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Should Landlord Fit Burglar Bars?

by Sarah

I live in an apartment block in what is not too bad a neighborhood, at least I thought the neighborhood was pretty free from crime.

My apartment is at the side of the building on the ground floor. Some of the ground floor apartments at the back have burglar bars on the windows, this seems to be a reasonable and sensible precaution as the ground floor is more prone to burglary.

In the last two months one of my neighbor's got burglarized and another had an attempted burglary. They got through her window which has the same locks as we all have, if her apartment had the burglar bars it does not seem they would have got in.

My question is can we demand that burglar bars are fitted to all apartments? Or is the landlord liable for my neighbor's loss because there are no bars?

Apparently someone asked the landlord why most apartments don't have the bars and he said that they put people off renting and tenants do not want them. Could he be forced to install bars when tenants request them? They would make me feel more secure.

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Should Landlord Fit Burglar Bars?

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Oct 03, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		Ask.
by: Sheb Marden

Could you not fit the burglary bars yourself if the landlord will not buy them? You can get bars that fit on the inside and are not too visible from the outside.

A tip. Ask the landlord questions yourself, don't rely on what others say he said.

May 03, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		Quick Release.
by: Anonymous

Last apartment I rented had grilles on every window with quick release from the inside, so i don't think a landlord can claim fire laws.
Mar 11, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		Landlord
by: Scoot

Whether your landlord should fit bars or not is one question but you can bet he wont fit them. The fire laws are a way out for him.

Landlords wont do a thing unless forced to.
Mar 06, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		Not legal advice . . .
by: Martin (Editor)

Hi Sarah,

Yours is a question that I cannot answer with any certainty, I am not a lawyer and I really think you need a lawyer to answer it.

Find out what your local housing code requires. All housing codes lay down minimum standards that landlords have to maintain, which may well include the standard of locks on windows and doors but I doubt it would require burglar bars.

Had there been bars fitted to the windows of your apartment when you agreed to the lease, and the landlord subsequently removed them, I think it possible you may have had a case for demanding he refit them.

You say you thought the area was reasonably free from crime ( no area is completely free from crime of course,) but if the instances of burglary have increased you may be able to persuade your landlord to increase security. Also, the fact that some apartments have burglar bars indicates that the landlord is aware of the risk.

As I say, this is not legal advice, but I think that rather than going any legal route, try and reason with your landlord. Many voices are more powerful than one, so gather together all your neighbors who share your concerns. Good luck.

Martin (Editor)

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