Not only tenants and landlords have it – strangers also have a key for the front door of apartment buildings. Who and why?
The most important things at a glance
Most residents of apartment buildings would probably like to know who has a key for the front door. Because not only the tenants and the landlord have this door opener, but also many other people. Which are they? Where did they get it from? And what are the reasons?
Anyone who has a front door key
The following people usually have the front door key to an apartment building:
- Renter
- Landlord
- Building supervisor
- Property management
In addition, third parties are sometimes also provided with the front door key. These include, among others:
- Mail carrier
- Newspaper delivery person
- Garbage worker
- Fire department
Where do strangers get the key to the front door?
Most of the time, the respective people or companies receive the key from the property management company or the landlord. Together with other front door keys from the surrounding apartment buildings, they are attached to a key ring. This is given to the letter deliverers and garbage collectors before their tour. At the end of the shift, they must return the key ring to the office, where it will be kept safe.
Why do strangers have the house key?
Whether this group of people receives a key depends on two factors:
- 1. whether you need it and
- 2. whether the landlord or the property management wants to hand over the key.
Regarding 1: If, for example, the mailboxes cannot be filled from outside but only from the hallway, the postman needs a front door key. Garbage workers who have to collect the waste containers from the inner courtyard, for example, should also be equipped with appropriate access authorization.
Regarding 2: If the key is not handed over, the postmen and garbage collectors have to gain access to the mailboxes or garbage cans in other ways – for example by ringing the doorbell and hoping that a tenant will let them into the house. However, this is often very complicated and time-consuming, as Deutsche Post DHL, among others, explained to us when asked by t-online. It can also happen that the letter deliverers or garbage collectors do not find any tenants. In this case, for example, the waste cannot be picked up if the bins are not at the front door. And the fire department also has to use force to gain access to the building in an emergency if there is no key.
info
In larger buildings, the keys for the building or the premises are stored in the so-called fire brigade key depot (FSD). More about the fire brigade key depot can be found in this article.
By the way: In Austria there is the so-called postal key or Z-key. This is a small, uniform key that, for example, postmen, garbage collectors or the fire department could use to open the front door of an apartment building and thus gain access inside.
