Carie Shapiro fellow Active Rain member and great blogger has shared a good reminder on safety. No matter the gender or age or area we all must take notice and use common sense in keeping ourselves and our loved ones safe. Please leave your comments on Caries page. See you in the Rain!
In my quest to find a new apartment in Chicago many years ago, I remember asking a potential landlord if he could please change the locks prior to my move in. I explained to him that I was a single girl living alone, and I would feel more comfortable knowing there were no duplicate keys to my apartment floating around. The landlord responded: “Oh, that’s just a girl thing. Don’t worry your pretty little head about anything – we’ve never had any trouble in this building before.” Well, I ended up taking the apartment anyway. And luckily, the landlord was right -- nothing bad ever happened. Yet, as years passed, I noticed more and more landlords implementing a company policy of rekeying locks between tenants. However, this policy seemed to pertain mostly to larger property management companies. Now, this policy has become a law in Illinois for most residential property landlords.
Even if you only rent out your own properties, you should know about this. As of January 1, 2012, Illinois has enacted a law which requires landlords in counties with populations in excess of 3 million people to change or rekey the locks for rental units at the beginning of a new tenancy. The only exception is for an owner occupied building with 4 units or less. Also, non-compliant landlords can be liable for damages incurred through use of a prior tenant’s key.
What do your State laws say about changing or rekeying locks between tenants? Being a Broker in Texas as well as Illinois, I am aware that rekeying the locks between tenants has been a law in Texas for years. And, although I’m not familiar with how most jurisdictions work, my experience tells me that some laws are not just drafted out of thin air. As with other issues, like requesting traffic signals at intersections or train crossings -- typically, something bad has to happen in order to see a call to action. Remember when hotels handed you the room key with the room number embossed on the key tag? Times have certainly changed! And, although it’s a little like trying to close the barn door after the horses have escaped, I guess it’s better late than never. But, I can guarantee one thing: clearly, there were incidences in Illinois involving the use of a prior tenant's key -- and "girls" were not the only victims.
Albuquerque Homes and Lifestyle Blog
 |
|
|
********************************************************************************
John McCormack Owner/Managing Broker, e-PRO
505-980-4576 / John@AlbuquerqueHomes.com
Search Albuquerque Homes For Sale * Search Albuquerque Homes & Lifestlye
If your considering Buying, Selling or Relocating to Albuquerque or Rio Rancho, NM and need a Professional Realtor It would be my pleasure to help you!
Be sure to visit my AlbuquerqueHomes.com website for total access to all available homes in the following New Mexico communities: Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Los Ranchos, Placitas, Bernalillo, Tijeras, Sandia Park, Cedar Crest, Bosque Farms, Los Lunas & Belen.
Come On Back and Visit My
 |
|
|
|
|
