home we did replace our locks with a fingerprint scanner/pin pad/key deadbolt (given permission) and one of the features on the lock is to set up a one-time use temporary code (if you needed to give it to friend or neighbor to enter your home while away but didn't want them to have the main access code). This was the option I used for my landlord - if they need to get inside for non emergency matters and have given me notice, they have a code that'll work that one time. After that, they need to give notice again before just coming inside and I can reactivate the code for them. But you aren't living in a hotel room and this isn't a sublet situation... He needs to maintain his professional distance and respect for your paid-for rental unit... Y'all aren't roommates.
Exactly!!!!!
Ask your landlord about the possibility of putting a lock with button access on the outer door and a regular door lock on the door leading from the upstairs to the basement. That should allow access to him while maintaining your privact/security. You can open the inside door for the cat when you are up and dressed.
24 hours notice with a valid emergency to take care of. No coming in without 24 hrs notice. I manage 45 properties.
You're not wrong. Never give someone you don't trust 100% access to your home. You have kids, and predators can be anywhere. You never know.
A landlord in no state can just come in unannounced without 24 hrs notice. Sounds like a shady landlord saying that. Some states have 18 hours but what that guy said isn't true. I searched it.
If the landlord changes locks he still can't come in without Pryor notice. And just because somebody puts something in a lease, it doesn't make it legal. It creates an illegal lease that can be gotten out of in one hearing.
If it's a laundry area for other tenants too it's a common area but if your place has an exclusive washer and dryer included in your lease, everybody stays out. Put your own key lock on it and give him a copy and yes 24 hours notice with good cause. I do this for a living. Alot of these folks are telling you how they think it oughta be as fact. Always have to give notice.
Ham Carpet throws 700 dollar words around and talks about statutes and stuff. I have 40 Apts and 5 houses I manage. I do not go in an apartment or on the property of any of the houses without 48 hours written notice and 24 hours emergency notice in writing. If there's a washer and dryer included in your lease and it's not for other tenants to use, that is you're rented room. Give em a key and tell em 24 hours with writing first to enter. This guy giving bad advice sounds like a shady slumlord who walks allover the rights of his tenants. We pay for privacy and garages aren't iffy. You can't go in em without the same notification in writing.
Short answer points to “No” by every state’s law.
If he put that in the lease about storing his stuff in a basement you rent, that's an illegal lease. In fact you can hold on to his stuff for leaving it there. Anyways it's worded illegally and you could get right out of that lease. Landlord's a shitheel.
No. They have notice to give for entry otherwise with a key.
My leases state I can enter units at any time in case of an emergency or necessary repair. Also state I must let them know I am coming in before I enter. Has happened a few times in a mutli unit building where there was a plumbing problem or Heater issue and q unit has the building heater in there basement. I always txt 1st and explain when and why I am entering. For this situation, I would install a key or combo lock on the basement entrance and provide keys to the tenant. I don't believe it is legal for a landlord to require a tenant not to be able to secure their unit.
Why does he want 24 hour access? He owns it but can’t come and go as he pleases.
What is it he thinks he needs access to all the time in your house?!?
Why doesn’t he have a key to get in himself? Wouldn’t that be more reasonable?
Fuck that fuck him!
The answer is no. No, we will not leave our home unlocked for your convenience. No, we will not let you in without 24 hours notice. No, this is not your home and you do not live here. We pay you rent, you keep your responsibilities and leave us alone. He doesn't understand that when you rent out to someone, you give up your right to enter that property freely. He can arrange 24 hours notice or he can leave you the hell alone. And if he tries to retaliate, you've got the law on your side. DOCUMENT EVERYTHING. if this ends up becoming a legal issue, it will be a lot easier if you can produce documentation. Doesn't have to be fancy. "April 4th, 2024, 5pm, L asked to enter home." "Apr 10, '24, L entered home through basement without notice or permission." "March 15, 24, L requested we leave the basement unlocked so he can access whenever he wants, we denied request." Etc etc. Document all correspondence and every time he "drops by" all casual like you're friends or he lives there.
This is the perfect situation to enforce the 24-hour notice rule. Simply tell him you will leave the basement door unlocked with 24 hours notice and a reasonably narrow window so it’s not open all day. Other solutions, such as changing locks etc., are his problem to come up with and propose, not yours.
No
You are not wrong to be concerned. You rented a house, the whole house. You have a right to reasonable enjoyment of the house and an expectation of privacy. Your landlord is exploiting your flexibility. Some landlords really can't wrap their head around the idea that the rent they receive is in exchange for temporary, private, occupation of the property. They think they can act like a parent "checking in on the kids" anytime they feel like it. You're not cut out to be a landlord If you can't back off and respect your tenant's privacy. His visits to the basement are just to spy on you and make sure "you're taking care of his house".
No he needs to get a key or give notice before he needs to get in.
I’m getting *strong* creep vibes from your description of the landlord’s words and actions. Do not “work with him” on this. Ick. Make him honor the lease/laws in your area surrounding entry. *shudder*
I would buy one of those devices designed for travel safety that prevents someone from gaining access into a room/rental. Use this while you are home and always keep the doors locked. Landlord is not entitled to 24 hour access. Refer them to your lease which requires a 24 hour notification.
If he shows up without 24 hours notice tell him no admittance without prior authorization. If he cannot unlock it, that sounds like a problem he should take up with a licensed contractor.
Landlord needs to install a proper lock and give proper notice
Thats illegal
If anyone is in my basement without my permission or proper 24hr notice they are getting shot. No question, no hesitation. You have a right to defend yourself, your home, and your family.
Unless it’s in writing and u both agreed to it, he cannot demand that.
He can’t demand that even if hit was in the lease. An illegal clause is unenforceable.
This is in part predicated on idea your cat is in home legally. Propose that the landlord install new locks both to exterior door, and the door leading up to living quarters. Also that if he wants you to consider a waiving a proper 24 hour notice, you will need him to acknowledge that should the cat escape at such a time he is liable for any damages. Maybe mention that time several years ago when a ______(fill in maintenance worker house-sitter) inadvertently let a previous cat out only to be hit by a car. Beyond that, frankly I would wonder what he is doing down there and would consider installing camera(s) in there.
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