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    nspilotros's Avatar
    nspilotros Posts: 2, Reputation: 1
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    #1

    Jul 8, 2013, 06:48 PM
    In Illinois, does a landlord have to change the locks when a new tenant moves in?
    I just moved into a new rental home. The locks were not changed. My landlord hired someone to fix my bathroom. 4 days later, my house was burglarized. No forced entry, someone walked right through my front door. I found out afterwards that this man had keys to the house, and lives 4 blocks away. I didn't have anyone in my new place other than my parents, only the TWO safes I had were stolen, nothing else was touched. Police said it was someone who knew I had TWO safes in unit. This repair man was drinking on the job, took my alcohol from my fridge without permission, and used MY dry wall to finish the bathroom with out permission. I have several other reasons to suspect this man. I'm 99% sure this is who burglarized me, but no exact proof yet for the police. Please help to educate me of any rights I have as a tenant regarding the repair man and the issuance of the keys, thank you!
    smoothy's Avatar
    smoothy Posts: 25,492, Reputation: 2853
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    #2

    Jul 8, 2013, 07:04 PM
    They don't HAVE to do it... but it's the smart thing to do ( it however isn't cheap with a house with multiple entry doors)... you could offer to pay to have new locks put in at your expense.. but you would legally be required to give the landlord a set of the keys. And it would have to be with the landlords knowledge and authorization.

    Incidentally.. there are lots of ways into a locked house without having keys... and that's without picking the locks. I've had to do it a few times when I locked myself out accidentally at a few places over the years.

    How did you find out a previous tenant still has keys.. Or was that a theory..

    Be careful tossing around accusations you can't prove... it could backfire on you. Its called slander.
    nspilotros's Avatar
    nspilotros Posts: 2, Reputation: 1
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    #3

    Jul 8, 2013, 07:15 PM
    Thank you very much for your response. Well, after the burglary (I wish I had asked sooner!) my landlord told me the previous tenant and the repair man had keys to the house.
    smoothy's Avatar
    smoothy Posts: 25,492, Reputation: 2853
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    #4

    Jul 8, 2013, 07:34 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by nspilotros View Post
    Thank you very much for your response. Well, after the burglary (I wish I had asked sooner!) my landlord told me the previous tenant and the repair man had keys to the house.
    Odd the previous tenant kept a set he knew about and did nothing... but if the Landlord has a repairman that does all of their properties ( I assume they have more than this one house).. then its not unusual for them to have keys. If it's their only rental property, then it might be a bit unusual.
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