This is a very rare event at this hour. I heard the phone ring early this morning and when I checked voicemail it was from a tenant who had lost her keys. I was kind of annoyed that she called at that hour. I figured that she would then go to crash with whoever she had been out with. (Lockouts are covered in the lease).

She called several times at around 7:00 this morning, not leaving a message, as well as having left me a few e-mails. She wound up at a hotel and hired a locksmith who couldn't get her into the building.

I went over at 7:15 and left some keys for her to use, copy, and return. Okay, some questions and comments.

- She is a terrific tenant who has been there for almost 3 years.

- She was in a bad situation.

- I feel a little bad about not going over at 2 AM.

- Landlording is a 24/7 job sometimes.

But:

- This was 100% her fault - not the building's. SHE lost her keys.

- I don't think that a tenant losing their keys constitutes an emergency for me. A call for that at that hour is annoying.

I am kind of on the fence with this. How would you handle it? We have lockboxes for vendors. I wonder if we should have a lockbox for main building access keys. Of course we would have to keep changing the combination when people move out.

Should we change the main keys so that don't any "do not duplicate," so that they can make copies?

Or is this just not my problem?

Suggestions?

Unless it's fire, flood or blood I'm not going out at 2 AM for a lock out. Don't want to be locked out, don't lose your keys.

WMH, that make sense.

I would have had her come to my house to pick up the spare key. I have had that happen though I think it was around midnight not two AM. Two AM is when the bars close. Maybe this isn't such a great tenant? Locksmith either picks the lock or drills it out. I was locked out of my home when the wind blew a door shut behind me and I did not have a key. It's a 1950s era fancy lock. At least I think it was the wind. Things happen here for which there is no explanation.

I don't give tenants my home address. Also, I don't know of any landlords who keep unit keys in their house. (I bet that some do, but that would be odd). I could have given her a key to the building, but then I would have also had to have given her a key to the storage area where keys for all the units are kept. Not a good idea.

"I don't give tenants my home address. Also, I don't know of any landlords who keep unit keys in their house. (I bet that some do, but that would be odd). I could have given her a key to the building, but then I would have also had to have given her a key to the storage area where keys for all the units are kept. Not a good idea."

"I would have had her come to my house to pick up the spare key. I have had that happen though I think it was around midnight not two AM. Two AM is when the bars close. Maybe this isn't such a great tenant?"

Ally beat me to it--she was drunk.

I don't think this one incident necessarily makes her a bad tenant. But it wasn't a super intelligent or conscientious move on tenant's part to call at that time about such a thing.

If I get locked out at 2 am, I can't call my landlord. So, I don't get locked out. I have a hidden spare key, a neighbor who hides my key, a relative who has the key, etc. And if neither of those options are available (rare, if ever) then I'd crash at a hotel or sleep in my car until it was a decent time to wake someone up. Even a locksmith charges extra for after hour calls...

If I get the call like you did, I'd say "our policy for after hour lockouts is $100, if you can wait until the office is open, it's $30." I don't want them to have to pay me, but who really wants to go at that hour? So it's compromise. If they could not think ahead to set up a spare key with somebody or hide it somewhere our fee is costly but it only happens ONCE because it is so.

I hear you both, and I agree that giving your home address to a tenant is foolish.

I'm glad that I didn't answer the phone!

Whether or not the tenant was out drinking or at a bar or party and not drinking, is none of my business. We can all lock ourselves out. I can't fault them for trying at 2 am. People have different hours, but I would not have answered, nor gotten out of bed at that time myself. I have spare / hidden keys to my place, I would expect tenants to do the same, or stay at a friends or something.

Or simply change the lock to a keyed deadbolt.. so you can't lock it without the key

And at move in, you together hide a key, and take a picture, and noted on the agreement..

Plenty, I hear you. Who knew? :) I actually do take good care of my tenants. I was trying to look at this situation from both sides.

When I was younger I used to give each tenant a one time free replacement key delivered to their rental within one hour of calling me. No more! Let someone get something free and it has no value, they will lock themselves again and expect me to run on over again and again. So I've changed my ways and now do the following:

When I have a new tenant sign the lease and I hand over the keys, I give them 4 copies. Two for them, one for a friend nearby in case the get locked out and the last key to give to another tenant in the building or I can install a lock-box somewhere on the property for them to park their emergency key.

