Is it true that condo management needs a spare copy of residents' keys?

[bingbongbangbung]

If that's true I'm never renting a condo apartment

Updates

+1 y

I've rented a few times before when I was still in university and only the landlord had a spare copy of the keys

[BeenThereLovedIt]

Yes. They need the key for maintenance emergencies.

Let's say a pipe burst and it just so happens that it's behind the wall in your condo. The building maintenance needs to fix it asap and can't wait for someone to contact you, and if you are at work, then wait for you to get home, or maybe your on vacation in Bermuda? They need access with prior written consent (it's in the lease / condo agreement).

[bingbongbangbung]

What next? Are they gonna bug each condo unit with cameras and microphones?

[BeenThereLovedIt]

I don't think it matters anymore. Our phones are geotrackers. Nobody needs to spy on us, we're handing it all to them on social media. Advertisers have invaded ever inch of your privacy, and everyone has just accepted it, so who wants to bug your apartment? Why would you be a target? They can't watch everyone.. it's logistically impossible. All they can do is collect data by the reams.. and they do. Unless you get involved in something public, the only thing all that data is used for is to sell you something. Go and google "a new fender stratocaster guitar" and damned if you don't start seeing guitars all day long.

[bingbongbangbung]

I use DuckDuckGo instead of Google Search and I have browser extensions to block ads and trackers on my laptop, while having a custom browser app to block them on my phone. I do plan to eventually stop using Gmail and I rarely share any personal information on social networks.

[BeenThereLovedIt]

Ok, well I really don't have anything to add. Good luck

[bingbongbangbung]

And privacy does matter, if it doesn't then everyone should just hand out their financial information to randoms on the street

[Goforit1010]

If it's a rental, then yes, they can require a spare set of keys. If the condo is lived in by the owner, then no, a spare set is typically a convenience, not a requirement.

[bingbongbangbung]

When is it a convenience then? Do you mean the landlord?

[Goforit1010]

It's possible there are other condos that are rented out, while the owners live in some of them.

I used to travel to FL quite a bit for work. We'd stay in condos there that we rented like a long term hotel stay. Although we rented a few condos at a time, there were others that the owners stayed in year-round.

[Goforit1010]

The owners typically left a set of keys with the rental group that managed the condos for rent. It was for emergency and maintenance reasons, but they weren't required to give them a key

[bingbongbangbung]

Ah ok got it

[MTC29]

Yes, their having a spare key it's mandatory.

[bingbongbangbung]

Then they can just go in and steal people's shit like a hotel. Well condos are overpriced and made of crap materials so fuck them.

[jamesgoldman]

Yeah, same for all rentals

Guess you'll have to buy a house

[bingbongbangbung]

Yeah but for old apartments and homes only the landlord gets a spare copy

[jamesgoldman]

I know property investors and the key holders are the residents, the owner and any manager/maintenance staff

[bingbongbangbung]

I didn't know investors were all 3

[jamesgoldman]

No, they aren't they are the owners they have a set, give a set to the management agency to have other required keys made for maintenance and the residents

[bingbongbangbung]

Why would investors need a set? Ofc I'd understand the maintenance staff having spare copy.

[jamesgoldman]

The investors/owners are the same people

[ThreeFourThree]

Usually with rental the owner/management have a spare copy of the key becuase it's their property.

[bingbongbangbung]

What's stopping them from breaking in and stealing people's belongings?

[ThreeFourThree]

Their fear of jail?
Think logically. If the owner uses the spare keys to enter the apartment, he/she would be suspect #1 . The break in would also make the renter scared and possible move which will hurt the owner.

[bingbongbangbung]

I wouldn't want to rent for over 1000 bucks a month to a condo to myself just to risk theft when I can pay 500 instead sharing a house with others to take that same risk

[ThreeFourThree]

The risk is near zero. There are 10's of millions of renters. How many are victims of thief by their landlord?

[bingbongbangbung]

Do you have any credible sources for such statistics?

[ThreeFourThree]

A simple Google search will show that 44.1 million American households are rented.

[bingbongbangbung]

I don't trust Google and they track people, so I've been using DuckDuckGo since November 2019 and never looked back.

[ThreeFourThree]

You need Jesus at this point lol

[bingbongbangbung]

No I don't need a fictional entity to tell me what to do because I'm not a hive minded savage

[In_Trance]

Its true with all rentals

[bingbongbangbung]

Yeah but I'm pretty sure only for the landlord gets the spare copy for anything that isn't a condo