What to check on a key-replacement charge
Read a key charge by why the lock was changed, not only by whether it was changed. Loss, damage, a change for the next tenant, and a lease clause all get written as the same line, “key replacement.”
In the guidelines’ examples, replacement when a tenant changes, without damage or loss, is treated as the landlord’s share, and loss or damage from improper use as the tenant’s share. It is an example. A record that you returned the keys does not by itself decide the landlord pays. If there is a special term, read that sentence too.
Write down the return first
Separate these in memory and on paper:
- How many keys you received, and how many you returned
- Whether there was a spare
- Whether you reported loss or damage before move-out
- Whether the estimate includes a cylinder, a card key, or a code change
If the count differs, ask whether they are charging the missing key, or the whole replacement.
If the reason is blank, ask for that
When the invoice says only “key replacement” and an amount, the question is the reason. A change for the next tenant, a change because of loss, and a building policy point at different clauses.
If the lease sets a fixed key-replacement fee or says the tenant pays, compare that amount with this bill. How to read the clause is in What to look for in a lease special term. The reference entry point is the guidelines on restoration to original condition.
Do not mix it with other lines
Also see whether cleaning or wallpaper is mixed into the key line. Splitting a package is the same approach as What to read first on a move-out invoice. Work you thought you agreed only as a key can sit under the name of the replacement.
If you find a spare key later
Finding a key after the statement does not by itself cancel the charge. Tell them when you can return it, and whether they have already replaced the lock, and ask whether the reason should remain “lost.”