Hi,
So after talking to a housing company, I decided to rent an apartment with them. I would be moving into this apartment by the end of the month.
After signing the contract (digitally) and giving them my first month’s rent payment in advance, I sent the company an e-mail asking from what time specifically I would be able to pick up the key to my new apartment. However, while telling me the times at which I could pick up the key, they also hit me with an “oh, by the way, the owner of the building will lock the entrance door from 11:50 PM to 8:00 AM.”
First of all, I would like to know whether this is a normal thing because I have never heard of such a thing before. This “curfew” was also not stated anywhere in my contract OR on the housing website. After this, I pretty much sent them an e-mail again asking for clarification about whether I would get a spare key so that I wouldn’t be confined in my apartment during the night/early mornings. However, as they took a bit longer to respond than I was expecting, I also decided to message them this same question via Line.
A day later, I received some contradicting responses back both via e-mail as well as Line. However, via e-mail, I was told “No, you cannot enter/leave the apartment during the times that the building is locked.” Meanwhile, the person messaging me on Line said “this is no problem, we will provide you with a spare key.”
Now, if I could get a spare key, there would not be a problem, however, I’m not down with having a curfew, especially not one that ends at 8:00 AM.
Sorry for the perhaps long-winded story, but I’m a bit stressed out about the entire situation as I’m now unsure about whether I will have to find a new apartment on relatively short notice. Does anyone have any similar experiences with this or any suggestions at all on how to proceed?
11 comments
No that’s not okay and never heard of such a thing. Its more than enough reason to back out if not upfront. Tell them you have to go to work in the morning.
Extremely unusual. I’ve only heard of such a thing for dorms at private schools. I would question the safety of having the main entrance to the building locked in case of emergencies as well.
Your story isn’t very clear. The building is probably automatically locked from 23:50 to 8:00 to prevent visitors from accessing the building by themselves, but you can enter it with your key. that’s quite common.
What does a spare key have to do with it?
8 AM? Do people not need to go to work in that building? If I left after 8 AM I’d be late.
Very strange.
That has to be a miscommunication. Probably the entrance is automatically locked at night. But there is no way they will prevent you from entering your own apartment at night.
Thank you guys for the initial responses. To clarify a bit more, these are the relevant messages I’ve had between me and the housing company regarding this situation:
**Housing company:** The owner stays on 1 floor. She locks the entrance door around midnight, she opens it in early morning.
**My response:** Regarding the owner closing the main entrance around midnight; does this mean that I am not allowed to leave the house anytime after midnight?
**Housing company:** About your question for moving the apartment, you can’t come into the apartment after midnight. You need your schedule. You can come into the apartment during 8 am – 11:50 pm.
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Reading some of your comments, I realize that this may just be a case of miscommunication, where “you can’t come into the apartment after midnight” may only apply to my initial moving-in as I wouldn’t have the key yet. It might have just struck me the wrong way, especially after asking for clarification on their part about me not being able to leave the house after midnight.
I’m on the miscommunication side. trapping everyone inside the building for 8 hours would be extremely dangerous, just to name one reason it can’t possibly be the case.
I think there’s some miscommunication happening.
Likely the door is locked but residence are free to leave/enter with a key.
This is extremely weird. What kind of apartment building is it? You say the landlord lives on the first floor, so is it a duplex or bigger?
It makes sense to lock the entrance at night, but then you should have a key to get in. I can’t imagine you being prevented from leaving and accessing your house at night being legal.
I would ask them to clarify again and if really the landlord is trying to impose a curfew I would walk away. Even if the landlord ends up backtracking in the end. They sound unreasonable, even possibly unhinged. You don’t want to live there.
My building’s front door locks from 10pm to 8am automatically, but we’re given a key to go through the door to the alley on the side of the building… which is somehow safer. I relate to the struggle
Yeah that can’t be right…nor legal.
What if there’s a fire and ol’ buddy landlords taking a hot nap?
Yeah you’ve definitely misunderstood something along the way