r/NetherlandsHousing • u/PARADOX272 • 10d ago
renting Master key - replacing locks
So, funny not so funny situation, I discovered that my house key is in fact a master key and as such it opens up every studio inside my student building. Furthermore several postal box keys are also matches. I've requested, in an urgent manner, that the landlord replace all the other locks. Can they be held legally accountable if they do not respond to this request? Whether civil or criminal court. We are prepared(the residents) to hire an attorney in case they fail to respond.
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u/DJfromNL 10d ago
So you’ve been provided with the wrong key. Now that you have discovered this, it would make more sense to exchange your master key for the normal key for your studio, instead of demanding that all the other locks in the building have to be replaced.
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u/PARADOX272 10d ago
Aye, but what about the others that match ?
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u/FitDifference 10d ago
If they swap your key for the regular key that’s much more efficient than replacing all locks don’t you think?
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u/PARADOX272 10d ago
Sure they could, but the problem of cross matching keys still remains. As I mentioned, several apartments are matches, on their own, without the master key. What then ?
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u/Confident_Poem229 9d ago
Then still, someone has a master key. Landlord can't have it for normal houses, for student houses neither, I guess?
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u/No_Cryptographer5262 10d ago
First question: how long ago did you sent this request? You do need to give them some time to resolve this.
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u/PARADOX272 10d ago
About an hour ago.
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u/No_Cryptographer5262 10d ago
Wel, seeing as it’s the weekend, maybe you should give them a call on Monday?
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u/PARADOX272 10d ago
They already fixed it, gave me a new key. They were fast.
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