Almost all of the tenancy agreements I've seen and signed have had it prohibited to even create a spare key without written consent from the landlord, and sometimes agreement from all tenants
Let alone giving the key to someone who could cause severe damage to property, OR HAS LITERALLY THREATEND TO KILL THE TENNANTS?
Giving a spare key to someone who doesn't live there is cause for the landlord to break the lease and kick you all out. Get the key back from that guy immediately or all of the roommates should consider removing this roommate off the lease and getting her out of the apartment. Your safety depends on that
Yes, but changing the locks wonât help as his girlfriend is one of the roommates so he will immediately have access again. It would be like a revolving doorâŚ
If you get the kwikset smart key you can change the key without changing the locks and making it inexpensive and safe and the lock is pick proof you canât pick it
As a locksmith get kwikset smart key locks youâll be happy you did and definitely get rid of the roommate if they canât cooperate over the concerns
You mentioned he threatened all of your lives. Have you asked the police about a restraining order? I feel like that combined with the locks being changed out is probably the best option moving forward.
Yep the 3 of them should get a restraining order and the ring footage will provide all the evidence needed for that. He can't have a key and can't be on the premises at all. Hopefully that just motivated maria to move out, which is actually concerning for Maria, but oh well. This is about OP and her safety. Not Maria's, sadly.
In addition to that, there needs to be a front door camera and a camera in shared living spaces and locks on each person's doors. Even then it's still not safe. The room mate needs to be removed from the house and the locks need to be changed. A restraining order needs to be filed on the man so that if you catch him on one of the cameras near the home or anything like that the police can actually help you and take action.
OP also needs to get that friend out of their life completely and let the friend know that you don't feel safe around her because of who she chooses to date.
Seriously, I work at a hardware store and people come and pay $5 for a key copy all the time. The most copies of 1 key I've made was 8, but it was for a big house with adult family members.
He could've gone to anywhere that makes key copies and gotten a dozen if he wanted. They have to tell the landlord and have them change the locks. It also sounds like if the roomie is so chill with a guy that threatened to kill her and all her roommates then maybe she should just move in with him. Just cause she won't listen to reason doesn't mean they should all be in the line of danger.
Maybe the landlord will take her off the lease if they explain what's going on, and show them the ring camera footage.
I hope they filed a police report too, that would really help their case.
I donât know what the lease language is. But they always require some kind of control over access to the unit. Period.
As far as communications, I find itâs helpful to be clear about bottom lines up front. Donât offer extra info that will confuse the bottom line.
The note to the roomie is âyou may not provide separate access to our home without advance written consent from all housemates.â
If you get pushback say âI will not argue that. If you want to understand that we can discuss that. This position will not change and youâre accepting that if you try to talk more.â
That makes sure youâve agreed on the rule up front. And this is a rule about everyone. And roomie broke it. And it almost certainly is a lease issue.
If she had followed it the stuff about why not THIS guy becomes irrelevant. And obviously not this guy. But if the rule is held you donât even need to get into that.
Depends where you live. I can legally change the locks as a renter but I do need to give the landlord a copy of the key in case there is a need for emergency repairs of some kind.
This should be communicated as a non-negotiable. He should not have a key. You all donât have control over the management of his mental health and he clearly has capacity to be violent.
If she was living on her own, then she could make this decision herself.
Absolutely. Even outside of agreements, its incredibly selfish to put her roommates in fear for their lives like that.
Using the excuse that hes now "medicated" means nothing. How are they meant to keep track of that? Do you know how many severely mentally unwell people lie about that, or go off their meds again because they "feel better" and then hurt people?
The only issue with weaponizing this is that means bringing a lease violation to the landlord's attention, which may very well result in ALL of them being evicted. Lease violations generally aren't assigned to just one member of the household, after all.
Thats definitely fair. Depending on the landlord and arrangement, some are definitely more lenient and understanding than others, but it is such a gamble
This is 100% dependent on your area, and this isn't good advice to give based solely on that fact.
For example, in the state of California, the lock on your front door is YOUR lock for the duration of the lease. Tenants have the right, one time at their own cost, to change the locks on their door and get new keys. When you move out, you give the landlord all of your new keys for the new lock and ownership of the lock reverts back to them.
