to think our landlord should hand in his key?

[maveta]

We´ve been in this flat since december, there is a big main door into a small entranceway and then a door straight ahead into the landlord´s house and one to the right which opens onto the stairway up to our flat. The door at the top of the stair is very old with one of those big old keys that weighs about 0.5kgs! It´s illogical to carry it around so we leave it in the door and just shut the downstairs door when we go out.
Also, when in the flat you can lock the door but it´s a sliding lock which cannot be opened by the outside key. so if I´m at home and say, having a bath, but expecting dh home any minute, I´d want to leave that door open so he can get in without calling me out of my bath.
Now when we moved in the landlord kept a key to the bottom door in case, he said, the electricity company comes by when I´m not home and needs to read the meter (which is in our stairwell). I really don´t feel comfortable with him having a key to this door when essentially the way the upstairs door works means that he could just walk into our house at any time.
Once he´s come straight up to our flat door to speak to us about a bill, another time I heard him speaking to someone at the bottom of our stair and he´d opened the door to show a neighbour the wall paint, and this morning he opened it to leave our plant (which had fallen into his garden) on our stair. Now obviously it was nice of him to return our plant, but that´s not the point!
DH doesn´t want to say anything but I want to ask him for the key back, in summer I could well be walking around the flat naked FGS and he just strolls up the stairs to leave me a letter or something.
Whatcha reckon?

I reckon he is more than entitled to have a key to his property, although he should give you notice prior to entering the property.

just ask him to let you know before he pops round so that you feel more comfortable.

i had this situation with a landlord. they need a key, but mine popped by when i was out and i never knew when it was going to be. i felt like it was a violation of my privacy so just asked him to tell me. problem sorted.

Yeah, maybe that´s more the point.. just to ask him to let us know when he´ll be using it. Although I guess the whole point he wants it is to be able to get in if we are not there

I doubt he would let us change the lock on the upstairs door.. it´s a very old door with an ancient lock and he´s very into the old restoration/old/antique thing. But it might be a good way of bringing it up..

tell him you sometimes wander round the flat naked so would rather he only calls by arrangement

he is entitled to have a key to the property but he is not entitled to enter when he likes without giving you reasonable notice

zippi - he'll probably take to dropping by at all hours!

Our contracts have always specified that they hold a key (very handy it was too when DH locked us out) but they have to give us a weeks notice to come in, unless in an emergency / breech of lease situation.

Never ahd a problem with it.