Estate Agents - Locking me out - refusing a refund

[WokingRenter]

Hello,

Firstly, I think this is a wonderful group to talk on, thank you for reading this.

I'm a male, but the reason I'm posting on here is to make women alert about how a certain estate agents can lock you out of your own homes and refuse to refund you! I have a long term girlfriend and her 15 year old daughter lives with us.

We have been renting a place in Woking for 3 years through a great agency and I recently handed my notice in as we've just bought somewhere. This is when the problems started.

The Landlady decided to instruct another agency to let the flat. I was informed of a few viewings on a Saturday, we went out and left the flat on the single (latch lock) and the agent came and went without double locking the door (mortise lock) i.e leaving the flat as it was when we went out.

I was asked to have a viewing on Tuesday, which I again went out for and when I returned they had double locked the door (putting the mortise lock on). I didn't leave the flat double locked, nor did I have the key with me to unlock it and the time was 19.20. I called their offices to speak to them and they had gone home. Subsequently, I was locked out of my flat.

After realising I couldn't get entry to the flat I decided to call a locksmith who has charged me £295. It was either that or go to a hotel/sleep elsewhere rough.

I called the agent the next day to ask why they double locked the door when in the past it hadn't be done before and they said it's their responsibility to secure the premises.. I said I to get a locksmith in due to them double locking the door, but they said as a tenant I should have access to all the keys all the time and should have secured the property irrespective how they have come and gone previously.

They are refusing to refund the money and are saying because they didn't lock the door before they're sorry for.

I think this is unacceptable. Had my girlfriend and her 15 year old daughter come home to this situation they would have also needed to get a locksmith otherwise be forced to sleep on the streets or a hotel at own cost.

I'm really keen to hear the thoughts from everyone here.

Admittedly, I didn't read the tenancy agreement in full, but how am i meant to pre-empt what the estate agent is going to do? We've lived there for 3 years and no issues with security. Had the agents double locked the door before and been consistent with their liability to always secure the premises this problem would have been identified earlier.

Aside from this point they have also showed up 3 times without 24 hours notice, which they've apologised for, they're blaming an IT glitch and junior's not having experience in booking appointments. Should I be seeking compensation on this issue?

I'm really not one to complain, but does anyone else feel this is unreasonable to refund me the money?

Thanks

for reading!

Not all keys can just be copied.

My front door has a key that has to be ordered from the company that makes them. It came with 2 keys, and I had to order spares.

The previous door only had a Yale type lock and I had no trouble getting insurance for the house, contrary to what some PPs have stated.

Surely no one is actually making a claim because a third party locked a door 😂

What a plonker.

I think that they are in the right.
However the best solution now is to simply refuse any further viewings. That's what I did.

Not read all the thread but who leaves their house without taking their keys? All adults should have a set of house keys on them when they leave, whether they lock the door or not. It's a rite of passage from being a child turning into someone responsible surely

You're being ridiculous. Of course they need to lock the property properly behind them. It's on you to take a set of keys.

I think that’s a little unfair, the property did require a key to enter the first time, you wouldn’t have complained about it if not for the double lock

do you not have the deadbolt key? If you do, especially when you know others who do are using their keys, you need to take it with you.

its a couple of hundred quid, frustrating, but you won’t do that again. Expensive lesson, but chalk it down to experience and move on.

the EA hasn’t really done anything wrong in locking the house. The 24 hour thing? No, that’s wrong. Tell them it’s 24 hours or no entry for any reason and you’ll suspend viewings until you’ve left.

I sympathise, because I hardly ever double lock the door so this would've really annoyed me... however, in theory you should've had both keys on you, so unfortunately not much you can do.

Thank you Andrew for alerting all the little women on here about this issue! Thank goodness we have men like you to help us.

Why the “I want to warn women you can be locked out” narrative? Just post a question, is the EA liable to pay for the locksmith? It’s ok to not know something and ask other people their opinions.

It comes across as if you don’t want to lose face by asking women what they think so you’ve to phrased it as you’re doing us a favour and protecting us.

This is completely your own fault, you should absolutely have both keys on your keyring - and your partner should also, and her daughter if she carries house keys. I understand your frustration completely, but it's of your own making I'm afraid.

