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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Shared front door

113 replies

Fabpinky · 10/10/2018 18:46

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

OP posts:
Fabpinky · 10/10/2018 22:17

DontCallMeCharlotte

Yes that’s what I do. Generally I leave before they arrive and come back once they’ve left so it’s not often I have to struggle to unlock it from the inside because they’ve locked me in.

It’s not a huge issue, like I said it’s a just a silent war between us and it’s been going on for so long that I wondered who was actually being unreasonable.

OP posts:
wandrewarren · 10/10/2018 22:23

Neither of you is BU. a £10 item will solve this as long as all the other fire precautions are up to scratch.

ShineOnHarvestMoon · 10/10/2018 22:36

A is BU.

It’s B’s home. The you’re are there all the time, not just office hours. They should have the right to feel safe in their own home. I

have 2 locks on my door - a Yale lock and a big security lock that needs a key either side to open it. I would never lock the 2nd lock when anyone is in the house - in the case of fire it would be very unsafe.

Uncreative · 10/10/2018 22:45

A is wrong. B is right.

This is a building regulations and fire safety issue.

If A wants to continue arguing about it, contact the fire brigade and local council for an inspection. You may wish to flag this up to the landlord in order to get him on side. If there is an inspection and they find other issues, the landlord will be the one on the hook for them.

Personally, I would probably pour glue into the lock as a temporary measure.

BlackeyedSusan · 10/10/2018 22:57

how tempting it would be to find the lock had broken over the weekend and needed to be removed to let you out. after all trying for 15 minutes to get out is not acceptable. if I wsa feeling particularly pissed off I would forget to tell the office owner as well.

QuantumWeatherButterfly · 11/10/2018 09:43

I agree 100% with Frlrlrubert - you're right, but keep a spare key handy for when person B locks you in.

Since you're in a rental, I would recommend a Command hook would be perfect for the job!

Fabpinky · 19/10/2018 18:06

Update -

My dad came to visit and stayed round. This morning I went to work and left my dad in the flat. The office downstairs left and locked the door. My dad tried to leave for work and was trapped in the tiny hallway so small you can’t swing your arms.

When I phoned the office emergency number I was met with “well doesn’t he have a key? The door needs to stay locked.”

They went and let him out (I’m still at work) and starter telling my dad how they’ve told me before the door needs to be locked for insurance purposes.

I’ve sent a text to the landlord telling him that I’m angry and that the door needs to be sorted so that it can be opened with a key or ill be calling the fire department to come for an inspection

OP posts:
Fabpinky · 19/10/2018 18:09

Without a key I mean!

OP posts:
Allthewaves · 19/10/2018 18:11

Hang the key on small hook above the door

Iaimtomisbehave1 · 19/10/2018 18:16

It's really not a fire hazard. If you lived in a house, your front and back doors would be locked. It's not difficult to keep a key by your front door to pick up on the way out or to hang a key by the main door.

Dollymixture22 · 19/10/2018 18:21

No one should every have a door lock that needs keys to open from the inside. Replace the lock.

Alfie19 · 19/10/2018 18:37

I think Person A is wrong. I would not have want to have to grab my keys in the case of a fire in order to escape either, so am totally with Person B. I would only double lock the doors in my house if the key is left in there.

The door is not unlocked, it has the Yale lock on it. If A does not want a key left in the door then they have to make do with just the Yale lock. The safety of Person B trumps here in my opinion.

Fabpinky · 19/10/2018 20:46

The landlord won’t allow me to hang a key by the door. He has said my dad should have had a set of keys. If I hang a key inside the flat it defeats the point because once you’ve left the flat and realise the door is locked you can’t get back in for the key

OP posts:
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