Shared front door

[Fabpinky]

Who is BU?

I’ve been in a silent battle for nearly 3 years now and I’m wondering who everyone thinks is being unreasonable.

Person A - Rents an office/shop that has a flat above it

Person B - Rents the flat about A’s office/shop

The silent war is over the shared front door. It goes as follows: shared front door which then leads to a tiny square with door to the office on the left, door to the flat in front.

Person A wants the shared front door locked at all times when they are not in the office e.g evenings and weekends.

Person B doesn’t want the shared front door locked at all because they say it’s a fire hazard, for example if there is a fire in the night and Person B tries to escape they won’t have their keys and would be stuck.

When discussed Person B suggested a key be permanently in the lock. Person A doesn’t want this as the door is glass panes and someone might smash to get the key.

Person B has also said that in the past if someone runs out of the flat without their keys and the front door is locked, they have been trapped in the tiny hallway until someone has been able to come and let them out.

Same landlord for both properties. He says no comment and to sort it between us.

So for the past 3 years Person A has been locking up when they leave, and Person B has been leaving it unlocked. This makes for an awkward relationship, but is probably what will continue to happen. Just curious to who is BU

I’d say person a is being unreasonable.
The office door would be locked anyway so what difference does it make to them really?

Person a is unreasonable as fire safety takes priority. However I would have a new lock fitted that locks automatically from the outside but can always be opened without a key from the inside

Twigwonderkid - it has one of those. Person A wants it to be locked with the key lock as well.

Person B needs a key on their bedside cabinet for emergency fire escape. I'm on person As side.

this always amuses me (not getting caught in fire!) but the risk of breaking window to get key to open door (window) If the window is big enough when broken how is this an issue? because whether the key is there or not once the person has broken the window (provided its big enough to climb through of course!) they can climb through. (My dh & I have this debate! I reckon if you cant see key from outside etc etc etc -circular argument/debate also about fire access)

Not quite following the lock situation after your update. So if Person B goes out and leaves the shared front door as they prefer, is it still locked with one lock? Could someone off the street open it without a key?

Person A is wrong from my viewpoint. What are their concerns regarding their space?

Person B is right
A fire escape top trumps A’s argument and ask the LL to put on a sturdier front door

Why not just cut a key for person B?

How does person B get in when person A is not there if the door is locked?

Person B the flat dweller is being unreasonable.

Person A is locking Person B in when they’re not there? Did I misunderstand? Is there another exit?

Seeing your update I would say person A is wrong, it is locked to outsiders and can be opened from the inside, there should be no problem at all

I would get the landlord to change the lock so no key is needed on the inside

The whole locked door thing, isn't this every flat or house though? I don't leave my front door unlocked overnight in case of a fire. I lock it. And I keep a key somewhere near by.

I'm with A.

Why can’t you have a Yale lock so that the front door is secure but not a dire risk and no one could get stuck.
It could be left “on the latch” if access is needed to the office throughout the day

So there is a Yale lock that you can open from the inside without a key and it will lock behind you, but there is also a lock built into the door which requires a key. Person A wants it locked with the key as well as the Yale lock - locking behind you automatically.

Both A and B have keys to the lock, but B thinks it’s a fire risk to have it locked with a key.

Why not just get a yale lock that locks itself but opens with just a twist from the inside. So if you're running from a fire, you don't need a key - just twist it. And it's secure from outside as you need a key. Keeps you both happy.

Contact the local fire safety officer and ask them to offer a suggestion for a solution?

Another point to consider is whether your home insurance is valid if the front door isn’t securely locked? If an intruder can relatively easily get through the front door then they are out of view to smash down the internal front doors. That may be why the shop/ office owner wants the door as secure as possible.

Person A as a Yale lock is more than enough to secure the door

Are the two separate doors - one to the office, one to the flat - locked?

Cross post.

In that case, A is an idiot. But can't you just keep your keys next to the front door and grab them on the way out if there is a fire?

Most people living in houses keep their front and back doors locked so also need to grab their keys in the event of a fire.

A is being unreasonable then. The shared front door is already locked. Yale locks like that are standard for shared front doors.

Get a latch type lock on the shared door (latch will open it from inside but key opens it from outside)

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