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I live in a block of dual key units that has a foyer, which is my property. The front door leading into the foyer is a fire door. I understand that I need to obey the fire door regulations, but do I have a right to change locks, as long as I meet these regulations? I believe that the front fire door is my property and not common property.
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What do you mean by dual key?
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Jimmy, ‘dual key’ is used to describe a single apartment where two parts can be locked separately. The ones I’ve seen are effectively a one bedroom apartment plus a studio. So you can live in it as a two bedder, or close a hall door to create the one plus studio. Have a look at developments like Central Park and City Quarter in Sydney.
Believer: Unless otherwise noted on your strata plan or by-laws, entry doors and their locks are common property. Be wary of changing the lock, as fire regulations only permit certain locks. You can, of course, have the lock re-keyed, which is a straightforward job for a locksmith.
Thanks for that – it’s what I thought, but I wanted to check as we all tend to bandy around term that turn out to have a different meaning for different people.
Regarding the lock, I spoke to a senior firey some years ago and he said in a case of a genuine emergency they used the “big red key” … meaning an axe.
Whatever you do to change the locks is probably a by-law breach, but nevertheless, leave a spare key with a responsible adult who lives or works in the building.
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