I'm renting in a pretty new high-rise apartment building. Most of the building is managed as a hotel/ airbnb by the on-site management/reception. The lift requires a security fob to access most floors.
We're all human, there are instances where I lock myself out. There are master keys for cases like this, for contractors, and for cleaning staff to do their job.
However, there is one very spiteful manager who almost always refuse to help in such a case. I am renting through a third party owner/agent, as opposed to some units where the contract is direct with the on-site management. He uses this as an excuse, saying that direct tenants have owners that pay body corporate which pays for services like this, implying that the owner of my unit does not pay body corporate?
So I show the manager my signed tenancy form on my phone, but he still says that is not enough proof.
Next, the manager taunts me into calling a locksmith and getting the whole lock replaced at my expense, ~$500. So when I get on the call with a locksmith, the manager stops me and says that won't work because he will not allow me and the locksmith upstairs because we could be anyone just trying to break in.
So I ask him, "So we're locked out of the apartment and everything in it, forever?", and he straight-faced replies "Yes."
Every time this happens, it only gets resolved if another (lower-ranked) manager happens to walks by and exercises discretion for us.
I'm really tired of this guy going on power trips at my expense.
Is there any law against persons illegally barring access to another person's legal residence? Or is there a relevant law that gives me grounds to sue for compensation (e.g. hotel stays for the duration of the case) and damages (lost wages from being unable to access work-related files on my computer) the next time he tries to pull this bulls**t?
We're all human, there are instances where I lock myself out. There are master keys for cases like this, for contractors, and for cleaning staff to do their job.
However, there is one very spiteful manager who almost always refuse to help in such a case. I am renting through a third party owner/agent, as opposed to some units where the contract is direct with the on-site management. He uses this as an excuse, saying that direct tenants have owners that pay body corporate which pays for services like this, implying that the owner of my unit does not pay body corporate?
So I show the manager my signed tenancy form on my phone, but he still says that is not enough proof.
Next, the manager taunts me into calling a locksmith and getting the whole lock replaced at my expense, ~$500. So when I get on the call with a locksmith, the manager stops me and says that won't work because he will not allow me and the locksmith upstairs because we could be anyone just trying to break in.
So I ask him, "So we're locked out of the apartment and everything in it, forever?", and he straight-faced replies "Yes."
Every time this happens, it only gets resolved if another (lower-ranked) manager happens to walks by and exercises discretion for us.
I'm really tired of this guy going on power trips at my expense.
Is there any law against persons illegally barring access to another person's legal residence? Or is there a relevant law that gives me grounds to sue for compensation (e.g. hotel stays for the duration of the case) and damages (lost wages from being unable to access work-related files on my computer) the next time he tries to pull this bulls**t?
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