- This topic has 1 reply, 2 voices, and was last updated 14 years, 3 months ago by .
-
Topic
-
Our Rental Rant a couple of weeks ago about changing locks to keep out a ‘creepy’ landlord stirred up a lot of comments on the online version of the Herald.
“I’d suggest a bit of diplomacy; tell him that you’re very safety conscious as a woman living alone and you’re worried about unexpectedly finding someone in the flat because you might get really scared and unnecessarily bother the police, your neighbours, or your boyfriend who just left the army to pursue a full time career as a fitness model,” said DisDis.
“Can I suggest you install a hidden camera in your place?” a Sydney reader. “These days you can get hidden cameras that are relatively inexpensive … some even have a motion sensor on them so they only turn on where there’s somebody there.”
“That’s appalling that the landlord just helped himself without you knowing,” says a good landlord. “If the rental market wasn’t so tight, I’d advise you to leave and see what action can be taken against him. Or just leave anyway, despite the market.”
“Go ahead and change the lock!” says your right. “The only way he will notice it is when he tries to enter the place while you are not there, which is a tangible proof against him. If he asks you: why did you change the lock? You answer him: why did you try to enter place without my permission?”
It’s a lively debate: read it all about it HERE.
If you want to be alerted when anyone replies to your posts or responds to this topic, please register and login, then you will be able to subscribe to the topic. The opinions offered in these Forum posts and replies are not intended to be taken as legal advice. Readers with serious issues should consult experienced strata lawyers. NB: Longer threads may spill over to additional pages - look for the numbers on the bottom right, under the last post.
-
Replies
-
Surely a valid lease gives a person a right to sole occupancy as such isn’t the act by the landlord illegal? I think the lady should do the two things suggested ie install a camera and try a bit of diplomacy.
In theory it is easy to say just confront the landlord but in practice that can turn out badly without proof. If the lady has video proof it will help if things turn nasty.
Certainly the diplomacy route should be tried first and the angle of ‘safety conscious’ is a great way to broach this.
If the lady gets video evidence it should make her a lot more comfortable about asking for her rights to be protected. She doesn’t have to use the video. Last time I checked it wasn’t illegal to video in your own house (which is what a lease means).