restrictions on keys

[SimonFisher]

**** Topic split by Moderator ****

... wondered about allowing someone else to keep them in my wood when I get it but I guess that would be difficult to organise as they would need key access to the main gate and we only get one and no copies allowed

That does seem something of a unusual restriction. There are any number of valid reasons why you might need more than one key. Who says you can only have one, is it written into your access rights? Can the key easily be copied?

[oldclaypaws]

no copies allowed

Perhaps the thinking behind no copied keys by woods4sale is to prevent groups of people sharing access in an uncontrolled way or subdividing woods. If for example a large family gave keys to all their friends and family, inviting them all to use it as a picnic site, the place could be crawling with them. Making it one key means the one purchaser, who is known, will be the main visitor with less impact on other plot owners. To all practical purposes though, if you had a spare and also gave one to a helper or close friend, who's to know? The keys must be duplicable, and they cant stand sentry to check the key every time someone uses one. We need 2 keys, Mrs Paws and I have different friends and routines and occasionally go independently or meet up there. Dexter needs 5,000 keys, one for each of his Goosewood Bees incase they want to go to beach for the day (beeside the seaside?).

[SimonFisher]

Perhaps the thinking behind no copied keys by woods4sale is to prevent groups of people sharing access in an uncontrolled way or subdividing woods. If for example a large family gave keys to all their friends and family, inviting them all to use it as a picnic site, the place could be crawling with them. Making it one key means the one purchaser, who is known, will be the main visitor with less impact on other plot owners.

Whatever 'the thinking' might be, any ability to restrict access or usage must surely be defined within a legally enforecable framework such as a covenant on the title. We are talking about a freehold piece of land here rather than a (long-term) lease?

Is anyone else supposedly restricted to a fixed number of keys for access to their woods, and if so how is it (legally) done?

[Andy M]

There are no covenants on our woods as we bought privately. We have three sets of keys - two at home and one set in a "secret place" in the woods. Useful if I set off without the keys as we are about 45mins away.

[SimonFisher]

There are no covenants on our woods as we bought privately.

There being covenants on a title and buying privately don't necessarily go together. Our two woods were bought privately but in both cases, the parties we bought from had originally bought from Ownwood limited (Woodlands.co.uk) and the titles contain restrictive covenants.

As an aside, it is one of those covenants which restricts the land from being further sub-divided by stating that it can only be sold as a whole and not be registered under separate titles.

[Dexter's Shed]

love paws quotes my bees have trouble with the locks in the rain

our woods have a good type combination padlock, so it's easy to allow others access codes which gets them through the main access gate and onto our private track, then each area of woodland has their own gates, these were not locked when we bought our plot, once all plots had been sold, we contacted everyone and suggested a group buy of combination locks, that way, only those with a need to pass through certain areas are then given the codes, of course people could walk around or climb over, but it stops vehicle access

[Rankinswood]

A way to deal with this might be to employ a daisy chain of padlocks where you add your own (multi key) padlock to the chain which would then enable you to fully respect the one key per woodland owner on the common padlock. Julian Evans describes this approach in his first book "A wood of our Own".

Rankinswood

[smojo]

OK so I don't yet have any keys or the covenant so I was going off what I was told when I visited one time. I met a guy who said his mate had a plot and he helped him. There's a peacock in the wood and this guy goes to feed it. It was clear he didn't have a key as he had left his van at the entrance and climbed the fence. He seemed pretty knowledgeable about the woods so I trusted what he said. I am guessing the reasoning being, as Claypaws suggests. Personally I'm quite happy with that. I don't know who the other plot owners are and if copying of keys was unrestricted, who knows how many people will end up with one? Where's your security then? As for actually getting copies in the case of losing yours, I don't know yet how that works. I used to be a keyholder for the company I worked for and it wasn't possible to just go to a locksmith and get a key copied. For the high security locks, you had to have written permission from the landlord. Whether Woods4sale hold a set of keys and act as landlord I don't know and doubt it. Once the whole woods have been sold I would think they relinquish any responsibility for them. I will make enquiries. Good questions though.

[Dexter's Shed]

he didn't have a key as he had left his van at the entrance and climbed the fence.

did he not have a 4x4 for going up the muddy path?

some of our visitors leave their cars and walk in, as they just wouldn't get up the track without getting stuck

[oldclaypaws]

Has anyone else lost their car keys while working in the wood ?- nightmare. I dropped mine twice (usually through the hole in the pocket) while working, but found them on each occasion after about an hour scouring through leaf litter and brash. I now either leave them in the open car, or put them in a known visible place on the approach to the car. The problem with something that protects by locking is if YOU are the one locked out by your own daftness. Sure there's a wormhole which leads to a parallel universe full of lost keys, biros, scissors, car park tickets, single socks and the end of the roll of sellotape.