changing the locks on my front door

ok, going to be starting a little grow op in the bedroom closet. i'll just use the rest of the bedroom for storage of crap.

anyway, i'm going to replace the doorknob on the bedroom door with one that locks, but i was thinking, as an extra layer of security, to change the lock on my front door.

i rent, and maintenance has a master key to the building. it is a 3-story, about 100unit controlled-access building


anyway, i'm pretty sure i'm not allowed to change my front door locks, but as long as it's not noticeably different, i figure it's a good thing to do. maintenance should never come in, unless there was a fire or flood. even if they did come in (God forbid) i'd still have the bedroom locked.

but if i replace the locks on my front door they won't be able to get in, short of knocking the door down, and they wouldn't do that unless there was a fire obviously.

i'd probably get a note on my door saying: "we can't get in, you're not supposed to change the locks" but it's better than "we got in, your bedroom was locked, and there was a strange smell"


anyway, what do you think? there doesn't seem to be much downside to me, unless i can't get a new doorknob that looks identical. the knob i have now is very old and worn.


anyway, there really shouldn't be any reason maintenance should ever come in, but it IS possible. they are also stoners themselves so that's another layer of defense :)


the biggest problem with this plan is if someone notices i've changed the locks (and i'm pretty sure i signed the contract saying i wouldn't do that) and they want to investigate.

still, they wouldn't be bashing my door down.


so i'm thinking, lock on the bedroom door, new lock on the front door. i've thought about locking the grow closet but it would take some engineering and i'll b leaving the closet doors ajar during the day anyway (for airflow)


just wanted to get your ideas. i'm pretty sure i'll do that. i might replace the deadbolt or the knob itself. deadbolt might be better, we'll see.

just gonna get a kwikset gold deadbolt/doorknob set with the same key. replace me deadbolt on the front door, and my doorknob on the bedroom. same key, but no one else will have a master key. good idea me thinks. i'd probably have to shut down if maintenance tried to get in and couldn't, but it's a lot better than them getting in and chancing smelling or hearing something from the bedroom.

oh, and "well, i gave my girlfriend a key, and she's a crazy bitch, so i had to change my locks" :)

hopefully none of these will ever be necessary, but no such thing as being too careful

You're still not safe from The Mummy.
He can become Sand.

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Originally Posted by Inferius

You're still not safe from The Mummy.
He can become Sand.

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Shit, hes got ya there! WHAT YA GONNA DO?!?!



Im just a lil high...

oh shit, not the mummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i'm not gonna get to sleep tonight....... :)

I would first lock the closet and second lock the bedroom door very securely. Make it so that they would need to knock down a wall to breach the door. Make sure no light is visible from the closet door. Make sure no sound is audible. Soundproof is needed. If you change the locks on the front door you will be just creating a reason to arouse suspicion. They will also charge you in excess of $100 to re-change it. It is against the terms of your lease and the law to change the front door lock. It is perfectly legal and acceptable to lock up the closet and bedroom.

Hey, whitestalks. Good idea. It is probably against the lease agreement, but it is not something I haven't done as well. If they end up wanting to come in for something, they should let you know, then you can be home to let them in. Then if they need to ever go in and find out that you have changed the locks...

"Oh, sorry, I just changed them this past weekend because I lost my keys in a club/bar/taxi & I don't want anyone to break in. I just have been so busy, I forgot to give you the 2nd key...here ya go! :-) *Hands key to apt office*"

If you replace it with the same kind and give them the key, they seem not to mind. Pray for no fires or floods while you're not home. Be careful...and safe. :)


The Fog :rastasmoke:

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Originally Posted by unclebob

I would first lock the closet and second lock the bedroom door very securely. Make it so that they would need to knock down a wall to breach the door. Make sure no light is visible from the closet door. Make sure no sound is audible. Soundproof is needed. If you change the locks on the front door you will be just creating a reason to arouse suspicion. They will also charge you in excess of $100 to re-change it. It is against the terms of your lease and the law to change the front door lock. It is perfectly legal and acceptable to lock up the closet and bedroom.

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well here are the issues:

1. yes it's against my lease, but if they ever do find out, i just put the old one back in. they don't need to replace it. i'll keep the previous locks

2. locking up the bedroom and growroom closet that securely is very difficult. first, i'd have to be drilling to put new locks on the bedroom door. if maintenance ever had to come in that would not only be totally against my lease, but also very suspicious.

