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Room security with roommates
Sacrilicious
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So I'm moving into a new place and I'm wondering if there are any options for locking my room outside of replacing the doorknob, which has no lock. I'm not going to blindly trust some random people, but I haven't met the landlord yet so I can't install a new doorknob with a lock myself. In the event the guy isn't okay with me replacing the knob, is there any kind of temporary lock I can use?
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Some acts require the landlord to provide a working lock on your room if you're renting out a single room in a multi-unit dwelling with shared access.
At the very least, you'll know your rights as a tenant, and know what the landlord is responsible for.
This is a 20 dollar trip to the hardware store and 20 minutes worth of install time. Instructions come with the lock.
Personally, I think it is a bad idea to move in to a roommate situation when you haven't met and trust your roommates as you don't just depend on them not stealing from your room, but you also have to work out shared cleaning duties, shared food space and which foods may be shared (for example, it doesn't make sense to not share things like salt or to keep several cartons of eggs when someone just needs 2 for a recipe, etc.) Plus, you are relying on your roommates to pay their portion of the rent/bills or you might be put in a situation where you have to cover the full cost until you can find another roommate. Finally, you will not only have food in shared areas, but you will most likely have other property (dishes, etc.) in them too.
The best deterrent to a bad roommate isn't a lock or other security. It's about a solid interview. Do they have a job? If not, how do they pay their bills? How long have they had their job? Do they seem responsible? Are they friendly? What are their expectations about times when the house will be quiet for sleep? What rules do they have about shared areas (sharing food staples, labeling food, chores, etc.)? Are they a neat person that requires a constantly neat home to be happy or sloppy that cleans once a week or a hoarder? Do they have pets? If so, are they house-trained? Do you need to help with the pets a little (feeding, take care when roommate is away, take them out to potty, etc.)
A lock is something, but if you haven't interviewed for these things before committing, you may find yourself having to look again really fast. My hope is that you had a good interview and you think the roommates will work out but that you just want some extra security.
Hell walmart has a few for like $8. But those are the locks you can pick with a flathead. Don't get those locks.
Yep, just went ahead and did it. Seems like landlord is afk at any rate, so he probably won't care/know.
They're all students and the place doesn't seem weird. Tenants just studying or at work all the time. Basically it seemed like the most mellow of the places I looked at, which should be good to focus on school. The other I was thinking of was apartment with 2 pretty cute girls who asked me to move in but for some reason that seemed like it would go either very well or very bad. Hmm.... perhaps I've made a huge mistake!
They're all students and the place doesn't seem weird. Tenants just studying or at work all the time. Basically it seemed like the most mellow of the places I looked at, which should be good to focus on school. The other I was thinking of was apartment with 2 pretty cute girls who asked me to move in but for some reason that seemed like it would go either very well or very bad. Hmm.... perhaps I've made a huge mistake![/quote]
As a general rule avoid situation were there are more then one woman at a time for anything more then a few hours. That rule I learned the very hard way... that being said it never hurts to check up on them to make sure they are doing ok.
Definitely agree with you on all that, but unless they're all buddies, you don't know their friends or their friends' friends so just a basic knob lock isn't a bad idea.
This is really sexist and you should refrain from making sexists posts in H/A from now on.