Securty in rented property

[Butterbean]

Hi all.

I'm very concerned about the security on my little flat (as I would guess most tenants are). I have contents insurance and as I live in London on the ground floor my premiums are naturally quite high.

 

When I first moved in I expressed my concern about the back door (leading into the garden and with a single lock of the old ordinary key variety), the lack of a key for the windows in the flat, and the lack of a proper lock to both the main entrance to the building and the door to my flat. The Landlord assured me that there had never been any problems and was very reluctant to give me the key for the windows (I finally got it). However I'm still very unhappy about the locks on the doors. I'm afraid to say that he's a very lax Landlord in many ways, but the rent is cheap and is all I can currently afford. Sigh.

 

I've asked him if I could change the door locks to the approved locks at my expense but he's very unhappy to let me do that, even though I made it clear I would give him keys.

 

Is it his responsibility to ensure that the flat/s are safe? Or would I be entitled to change the locks at my expense? I don't have a vast amount of expensive equipment but it's a very unsafe area of London and there are drugs related shootings, armed robberies, burglaries here just as anywhere else, and neighbours have installed security lights in their gardens because of the gangs operating in the area.

 

Hope someone can advise - this is such a fantastic site and am about to start on the Bank Thing as soon as I'm able

 

Thanks in advance