Reinforced Door Security?

SupraSonic_26

Im moving to a new apartment and only found out today its got a crowd in the same building have robbed one or 2 of the aprtments when they were out by kicking in the door. Any suggestins what i should buy to reinforce the door so it wont be kicked in when im out thanks? By the way before someone says go somewhere else i cant as ive put down 100 euro deposit and if i dont move in i cant get it back. ive been told by the landlord these people are being kicked out of the apartments in the next 2 weeks so i hope but not taking any chances.

aN.Droid

If they arent gone in two weeks move out and demand your deposit back. Sorry I can't offer any advice on the door.

gtothek

Is the door wood, pvc or aluminium?

SupraSonic_26

its wood.

xsiborg

your best bet might be to ask your landlord would it be ok first if you made a call to the Lock Doctor, i think they have a shop in the crescent, i can PM you the guys number i dealt with when my young lad snapped the key in the lock here, but just to give you a heads up on the kinda prices you'd be talking- it cost me €125 to replace the barrel lock in a wood door approx 2inch thick.

what you might be talking about is having a hole bored in the door for a whole new barrel lock to go in (even pricier!).

i wouldn't recommend just getting a chain lock in daly's because they're about as strong as dental floss!

SupraSonic_26

ya im going out to the crescent tomorrow going to drop into them and see what the say and the prices, id rather pay 200 euro for a safe door then lose 2k worth of belongings.

nathan184

I think the landlord should reimburse you for an expense like that. The section below relates to repair but it might arguably apply to your case.

Residential Tenancies Act 2004, Part 2, Chapter 1
Section 12 (1) (g) (ii) (I)
"In addition to the obligations arising by or under any other enactment, a landlord of a dwelling shall—
without prejudice to any other liability attaching in this case, reimburse the tenant in respect of all reasonable and vouched for expenses that may be incurred by the tenant in carrying out repairs to the structure or interior of the dwelling for which the landlord is responsible under paragraph (b) where the following conditions are satisfied—

(ii) the postponement of the repairs to some subsequent date would have been unreasonable having regard to either—

(I) a significant risk the matters calling for repair posed to the health or safety of the tenant or other lawful occupants of the dwelling...

Source:http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/2004/en/act/pub/0027/sec0012.html#sec12

Contact "Threshold" to get advice:
http://www.threshold.ie/contact.asp?menu=76

xsiborg

that's all true nathan, but if this is something the OP wanted to do for him/herself, then it should be coming out of their pocket and not the landlords.

basically the landlord might feel that the current lock on the door is sufficient, and the OP would have known all this before they moved in as i presume they would have had a viewing.

i know this is exageration but i use it simply to illustrate a point- if the OP wanted bank vault doors on, would the landlord then still have to pay up?

nathan184

I see your point xsiborg. Might be worth calling up Threshold to see if they can offer any advice anyway. Anytime I called them they were very helpful.

L.T.P.

If the tenant wishes to upgrade the security he/she would need to consult with the landlord first before making any changes. They may also have to pay for this themselves (Landlord might contribute) as presumably they viewed the apartment prior to signing the lease.

SupraSonic_26

Ok the landlord did tell me about these people in the flats which he has addmitted to a security risk to me and my belongings shouldnt he then reinforce the door because of this or does a tenants safety and belongings not count if they landlord has admitted this to me?

xsiborg

SupraSonic_26 wrote: »

Ok the landlord did tell me about these people in the flats which he has addmitted to a security risk to me and my belongings shouldnt he then reinforce the door because of this or does a tenants safety and belongings not count if they landlord has admitted this to me?

im afraid OP you're stretching beyond my knowledge on this issue now, your question might be better answered in the Accomodation & Property forum here.

i imagine though the response will be something along the lines of-

your landlord has no duty of care towards your belongings, that'd be your own business. they would only have to fulfill the requirements of the PRTB with regard to the suitability of the living conditions of your apartment.

maybe if you mention it to your landlord that it might be in both your interests to increase security, they might see their way towards splitting the bill with you, even though they would be under no obligation to do so.

try and approach the situation amicably as you can between ye without involving the PRTB. remember your landlord was under no obligation to inform you about your neighbours either.