Can I Put a Chain Lock on My Apartment Door? Legal & Safety Considerations
Security is one of our primary concerns as we can’t guarantee a peaceful life without it. You can’t enjoy your life when you aren’t sure about if you’re secure enough. And when the matter is regarding home security, you must want to ensure proper safety from any outer impact.
Therefore, no matter if someone or something tries to enter your home, putting a chain lock on your apartment door can be very useful, as it’ll let you get control of who may get into your home. But a common question arises in this case: whether you’re allowed to put a chain lock on your apartment.
The simplest answer is you can put a chain lock on your apartment only when you’re permitted by your landlord. Not clear enough? Don’t worry! After reading the entire post, you’ll know everything you need to know to under this matter. So, without wasting time, let’s get started.
May I Put a Chain Lock on My Apartment Door?
Everyone has the right to get security for his own safety. Therefore, technically it isn’t wrong to put a chain lock on your apartment door as you’re doing this to increase the security level. But there’s a catch. You must get a permit from your landlord to do that. The primary reason is it isn’t within your jurisdiction to lock the door without the landlord’s permission in terms of rental law.
The fact is there are so many cases where the tenants are involved in bad deeds and use a chain lock on their doors to secure themselves from the landlords and law enforcement. That’s why to relax the possibility of such occurrences, the landlords are vested with such power to prohibit the tenants from putting a chain lock on their doors.
Nevertheless, if you try to install a chain lock without seeking permission, it’ll be counted as an illegal modification of the apartment (an unethical attempt), which also can be said a breach of the lease (if you have one) against the landlord’s jurisdiction and rental law. As a result, the landlord may take legal action against you.
It isn’t like there’s an evil thought in the landlord’s mind to exercise illegal authority over your apartment. Rather the rule is applicable so that you can never use the chain lock to deny the landlord’s rightful access for inspection purposes.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions and Answers)
Are chain locks on doors safe?
The truth is the door chain locks offer a little security against any threat at the other side of the door. Even a high-quality door chain isn’t completely resistant to tampering caused by extreme physical force. That means chain locks don’t ensure complete safety from forceful intrusion.
Can I put a code lock on my apartment door?
It mostly depends on your living status. If you’re living with other residents in a larger apartment, the answer is likely no due to the difficulties with several lock configurations for each resident. But when you’re living in a standalone apartment only by yourself, you can get a permit from the landlord to put the code lock after being willing to share the code with him.
What is the safest lock for my apartment door?
Deadbolt door locks are considered the toughest and most secure type of door locks, which are commonly used on apartments’ exterior doors. Additionally, grade 1 single and double-cylinder locks are the strongest and ensure the best security compared to others.
Conclusion
To conclude, you aren’t allowed to put a chain lock on your apartment without the approval of your landlord. Therefore, you need to convince him that you’re and always will be a good tenant and there won’t be any problem when he wants to inspect your apartment with your consent. This way the landlord should approve you for installing chain locks. Share your valuable feedback with us about this post.
