While living in shared accommodation can be a cost-effective way to live, especially in a busy city like Bradford, it does come with some challenges. For example, in most shared accommodation/HMO situations, you only really have one room that you can call your own: your bedroom. Therefore, you need to find ways to make sure that your bedroom stays secure and private. How can you do that?

Ask anyone who lives in an HMO or shared property, and they will tell you that nightmare situations can arise. People might help themselves to your belongings in your bedroom; they might even outright steal your clothes, valuables and/or money. Therefore, it is imperative that you take security very seriously. If you are unsure where to start, read on.

This guide, put together by a Bradford locksmith, will make sure you know exactly how to secure your belongings and reduce the risk of such an unpalatable situation in the future.

Knowing Your Rights In Shared Accommodation

If you live in shared housing, then you are in a situation where you give up extra rooms for cost-effective living. In many cases, the cost of owning property outright or renting alone is too much. Therefore, living with another set of people – often people you do not know – is the best choice. However, it does mean having little more than a bedroom as your personal space, right?

Your landlord should provide you with a list of the permissions and requirements you have as a renter. Usually, there will be a compliance officer who checks out the property to look for anything untoward that is taking place. In return, you need to follow the regulations and instructions given closely.

In many HMO situations, regulations stipulate that individuals should have locks installed on internal doors. However, not every landlord permits this; if you feel this could violate your agreement, speak with them. Internal security is not something you should compromise on; make sure that your rights are being adhered to, but also that your landlord respects your desire for privacy and safety.

Thanks to the Fitness for Habitation Act of 2018, anyone living in an HMO across the United Kingdom has the same rights as a traditional renter. Make sure you do not allow a landlord to take advantage!

The Lowdown On Locks For UK Shared Accommodation/HMOs

Shared housing tends to come with different regulations and requirements compared to a single home. If you want to make sure that your landlord is providing safe accommodation, make sure that your lock situation lives up to what we state below.

External Door Locks For Shared Accommodation: What’s Allowed?

The first thing to note is that your landlord will need to have a secure, high-quality front door on the building. A failure to provide a door that is secure and safe is often a safety violation.

One example of this is that some HMOs come equipped with a door that can be key-operated from both sides. This is not allowed in shared accommodation. If your property has a 2-way key-operated door, you should contact your landlord and dispute this. 

For safety and security purposes, HMO/shared accommodations should have doors with no internal key locks. The alternative is a night latch lock; this is for fire safety as well as to make sure that residents are not getting locked out on a regular basis.

Protecting Your Security With Bedroom Door Locks In HMOs

The above is an important topic of discussion because many residents in shared accommodation are not aware of what door types are permitted. Now that we have covered the external doors, let’s get to the main topic of conversation here: bedroom doors. How can you protect your private space?

Regulations Dictate You Deserve Privacy

Any HMO/shared accommodation property comes with a requirement that all tenants are given the right to privacy. That means that your bedroom should have, at the very least, a rim cylinder night latch attached to the door. That should provide basic security, allowing you to:

• Store valuable belongings in your bedroom without risk of unwanted entry.
• Enjoy privacy without being disturbed by people walking into your bedroom.
• Sleep without the worry of being woken up by someone entering your room.

However, it should be noted that in many HMOs or shared accommodation buildings, you will need to haggle with your landlord about upgrading your locks. Our advice would be, if you intend to stay in the shared property long-term, to meet with the landlord in terms of covering the cost of installation.

You can have internal bedroom door locks fitted by a locksmith for a fair price. They can install new high-security locks which are key-operated, so you can make sure your rooms stay secure whenever you wish. Most landlords will not want to shell out for the money themselves, though. If you offer to pay for the lock installation, though, they might be more willing to allow you to carry out the job.

Contact a locksmith and get a price for bedroom door lock installations. You can then give your landlord the full price for the job and see how willing they are to allow the installation to go ahead.

If your shared accommodation does not even have a rim cylinder night latch, though, raise this with your landlord. This is a violation of your right to privacy within shared accommodation.

Bedroom Windows Require Locks, Too!

Another note to take into account: any windows within your bedroom should come with fitted locks that are operated by key. Every tenant should be provided with a minimum of one window key; if your windows do not have locks fitted, speak with your landlord about this. In some cases, this could be a security violation. 

Where Else Should Locks Be Installed?

Just for your own information, we also want to break down other areas of the building where an HMO or shared accommodation property should have additional locks and security. While not always covered by regulations, most residents expect to see locks installed on:

• All windows are accessible from the first floor of the building.
• All bathroom facilities; everyone deserves to go to the toilet in privacy.
• Refuse and storage facilities, such as your bin shelter.
• Individual kitchen cupboards and allotted storage spaces.

If you feel like any of these areas in your HMO/shared property are not secure enough, converse with your landlord about it. They should be willing to do something about it, even if, as above, you might need to meet them halfway (or more) on the cost. For the added security and peace of mind, though, the costs are often worth the investment. Speak with your other residents about chipping in together.

Make Progress Via Communication & Professional Support

As you can see, then, your shared accommodation does come with some pretty clearly marked out security standards. Any failure to adhere to these standards would see you in trouble with your landlord, right? Well, the same goes for them. This is a two-way street.

Make sure that your landlord is living up to their end of the bargain; otherwise, you could be putting yourself at needless risk. To encourage a landlord to take action on your requests, contact a locksmith and get a quote. 

They can provide you with a price for any required upgrades; while you might need to pay towards the upgrades, the peace of mind and reduced risk alone are worth the cost involved.