The Sydney Morning Herald received the following letter in reply to this column:
The SMH column “Rental Rant” 5-6 May 2012, was not doing what it could to foster good communications between landlords and tenants.
A young female tenant said that her landlord “creeps” her out, “ogles” her a lot and she had the feeling that he had been in her flat when she was out. The question was, could she change the locks to stop the landlord from just walking in, after finding the landlord in her unit fixing a light she had asked to be fixed.
The answer given was surprising. Advising that you can’t change the locks without giving the landlord a key within seven days or you would breach your lease. The answer then continued with “However, if the landlord isn’t coming round while you are out, how is he going to know that you have changed them?”
The landlords presence in her unit could have simply been a misunderstanding. He may have not realised that the tenant wanted to be home. Why not suggest that the tenant either talks to or sends a letter to the landlord thanking him for fixing the light and a request that in future could he please organise a time with her for any maintenance to be done so she could be present.
Why encourage an tenant to breach their lease as the first step, without seeking a simpler solution first? Better communications between landlords and tenants could save a lot of unnecessary upset on both sides.