Locks - A Matter Of Life & Death

Locks - A Matter Of Life And Death

I received a request recently from a resident manager in Hamilton asking me to address the issue of providing the Landlord with a key to any extra locks you may have on your door. What this man went through to help a tenant was way beyond the call of duty. Quite frankly, many people in his position wouldn't bother. Here is his story, as I remember it: John (alias) was called by a neighbour of Mrs. Smith (alias) a tenant residing in a building in which he was a resident manger. The neighbour told John that she had not seen the woman across the hall from her within the last day and she generally saw her everyday when she came out to pick up her mail. Since the lady in question was elderly, the neighbour felt compelled to notify John of her concerns.

John went to the apartment of Mrs. Smith, knocked on the door and received no response. He then tried his master key which worked on the lower lock, but the tenant had installed another lock directly above for added security. John then called the police and when they arrived they approached the resident's door again. They knocked repeatedly to no avail. John then entered Mrs. Smith's next door neighbour's apartment (with that tenant's knowledge ) and proceeded to shimmy around the partition that adjoined the two balconies. When he looked through the window he saw the resident lying face-down on the floor. He had no choice but to break the window in order to gain access to the suite. It was too late. Mrs. Smith had already passed away.

The landlord has a legal right to a copy of any key for any lock installed by a tenant. The Landlord must be able to access your suite in cases of emergency. It could be a matter of life and death. The above is just one example of the importance of one key.

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