Wednesday, May 05, 2010

 

Keys!

Keys are the bane of a landlord's existence. Actually they are pretty bad for Realtors too. A few years ago I added a clause to my lease rider that stated that checking to make sure you have all the proper keys to all the necessary doors is the responsibility of the tenants. The tenants have 48 hours to contact me about missing or bad keys. Over the years I can't tell you how many times I have received calls from tenants months to years after they have moved in saying I never got that key. How on earth am I supposed to check up on a transaction that occurred 10 months ago? Everyone always calls after the expensive locksmith has gotten them in the apartment and they want me to reimburse them for the cost. I always ask why did they not call me first if they want me to pay for it.
My favorite story is a girl who locked herself out while moving in and did not have a key she needed for the door. I told I would come let her in but it was going to take me an hour to get there. She waited patiently. When I got there I asked to see her keys. I knew right away which key opened the door and I asked why she had not tried it. She said she did not think that was the right key!! I figured she got her just desserts since she had to wait an hour to get in but I can't understand what is going through their heads.

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