Our super showed up yesterday with a box of keyless deadbolts and now we're told we have to pick up a fob from the management office and leave a deposit before they'll 'activate' it. I still have my regular key and the old deadbolt was working fine. I'm rent stabilized, lease runs through next fall, and nowhere in my lease does it mention a key fob or any new security deposit. They also slipped a 'lock upgrade rider' under my door like it was already a done deal.

Can they really add a deposit mid-lease just because they want the building to look modern? I don't mind using a fob for the lobby, but I'm not signing extra papers for my own apartment door. Feels like a way to open the door (pun intended) to more charges later. Anyone else dealt with this?

EastHarlem_E, this comes up a lot, and you're right to be suspicious. If you're rent stabilized, the landlord cannot add a new security deposit or access fee in the middle of your lease just because they decided to modernize the lock. The key word is new. A key fob deposit is still a security deposit for legal purposes, and a tenant in a stabilized unit generally doesn't have to start paying a fresh deposit for something that replaces a functioning key. They also can't condition your access on signing a rider unless the work is required by law or your existing lease actually gives them the right.

First step: read your current lease and any riders. Look for language about building-wide security systems, locks, or charges for keys. Most standard stabilized leases won't include a fob-deposit clause. If it's not there, they can ask, but they can't make you. Second: send an email or certified letter saying you do not consent to the new deposit and you'll continue to require a working key to your apartment at no extra charge. Keep it polite but in writing.

Practically, even if you accept the fob, insist that the deposit be treated as security: it should go into a separate account, be refundable with interest where applicable, and there should be a receipt. If the old deadbolt is still on the door and you have a key, they may have done this for common areas only; that's less serious. But if they've removed the key cylinder and the fob is now the only way in, that's an alteration of access, not just a bonus.

If they push back, file a complaint with DHCR or call 311 and ask for a tenant helpline referral. In my old building on 90th, the landlord tried exactly this after a lobby intercom upgrade. A couple of us sent letters citing the lease, and management dropped the deposit for stabilized tenants. They still rolled out the fobs for the main door, but nobody had to pay a new fee. Market-rate tenants had less leverage, so your status matters.

One caveat: if you lose a fob, the replacement charge has to be reasonable and based on their actual cost, not some made-up number. Don't sign a rider that says 'lost fob fee' without a cap.

Oh wow, I think they got me with this in Dyker Heights. Our management installed a keypad on the lobby and said every apartment had to pick up a fob, and we needed to leave a deposit at the office or they wouldn't activate it. I didn't think about it because I was new and just paid it. They took my old building key too and said I don't need it anymore, but now I'm reading your post and feeling dumb.

So if I already paid, can I ask for it back? Or is that money gone because I handed it over voluntarily? Also, is it legal for them to keep my old key? They said it's a backup, but nobody showed me where it's stored.

DykerNewbie, don't beat yourself up; these management offices rely on people not knowing what's a security deposit and what's optional. If the money was taken as a deposit and you're in a regulated unit, ask in writing for the written notice and proof it's in an interest-bearing account. If they can't produce that, you have grounds to demand it back or file with the appropriate state agency, depending on how the building is regulated. For EastHarlem_E, slightly different: you haven't paid yet, so hold the line.

One thing I'd add: there's often a confusion between the front door and your unit door. A landlord has more leeway to change lobby/common-area access for building security. They can require a fob for the front door if the intercom is being replaced, as long as they give you one without an illegal extra charge. Your individual apartment door is different: they cannot quietly swap your deadbolt for a fob-only lock and then say 'oh by the way, sign this rider.' That's a lease modification, and in a stabilized apartment you don't have to accept it absent a DHCR order or lease clause.

Also check the battery issue. I lived in a building in Astoria where the keyless unit locks used cheap AA batteries, and twice a winter, people got locked out when the battery died in the cold. If the landlord insists on a fob lock for your unit, ask who changes the batteries, what the manual override is, and whether there's still a physical key cylinder for emergencies. A lot of these installs are done by the super on a Saturday and never inspected. If the only way into your apartment is a battery-powered fob and the battery dies, that's a self-created repair issue you don't want.

For EastHarlem_E, ask them in writing to provide a written schedule of any deposit, the bank where it's held, and the written policy on replacement. If they refuse, that's a red flag that this is a cash grab. You can also call 311 to request an inspection for lock/access issues if they change your unit lock without giving you a working key. Don't withhold rent over it, though; file the complaint and keep paying your legal rent.

Quick update: I sent a short email saying I wasn't signing any new rider and would keep my key, and magically they said 'no problem, we'll just add you to the fob system for the lobby at no charge.' Shocking, right? They still want the fob for the front door, which is fine, but they dropped the deposit talk real fast.

DykerNewbie, I'd write back and ask for a receipt / proof of account. If it was a deposit, it has to be handled like one. At minimum you'll be annoying enough that they may cut you a check. oldyork_otis and astoria_arch, thanks. Knew something was off but couldn't put it into lease language.