Legal Question in Real Estate Law in California
Locks on all gates
My question, is it legal for a land lord to install locks on a 4 unit apartment, on the gates around the apartments, it creates a health risk, if the apartment units were to catch on fire we would problaby burn by the gate trying to open it.
well the question is, is it legal to have the gates locked at all times of the day and night. I think that we should not have the gates locked during the day.
Thank You.
2 Answers from Attorneys
Re: Locks on all gates
Check with your local fire or building inspector regarding the locked gates. If the locked gates violate the fire code or building code, the code enforcement people should take care enforcing the code.
Re: Locks on all gates
In reply to your inquiry, let me offer
the following:
I'm not exactly sure of the answer, but one would think there should be
some type of "panic" hardware intalled.
Mr. Johnson, though, is absolutely correct -
You should be able to get the information from
your local Building & Safety Department. Most
sizeable cities have such an entity, so
check with your city. If they don't, try the
county in which the property is located.
If you don't have any luck there, let me know
and I'll see what I can dig up. You'll need to
let me know the location of the property, if you
do contact me. Best of luck and feel free to
let me know if you have questions or comments.
Now, let me give the "de rigeur" caveat:
The foregoing information is provided as an
accommodation only, and does not constitute legal
advice or a legal opinion based on a comprehensive
review of all relevant facts and documents, nor can
provision of such information be construed as
creating an attorney-client relationship.