Sorry this is on you. If they normally double lock the door that's what they are going to do. Unless you have it in writing that they must not do this you don't have a leg to stand on.
As for letting us women know about this - that's so patronising!
However you should be aware that you are under no obligation to allow viewings unless you wish to. It doesn't matter if it's in your contract - the law says you don't have to and the contract can't contravene that.

Sorry mate, but no. Just because your door has a double lock it doesn’t make you any less responsible.
It’s no different to just having a deadlock and forgetting your key, then kicking off that the estate agent had the audacity not to leave the door on the latch

I'm a male, but the reason I'm posting on here is to make women alert about how a certain estate agents can lock you out of your own homes

Out of interest where are you posting to alert the men? I mean...your girlfriend who is a woman had the key but you, the man, didn't. Maybe you should alert ALL the men and leave the women alone (because we carry keys)?

Just because they did it before isn’t an excuse. I’d be livid if they left it unsecured tbh, much easier for someone to break in?! You should have had all the keys with you.

You should have had your house keys. Just because you don't know how to secure your own property doesn't mean they are in error.

How can you think it's ok to not lock your mortice when you leave? Have you any idea how easy it is to break into a house which only has the top lock on?

I feel a travel lodge would have been cheaper than a locksmith

unfortunately they are right and you should have had the keys on you, maybe in future leave a spare with someone in case something like this happens again

It’s very weird of you to not lock the other lock and to not always have the key for it with you as a matter of course. They were completely reasonable to double lock it, and can’t be expected to know you only had half of a normal set of keys with you. It’s very surprising that you think you have a reasonable claim for this.

They are totally wrong to just let themselves in for viewings without ringing the doorbell first, but that’s just an etiquette thing to raise with the manager, not something to take to an ombudsman.

I'm probably being dim but do you mean one set of keys full stop? So if your girlfriend has them you have to leave the flat totally unlocked to be able to get back in? Or that you all have a latch key and communal door key but there is only one mortice key?

I'll assume the latter. You really should have insisted on the landlord providing additional mortice keys as soon as you moved in (or getting more cut). An agent who is given a set of keys including a mortice lock will probably use them as intended. Our cleaners always mortice locked the door, even if it wasn't like that when they arrived and even though we'd never asked them to.

So I don't think you are in the right to demand the money back but ...

Did the locksmith change the locks? You can refuse to give the agent the new keys until you leave so no more viewings (which you can legally refuse anyway though they might keep coming in unannounced if their keys work) unless they cough up. This could be the bartering point for getting a contribution to the costs.

And you're a pillock for not having contents insurance. No common sense!

Indeed. My eyes out of my head. Such an annoying tone to the OP.

OP I think you’re the only person on this thread who needs to take note for the future.

Ugh this is really annoying as they have been inconsistent and you rightly thought they would single lock. EA aren’t going to pay you back but from now if people want viewings I wouldn’t bother to tidy up etc. make it harder for them. Sorry not sorry 😂 you shouldn’t be put out by them having viewings.

I'm sorry but you are definitely unreasonable here. I clicked on the thread thinking it was a case of illegal eviction but the reality is that you chose not to take all your keys with you. Who does that?? When you know a 3rd party is going to be using the door and doesn't have a psychic link to know you have an aversion to carrying all your keys like a normal adult does???!

But yyy you do not have to be helping them so much for re-letting. Stop going the extra mile for them. Don't tidy up or go out for viewings unless it suits you, and start saying "no" more, limiting viewings to a level you don't find inconvenient.

This is my favourite genre of AIBU post!

OP: "AIBU to have done this stupid thing?"

Literally everyone: "Yes, YABU"

OP: "No I wasn't and you're all wrong!"

Tell them to leave if they turn up witihout notice. You have a right of quiet enjoyment.

In future, you should insist on at least 24 hours' notice in any event.

Sweetie - a bit of advice.

Get keys copied so everyone has a set, take your keys with you in your man bag when you leave the house, and finally accept that other people do actually lock doors when they leave empty apartments or houses and that this shouldn't be a shock to you.