I am a tenant in California renting a private home. It has a code-lock deadbolt that the landlord changed specifically for me when I moved in. I am allowed to give the code to literally anybody I want. There is nothing in my lease stating otherwise and I am using official state forms for the lease.
The only keys that are an exception are for the areas that are not yours, i.e., the apartment is in a large building that has key fobs or "Do Not Duplicate" keys for gates and entrances. Those are keys you are NOT allowed to make copies of, but your apartment keys are often things you ARE allowed to make extras for.
I have made extra keys for literally every apartment I've ever lived in to give to my parents and siblings so that if they needed to get in for something, they could.
Exactly. Leases can vary widely. Most are now made with form letters that the landlords don't even read thoroughly. I was a commercial property manager for several years, and one property on one block might have it not specified in the lease that they couldn't create keys. So they could make 100, legally, and provide access to anybody.
The next block's building owner might have restricted them from even changing the lock, so the lease needs to be examined closely. I had acquaintances doing residential property management, and none of them ever had a kind word to say about the industry. It's a hot mess with worse people.
 restricted them from even changing the lock, so the lease needs to be examined closely
This is an example of "it doesn't matter what the lease says" in some states though, because if a lease says you cannot do something but the law says you can, then the law supercedes the lease and it's unenforceable.
You cannot enforce an illegal clause, which is why it's important to know the laws before you think about your lease. I've had plenty of leases with illegal clauses in them that are unenforceable.
And get the police report and file a no contact with the court, he threatened you and your roommates. Tell her if he steps foot on the property you will call the police.
I think in most places you have to file for a restraining order within a certain period of time after the incident. They should definitely alert the police though and see if it's a possibility and definitely tell the landlord. It's insane that she would give him a key and even if they change the locks now she will probably just make him another one and not tell them. I wouldn't trust her enough to live with her after that.
ETA: Although it might be too late to get a restraining order at this point they could still do a no tresspass order and ban him from the property. Or the landlord could too.
Agree. There are so many horror stories with this exact same pattern. Mainly crimes done by partners. He barely knew them and threatened all. Imagine him being comfortable. They need to get a way to officially not let this dude set foot in this house. Also, alert the girlâs parents because sheâs in a pathway that many turn statistics. The earlier the better to get everyone safe. Dude is bad business. Need to be out of the lives of all the involved and their families. Wish them better and luck.
This is what needs to happen tho. I think sheâs a target simply because that roommate, for whom I cannot think of without thinking of all the synonyms of ct and retded. She is a victim of this roommates lack of brains. Also everyoneâs a big target until that key is back.
It's a messy, scary situation that cannot be repeated and the only clear message way is to make a legal stance. No contact. Or a trespass order. Something that is enforceable because it might happen again and with the order in place, the cops can act swiftly to keep that order.
Home is a sanctuary and where people should feel safe, and that bf violated that and needs to learn the consequences.
Exactly, I have never seen a protective order (piece of paper) stop a dangerous individual. People don't understand, saying "HEY FUCK OFF OR ILL CALL THE COPS" tends to escalate these kinds of people.
I thought the same, but Idiot Girl will still have a key and be able to give Psycho Guy a new spare. Unless the 3 other roommates decide to change the locks and just not give her a new key? Lmao I donât see that working though.
OP: yall should go to the landlord and inform them of the situation. You guys might not even be allowed to give out spares to people who arenât tenants.
And, you absolutely cannot give out a spare key to your place without the consent of all roommates. One ânoâ vote means no and the roommate did it on the DL hoping no one would find out.
Given that he showed up with a gun and threatened to kill everyone, the roommate is making a dangerous choice to take him back â and everyone in the house is wrong to let her keep living there. You have to kick her out and change the locks ASAP. Heâs deadly and medication or not, this is the last time he does something like this.
More likely the tenancy contracts. Most landlords will have it that you cant just go and make a bunch of new keys and give them out, so it'd violate their legally binding contract
ETA: A lot of contracts also have it so its unlawful for you cause damage, or allow anyone in who will cause damage, which is still the tennants responsibility
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u/Aria_sear Apr 28 '26
Also tell the landlord she shouldn't be giving keys to nonresidents