Can tenants change locks on a landlord’s rental property?

The lease agreement should always come first; and a tenant should work hard to abide by it, but there may be some situations where a tenant must change the locks on their rental quickly and are unable to get the owners permission.

In this article, we will answer this question in depth and provide tips on how to navigate this complicated situation.

It’s A Contractual Issue

When there’s a lease agreement involved, the tenant should always abide by their lease and contact their landlord about changing the locks on their rental property but in some states the laws vary:

California - In the State of California, tenants are within their rights to change the locks on their rental property, especially without their landlord’s permission. Sadly, when this occurs, if the landlord has not received a key from their tenants, they can file an unlawful detainer action to regain access to their property.

Arizona – Tenants who want to change the locks on their rental properties in Arizona must first receive written permission from their landlords, and they also must cover the cost of the new lock plus the installation of the lock as well.

Nevada – Tenants in Nevada must first fall back on their lease language before changing the locks on their rental property because there are currently no state regulations in place that permit this.

The Importance of The Landlords Key

Since it’s the landlord’s job to make sure that their property is safe and habitable, tenants should always do their part to ensure that the lease is followed, and the landlord’s rights are respected, because, if a key is not available, a landlord can’t easily have essential work performed at the rental property.

Changing the locks removes the landlord’s ability to perform their duties, so it’s in the tenants’ best interests to do their part to keep the landlord involved if new locks are needed.

Working with GoldenWest Management saves Realtors, and DIY landlords, the time, money, and hassle of having to deal with landlord-tenant issues themselves.

Our company has decades of property management experience in California, Arizona, Nevada, and we look forward to helping more landlords see the ROI that comes from hiring a property manager.

To learn more about our services, contact us today by calling (866) 545-5303 or click here to connect with us online.