the keys to getting to know your neighbours

My keys

When we were looking at flats last year, and eventually buying the one we're in, the thought of asking if there would be a key to the front of the building seemed ridiculous. Why wouldn't someone have a key to the front door of the building they lived in? We should have asked, I guess.

When we got the keys from our solicitor, there was a note attached from the previous owners. 

It talked about the champagne they have left for us in the fridge (which we still haven't opened, for some reason), the sensitivity of the smoke detector in the kitchen, their forwarding address, and that they didn't have a key to the bike shed or the front door to the building. 

What?!? The note went onto say that they had never received keys to the bike shed or the front door - they had lived here for 6 years! They had just grown used to always using the back door. Now, I should say, that cars and bikes are parked in the back so it's quite possible to not need a front door key. Also, the stairs that lead up to our flat are closer to the back door than the front door, so, again, you can see how one could live without a front door key.

It's still odd though. 

We don't drive or use bikes much, and the front door is the closer door to being inside when coming home from work. Lauren always leaves through the front door (I tend to leave through the back), so it got a little annoying to not have a front door key. Add on that when visitors were with us, we had to show them how to get to the back door, should they be coming home on their own. 

I didn't like this not having a front door key thing.

I contacted the company that manages the building we live in, asking if they had a key we could copy. They said that they had lost theirs, and were trying to get one themselves. They suggested that I get a copy from one of our neighbours, and when I did, could I get a copy for management company. Seriously?!?! I'm supposed to get something for you, that I should be able to get from you? 

If our neighbours were friendly people, who we would even call acquaintances, we could easily have gotten a key. But the group of people that live around us are the most keep-to-yourself group of people I've ever shared a building with. I can count the number 'Hi's' I've gotten since living here on my fingers - we've lived here for 10 months!

A few months after we moved in, the contact person at the property management changed and the new person welcomed people to ask him questions. 

I immediately asked him about getting a key to the front door. He gave me the same answer, again saying that if I got a key, could I let him know, so he could get a copy from me. Why they can't contact other people who live in the building, and ask them for a key, was beyond me. He said if we wanted a bike shed key, it would cost us £20. £20 for a key! I passed on that opportunity.

Then Monday night happened.

I was sitting in the living room when I heard what sounded like running water, and it sounded like it was in the ceiling of the bathroom. In a place where we lived a couple of years ago, our upstairs neighbour had a bad leak one time that led to a lot of water ending up in our bathroom. I feared the same. 

I ran into the bathroom, could hear the water above, and saw a seam in the ceiling getting wet. Then, I saw water trickling out of a shaver socket that we have above our sink. It was weird to see water coming out of an electrical socket. The 'on' light of the socket came on by itself, and it started to make a crackling noise.

I ran upstairs and pounded on our neighbour's door.

I'd never seen this guy before. 

He was younger than me, Middle Eastern, and when I said we had water coming through our ceiling, I could see him get very nervous - he was physically shaking. He said he wasn't paying attention and his sink had overflowed, but didn't realise the water would go down to our flat. I wonder where he thought the water would go? He showed me the bathroom, that had a pool of water in it that he has mostly sopped up at this point.  Because he was clearly nervous, I calmed him down, said not to worry about it, and before I left, I said 'you don't happen to have a key to front of the building, do you?'

Five days later, the water damage is not even visible, an electrician came out and said the socket just needed to dry out (we had turned it off from the fuse box on Monday night). And most importantly, we now have 4 front door keys - one for each of our sets of keys. Total price £12, plus my getting to know one of our neighbours.

I'm considering emailing the property manager and saying I can get him a copy of the front door key - for £20.