To be annoyed at my new neighbour handing out keys to our communal front door to all her friends?

[CrikeyOHare]

I live in a building that's been converted into 3 flats. We all share the front door into the building & obviously have our own doors to our flats.

A lady moved in about two weeks ago to the ground floor flat - the closest to the main door. I'm a bit annoyed that she seems to be filling up the lobby with her belongings - namely fucking hideous garden statues (think poor man's Venus de Milo), but, well, each to their own and all that, and it's not really a big deal.

But she told me that, as she hasn't got a doorbell, she's given all her friends keys to the main front door - about 6 people in all. I think it's fair enough for one friend to be a key holder in case of emergency or getting locked out, etc - but I don't feel particularly comfortable with a bunch of strangers basically having full access to our building. It's not like it's a big block or anything, just a converted house.

I did ask her why she didn't just get a doorbell, but no, this was the best solution for her apparently.

I could do without neighbourly feuds - so if it would be unreasonable for me to object to this, please tell me.

Thanks.

[brighthair]

I wouldn't be very happy with the keys or the lobby. We can't put anything in the entrance lobby at all, not even muddy boots on doormat
Keys - well if anyone tries to follow me in the block I tell them to buzz themselves in, and I won't let anyone in that buzzes me and asks for access. My parents have an emergency key, that's it

[BestestBrownies]

I'm with brighthair on this. The tat in the lobby issue is an 'elf & safety one, and I would be seriously hacked off at the key issue for obvious security reasons. Definitely object OP.

[Miltonia]

Are you and the neighbour both renting from the same owner? In which case see the rental agreement and whether there are any statements about key security. If you are owners is there a joint management document for the house?

I can't imagine your insurers would be thrilled to hear about this. Obviously if you or the other set of householders suffer a break in, suspicion will land upon the key holding friends.

Do the friends realise what a responsibility it is to have the keys and how they might be spoken to by the Police if anything happens in the house?

[Chubfuddler]

If she rents grass her up to her landlord. If she owns grass her up to the managing committee.

[HeathRobinson]

Is your flat front door a good quality external grade door, iyswim?

[musicalendorphins]

I wouldn't like it at all and would mention this to your landlord.

[CrikeyOHare]

Different landlords - but I know hers. He's the owner who lived in it himself until few weeks ago.

No - door to my flat is a very flimsy internal door.

Hmmmmmmm. It's all very irritating - but she is very, very quiet, which makes a nice change. So, swings and roundabouts.

[musicalendorphins]

Maybe someone will steal her statues, with so many people having keys and all.

[ThreeWheelsGood]

If she's renting I imagine both these things are against the tenancy agreement so YANBU. Find a way of getting through to her that it's unacceptable, either confront her or contact her landlord.

[confusedpixie]

I doubt she's allowed to do either of those really! Grass her up, I would. Filling the lobby is an issue with H&S and the handing out keys Huge security issue!

[HecateHarshPants]

Contact the landlord and raise your concerns about the security issues.

What about insurance? If someone got in, would the number of non resident keyholders invalidate the insurance?

[cozietoesie]

I'd lay good odds that it would, Hecate.

[Hopeforever]

I'd ask your LL to increase the security to your flat by changing the door. You can say what has happened if you need to
I'd also contact your friend who owns the ground floor flat, if I was the LL of a flat I'd want to know

[cozietoesie]

Basically, all insurance policies of which I know now say that external doors have to be fitted with BS thingie security mortice locks. If your neighbour has given out keys to all and sundry, she's effectively made the communal part, part of the outdoors - so all internal doors would have to be upgraded if not currently fitted correctly.

Also - I wouldn't care to have to explain to an insurance company or the police how a residence had been changed so that once off the actual street, someone might have free rein to bash in other doors in privacy because they could close the street door behind them. I wouldn't care to live there much, to be honest, for the same reason.

[snigger]

Unpleasant flashback to our neighbour, 19 with a wee girl, who wasn't a quiet quiet lass at all - she gave everyone a key, then promptly jiggered off to her boyfriends gaff on a near permanent basis, and her place became party central to her childless mates from Friday lunchtime to early Monday morning.

Took six months of gentle complaints escalating to strident door-banging harangues and threats of legal action to fix it.

If she seems nice, it might be worth (in the interests of future neighbourliness, as you pointed out) having a kindly word about the security worries her actions have caused, then if no feedback definitely take it further - it's not worth the worry. Keys can be copied, sadly, and her mates might not always be her mates.

[BigFatLegsInWoolyTIghts]

Gather up the statues and place them all in front of her door so they're staring at her when she comes out in the morning.

Then the next day, have them lined up looking in her windows.

[OldCatLady]

I find it weird she was even able to get 6 keys. Usually you'd have some sort of 'management company' that oversee's the communal areas etc (it may just be the two landlords) and they should hold a master key, the others should not be able to be copied, therefore any extra keys would need to be purchased from said management company. I'd be questioning this for sure, I wouldn't feel comfortable at all.

[Hopeforever]

Love Bigfatlegs's idea about the statues

[cozietoesie]

Such a small set up, OldCatLady, it may just be the individual owners - and only pretty classy keys can't be copied.

[ChaoticismyLife]

BigFatLegs

OP YANBU I wouldn't be happy about this either.

[CrikeyOHare]

Bigfatlegs And shall I leave her a note telling her not to blink?! :)

Thanks all - and you're right. It's quite a big security risk & I'll run with the insurance aspect. Will talk to my own LL first, I think - and he can raise it with her LL.

Oldcat It's just a normal Yale key, not a security type one.

[BigFatLegsInWoolyTIghts]

Yes Crikey and why not add to the brood...just pop an extra gnome in now and then...so there are interlopers.

She'll lose track eventually and you can start bumping them off one by one!

[ChameleonCircuit]

I also love BFLIWT's idea, but you also have to send her a DVD of the Doctor Who episode "Blink" - the one with the weeping angel statues! She'll probably hand in her notice!

[ChameleonCircuit]

Bloody hell, it's so slow typing on my phone!

[Bubblemoon]

How about speaking with her about your concerns first, then go to the landlord if she didn't respond favourably. So often new neighbours seem like hell as you worry they're going to ruin your home life, but when you get to know them they're so lovely that even their fibreglass Venus de Milo starts to look quite the thing. I'd try to keep things amicable and only start dobbing her in when she's proven herself to be a complete cow.