To not leave my keys out for a total stranger?

[Gertieandme]

Rented house.

Inspections every 6 mths (I’ve been here for 5 years). Inspections are done by another company not the letting agents. Letting agents lost my house keys about a year ago and only realised at the last inspection that they didn’t have any.

They emailed me and asked me to make a new set, post them to them and invoice them. I said no, they could come and pick them up and return the same day at the least, what I really thought they should do is replace the locks as a set of my house keys is now missing and labelled with my address!

They didn’t reply and it was left as it was. I’ve just got an email saying I have an inspection on Friday and they need me to leave my house keys in the shed so a total stranger can let himself in. Not happy for a number of reasons: it invalidates my contents insurance, my keys will be out all day as I’m at work and I just don’t want to!

Agents have emailed back that I am being difficult and they have to have this inspection as the last one was missed.

Who is BU?

Best get started looking then because I'm not leaving mine out. I believe that is the phrase you're looking for. Besides what if they take your keys back to the agency by mistake instead of rehiding them?

They can't say that the keys are probably in their office, because they are lost, they have no idea where they are at all.

I'd be insisting that if the keys are not found within a week that they replace the lock.

steppemum's comment summed it up perfectly.

Add on, if the keys are lost in the office they now have 3 full days to completely tear apart the office to find them so there shouldn't be a problem. And if they have in fact lost the keys you will be contacting the ombudsman as they have compromised your safety and are not willing to rectify the situation they have caused.

Nope!
They've acted unreasonably by losing your keys when you did trust them..

That's reason enough to say no this time.. That you don't object to a house check, but this MUST be done when you /family member are there..

Tjeu will try all sorts of tactics... Say you would be happy to do this if the agent agrees in writing to underwrite any shortfall in your insurance if stuff.goes missing /damaged...

Why don’t you just refuse the inspection, as is your legal right?

As a Landloard I’d be furious with the property agent. It’s not acceptable to be asking the tenant to risk their security because they lost the keys.

Go to the ombudsman. The EA lost a set of our house keys (seller dropped of 3 sets, they gave me 2sets).

But they insisted that they hadn't lost them, as either he (seller) or me was confused. They don't label or photocopy the keys or have an in/out book, but they definitely hadn't lost them

Ombudsman actually laughed at their explanation and they paid for the keys to be replaced. That EA also though if they were lost they would be in their office! So perhaps this is a regular excuse EA's give out?

Deffo what steppemum says! In fact nicely summarises it..

Let alone the issue if one of their staff /agents(who've already shown themselves to be massively unreliable) did use a key you'd left in a shed...and then they wander off with the only key... You're hanging around on a Friday evening in the cold with no way of getting into your home.... You're stuffed!

Yanbu. I would also also expect them to change the locks and pay for it!

Time they clean their office then!