3. locking the growroom closet is a pretty hard feat. it's a double-sliding-door closet. i'd have to drill and then put some sort of padlocks on each side. not to mention you could still swing the hanging doors out a little and peak in. here's the thing: even if they had to get in the bedroom for some scheduled maintenace (god forbid), there is absolutely no reason on earth why they'd open the closet. there's nothing in there. no lights, no power outlets, no fixtures, no electrical lines, nothing. so, if they did have a scheduled maintenace day (and once again the likelihood is that this will never happen) i could conceal everything in the closet and keep it closed.

4. your ideas on light, sound, and smell proofing are very well noted, and i'm going to be very careful and thorough about that


i still think: new inconspicuous lock on the front door, new lock on bedroom. if anyone gets suspicious, and i can feel the heat around the corner ( :) ) i'm probably just going to shut down, burn, and go anyway. there's no reason for maintenace to try my front door, and if i'm home, i can open it myself, and the lock will look the same, so i still say it's better than allowing them the option of openning it anytime they want


ps: breaking down a door is so easy, i've done it myself, it's harder with a deadbolt, but not very. if they were going to break down the bedroom door with a regular knob-lock, they can break it down with a deadbolt. beyond that i'm not building anything too crazy here

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Originally Posted by TheGreenFog

Hey, whitestalks. Good idea. It is probably against the lease agreement, but it is not something I haven't done as well. If they end up wanting to come in for something, they should let you know, then you can be home to let them in

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right, that's the intention. the new lock i'll get will be a gold kwikset, identical to the one on my door right now. i'm also going to scuff it up a bit with a scouring pad to make it look old, otherwise it could stick out.


here's what is most likely to happen: maintenance will never need to get in. the only reason they would is if they were replacing fixtures, and there's nothing that needs replacing. if i did have a shower leak and i needed to call them, again they wouldn't get into the bedroom, and again definitely not the closet. and again, they're stoners and i seriously doubt they'd rat on me

anyway, i'm getting set up now. seeds have shipped and will be here soon. got my hps and a bunch of stuff coming from insidesun, got some cfl's yesterday at walmart and going to home depot today to try to find some cool white's

peace and good growing

Hopefully your landlord would not chose to be a dick about it, but if they want to they can in fact legally replace the locks and bill you for it without ever giving you an option to put the old locks back. I am telling you this only because that exact thing happened to me in an apt in years ago.

Also, be aware that it is in fact legal for you to lock any interier door securely even in a rental property. If the maintenance staff or landlord break in to that room or closet without just cause or prior notice you can have them charged with B&E. I know this because years ago I had a GF who thought either one of her roomates or the landlord was fucking with her shit and stealing things. When she called the cops, they came to do the report and they explained that even though it was a rental, she could legally lock an interior door. They then explained that if anyone including the landlord where to break that lock and come in, we could then have them charged with B&E. The only exception to that would be if they could demonstrate just cause in terms of emergency maintenance of some kind. This was in the US in NJ. If your outside the US it may be different rules I don't know.

good luck

good advice, thank you; it's definitely an "iffy" issue. ok, if maintenance wants to fix the sink while i'm home, fine; i can let them in.

there's only one circumstance where changing the front door lock would matter: if they had to get in to the apartment for some emergency reason. and i suppose they wouldn't do that unless there was an actual emergency.

for example, a month ago we all got notes that they would be changing smoke alarm batteries. they told us the day they were coming, and i opened the door and they changed them. again, i'm lucky in this case as the only smoke alarm in the apartment is in the livingroom, none in the bedroom.

and my appt is set up a little differently in that you come through the front door into the living room; you have to walk through the thin kitchen, and if you go straight you're in the bathroom, left is a closet, right the bedroom


basically, i'm thinking it breaks down like this: i don't want them in the house without me knowing.

the question is: what happens when they try to open my door without my knowing? should they get in? or should they not?

i'm thinking it breaks down like this: IF i can replace the deadbolt and make it look identical to the previous one, so no suspicion would be aroused, THEN it's worth it. if i cannot make it look just right, it's not worth it. i think someone noticing i changed my lock would be worse than the possibility of someone coming in unannounced, which should never happen unless the place is on fire. still, it's a tough one; i'm undecided. i think i'll buy a deadbolt/doorknob set and lock the bedroom, and think about the front door


and pps: my landlord is chill and maintenance dudes are very chill, and i live in one of the most pot-friendly places in the country, so at least i have that going for me


right now i'm going to start thinking more and more about odor, noise, light control