Security for the Tenant

Find out what you don’t know about Security Devices….

Security Devices are a big deal now. Please click on the following links to learn about your obligations to provide a security device.

• Required Security
• Tenant’s Requests
• The Landlord’s Duty
• Selecting the Devices
• Charging the Tenant
• Sued by the Tenant
• Landlord Defenses

Landlords must comply with detailed provisions concerning security devices in residential housing. These provisions apply to (1) a room in a dormitory or rooming house; (2) a mobile home; (3) a single family house, duplex, or triplex; and (4) a living unit in an apartment, condominium, cooperative, or townhome projects. They do not apply to (1) a room in a hotel, motel, or inn or to similar transient housing; (2) residential housing owned or operated by a public or  private college or university accredited by a recognized accrediting agency, or (3) residential housing operated by accredited preparatory schools. As of  January 1, 1996, a temporary residential tenancy created by a contract for sale in which the buyer occupies the property before closing or the seller occupies the property after closing is also excluded from the scope of the statute. However, the tenancy must be for a specific time, not to exceed 90 days.