Please help -- landlord/rental issue.

You should definitely bring it up, you already put down money and paid for utilities. If he is a good landlord he will understand and be willing to make the necessary changes. You have not moved in yet and he should be willing to work with you since he already has the deposit money. His true character will come out and this could either be good or bad, but your safety is first and if you're uncomfortable then there shouldn't be a problem. Good luck on your move and new baby!

If it's an issue bring it up first

Sign the lease then bring it up. If he says no, then he is legally bound to give you the place and if it is law in Texas that the locks need to be changed and there needs to be a deadbolt, then you can do that yourself. He can't kick you out for following the law.

Just bring it up. Probably before the papers are signed in case he's a jerk. As a landlord, I would totally understand if my tenants were concerned and have it changed for them. I actually change them anyways

Yeah... I'll just bring it up when we meet up to sign the contract. I think I'll mention the locks & deadbolts as the safety concern that they are first, then bring up the law if he gives us a hard time about it. Hopefully it won't be a problem...

Thanks for your comments. Maybe I can get some sleep now. ?

My mom owns a property management company and they do not routinely change the locks. But it is not law here.

I'd personally change them myself. Real estate law is tricky. You never know if that law applies to homes built after such and such date or became rental properties after said date. There could be a grandfathered clause that he doesn't have to you or maybe he legitimately doesn't know. You could bring it up to him before everything is signed but he could be a jerk and cancel the deal or you could mention it after you sign but then you run the risk of him getting peeved over it.

I again would just change them myself. I'd save the old lock for when I moved out and then switch them back. Locks are extremely inexpensive and not only would it give me peace of mind, I wouldn't be upsetting my new landlord who *may* think it is ridiculous. (Not saying it is at all, but you never know how people are going to react!)

I would just ask him if you could do it yourself without making a huge stink about it, and make sure he has a new key. He's more likely to get defensive if you start mentioning the law and come off as demanding.

Worked for an apartment complex and we never changed the locks because we legally didn't have to. Your landlord will probably think you are redo lupus I would do what pp said and change them myself. Also every state is different in their laws so make sure you actually check everything before you say something

As for the deadbolt, I would strongly advise against doing it yourself. You can't just go putting holes into or making modifications to the unit that you're renting, whether it is legally required or not. The unit not having the deadbolt would allow you to break the lease, but you never have the right to put holes in a home that is not yours.

Your lease would also likely have a right to enter from your landlord. In the event of an emergency, he would have a right to enter the unit whether or not you're there or can enter when given a notice of a specific time period such as 48 hours of notice requiring a key. I would suggest checking your state's dept of consumer affairs landlord/tenant code for direction before using any of the previous advise. Disallowing your landlord the legal right to enter or making changes without asking could piss him off and result in a legal reason for the lease to be broken and you become evicted.

In my opinion, being open and up front is best. You could say "hey I know you don't typically change the locks, but if I hire a locksmith and give you the new set, would that be okay? As an expecting mother who is sometimes home alone, I can rest assured knowing we are the only ones with keys." That shouldn't be that difficult.

I thoroughly read the tenant/landlord laws, what is and isn't required of both landlords & tenants, as well as the instances in which a landlord would not be legally obligated to do the things I mentioned above. And like I said above, I'm mentioning safety first -- not just dragging the law into it.

Tonight, I'm just going to say, "You know we're expecting a baby, and I'm really not comfortable taking the risk of someone else having a copy of the key. We'd like to go ahead and change and install new locks for our safety, and we'll get you a copy of the new keys ASAP."

I'm not sure whether we'll go the deadbolt route of just like a sliding-type or hotel-style latch lock. He has no problem with nails/screws in walls and stuff, so that shouldn't raise any problems. This isn't like a new construction; there's already some damage to the property (nail holes, stains/scrapes on walls, etc.).

ETA: I do appreciate the input from everyone, though! He definitely has the right to have a copy of the new key, so we'll make sure he has that.