My last new tenant, a professional actress used her lock-box key and forgot to replace it. Then she called me at 9 PM wanting me to open her door. My response was:

a) what about your #3 key, a friend nearby. The friend wasn't answering her cellphone.

b) I gave her the option of having someone drive her to my house, 10 miles away, and I will attach a lock-box to my entry gate where she can receive an extra key. She wasn't going to bother someone else.

c) Then I told her to call a locksmith and gave her three local services, costing around $79 to $129 to come out.

I have had tenants locked out and if my handyman is available he will let them in at a cost.

Unless she was just wonderful long term tenant, I don't solve tenant problems that are not my to solve. I have found the reward is just more problems to solve.

As I said, per her lease she arranged for a locksmith to open the door. He couldn't get in, though.

As a landlord/property owner, my office is in my house. I have a board with hooks on it hanging on a wall and the hooks are identified for each property and unit and door. Spare keys go on the hooks. I also have a copy of each key on a ring that I carry in my brief case. Stuff happens even with only six units. When I had twenty units stuff happened daily.

"I don't rent to folks who I would be afraid of knowing where I live."

I sort of agree with this, and I don't try to conceal where I live.

However I can see the other side of it too. A tenant could get involved with drugs (or associate with a dangerous person) after they move in.

Ally, you're asking for trouble. It may come when you least expect it. You are always on here complaining about drug deals in front of your house and won't move, but give tenants your home address after all the horror stories you've heard on here?

Poor judgement.

I don't ask for the home addresses of vendors, and tenants don't need to know my address. Nothing to hide, but why put it out there? There is nothing to gain in doing so.

My tenants, without exception, are nice people. But I don't want them around my house.

NE, no one is going to drive me out of my home that my dad built. If you could see it you would know why. Why is it that others are asking for information or help and I'm complaining? Hmm?

I get rid of the drug dealers by getting their license numbers and turning them over to the police. Haven't seen any for awhile either.

I don't recall a horror story about a tenant going to a landlord's house and causing a problem. There are horror stories about weird tenants causing trouble at the units. I screened a weird guy out in November by just paying attention to what he was telling me.

There was a drunk who parents rented to and he through a can of plumber's putty through the front storm window when we raised his rent. I can't hide my address. It's on the lease and any person can call the tax office and find out who owns any of my properties and then figure out how to get my address.

All calls go to voicemail. Google voice automatically goes into "Do Not Disturb" mode between 7 pm and 7 am. I'm a land lord, not a 24-hours per day life coach/ your mama / courier service.

Regarding immediate response to fire, flood, or blood: What am I going to do at 2 AM to stop a fire? Call the fire department! What am I going to do to stop a flood? Call the utility company to shut off the water or use the shut off valve we showed you at lease signing! What am I going to do to fix a break in? Call the cops!

I hand residents 2 keys at lease signing and tell them to make copies and give to trusted folks if they wish. We change locks in between all residents, so I don't care to whom they give copies. I specifically go over the $50 lock out fee, which must be paid at the time of service, or they get to call a locksmith who will charge them $80 or more. I also drive by the place the following day when a lock out is reported to ensure no windows were smashed in.

I too have had that happen. If I'm in the area and free i will go and unlock the door. One girl in particular had the habit of doing this. I kept telling her to make a copy and hide it in the storage unit on the property.

I put in my lease that the first lockout is gratis, but only during daylight hours. The second lockout is $50. I've never gotten to the second lockout, thankfully.

I also give tenants an extra key for "whatever". As I change locks between tenants, no worries if the extra key disappears.

Really Shelby? That was worth not paying 100 bucks?

Anyway we have in our rental agreement to highly advise you to make a spare key and hide it in your car, keep one in your purse or wallet ,..Or give one to a very trusted friend, Otherwise If you are locked out, call a locksmith because if we have to send someone out it will be a lot more expensive, also very expensive if you damage a window or door you have broken to get in..

That's nothing Hollis. I once squeezed one of my kids through a very small shower venting window that is about

6 1/2 feet off the ground to save myself a locksmith fee.