Locks and rental properties have always been a complicated combination. Tenants want to feel secure in a home they're paying for. Landlords want to maintain appropriate access to a property they own. And somewhere between those two positions sits a set of questions that come up constantly — who can change the locks, who has to pay for it, what happens when a tenancy ends, and what the rules actually are when the situation isn't straightforward.



This guide covers the practical and legal side of lock changes in Melbourne rental properties, written for both landlords and tenants so that each party understands where they stand and what they're entitled to.

Why Lock Security Matters More in Rental Properties

A privately owned home typically has a small, known set of keyholders. In a rental property, the picture is considerably more complicated. By the time a new tenant moves in, keys to that property may have passed through the hands of the previous tenant, their family members, a real estate agent, a property manager, maintenance contractors, cleaners, and anyone else who needed access during or after the previous tenancy.

None of those people is required to return every copy they ever had. Some won't. Others won't even know they still have one. This is not a theoretical security concern — it's a routine feature of the rental cycle that most tenants and many landlords don't think through carefully enough at the start of a new tenancy.

The lock on the front door of a rental property at the start of a new tenancy is, in most cases, operating on a key history that neither the landlord nor the new tenant has full visibility over. That's the starting point for understanding why lock changes in rental properties are worth taking seriously.

What Victorian Law Says About Locks in Rentals

Under the Residential Tenancies Act 1997 in Victoria, both landlords and tenants have rights and obligations when it comes to locks and security. The key provisions are worth understanding clearly.

Landlords are required to provide a property in a reasonably secure condition

This includes ensuring that all external doors have functioning locks and that windows have latches or other appropriate security. A rental property handed over with a broken, worn, or non-functioning lock is not meeting the landlord's obligation under the Act.

Tenants can request lock changes and security upgrades

If a tenant believes the property is not reasonably secure, they can make a written request to the landlord for locks to be repaired or upgraded. The landlord is required to respond to that request. If the landlord refuses or fails to act within a reasonable timeframe, the tenant can apply to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) to have the matter resolved.

Tenants can change locks themselves in limited circumstances

A tenant is permitted to change locks without the landlord's consent in situations involving family violence or personal safety. Outside of those circumstances, a tenant who changes the locks without the landlord's agreement is required to provide the landlord with a copy of the new key. Changing locks and withholding access from the landlord is a breach of the tenancy agreement.

Landlords cannot change the locks to exclude a tenant

A landlord who changes the locks during a tenancy without the tenant's knowledge or consent — effectively locking a tenant out of their own home — is engaging in illegal eviction, which is a serious breach of the Act.

Understanding these provisions matters because disputes about locks in rental properties are common, and they're almost always made worse by one party acting without understanding what they're entitled to do.

At the Start of a Tenancy: What Should Happen

The beginning of a new tenancy is the right time to address lock security, and it's the point where the conversation is least likely to create friction because neither party has yet had cause for disagreement.

For landlords, rekeying the property before a new tenant moves in is straightforward good practice. It costs less than a full lock change, resets the key history on the property, and removes any uncertainty about who may still hold copies from the previous tenancy. It also demonstrates to an incoming tenant that their security has been taken seriously, which is not a small thing when you're asking someone to sign a lease and make a property their home.

For tenants, it's entirely reasonable to ask, before signing or at the start of a tenancy, whether the locks have been rekeyed since the previous tenant vacated. If the answer is no, a written request to the landlord or property manager asking for rekeying to be carried out is reasonable and sits within the framework of what Victorian tenancy law supports.

If a landlord is resistant to this request, the practical alternative — and one that benefits both parties — is to rekey the locks and share the new key with the landlord and property manager. The landlord retains access, the tenant has certainty about who holds keys, and the property's key history is reset. True Locksmith provides rekeying services across Melbourne's Bayside and Southeast suburbs and can attend a property quickly to carry this out at the start of a tenancy.

During a Tenancy: When Lock Issues Come Up

Lock problems don't always occur at the start of a lease. Several situations arise mid-tenancy that require a clear understanding of who does what.

Lost keys

If a tenant loses their keys during a tenancy, the immediate practical concern is access. If the tenant is locked out, a locksmith can provide locked-out recovery and get them back into the property. The more important follow-up question is whether the lost keys create a security risk — particularly if the keys were lost in circumstances where they might have been taken rather than simply misplaced, or if they had identifying information attached.

In cases where lost keys represent a genuine security concern, rekeying the locks is the appropriate response. Whether the cost falls to the tenant or the landlord depends on the circumstances. If the loss was the tenant's fault, the tenant is generally expected to bear the cost. If the situation is ambiguous, it's worth having a direct conversation with the landlord or property manager before assuming either party will cover it.

Relationship breakdown or change of occupants

When a shared tenancy breaks down, and one occupant leaves, the remaining tenant has a legitimate interest in ensuring the departing person can no longer access the property. This is one of the more common reasons mid-tenancy lock changes come up, and it's also one of the more sensitive ones. If the departing occupant is named on the lease, the situation requires careful handling — both in terms of the tenancy agreement and in ensuring the landlord is kept informed of any changes made.

Locks that fail or deteriorate during a tenancy

A lock that becomes stiff, inconsistent, or difficult to operate during a tenancy is a maintenance issue that the landlord is responsible for addressing. A tenant who reports a failing lock to the landlord in writing and receives no response within a reasonable time has grounds to escalate the matter. True Locksmith handles lock fixes and repair jobs across Bayside Melbourne and can attend rental properties to assess and repair cylinder problems, provide a clear report on what was found, and carry out work that keeps the property properly secured.

At the End of a Tenancy: What Landlords Should Do

When a tenant vacates, the temptation is to focus on the condition report and bond return and consider the property ready for the next tenant as soon as the keys are handed back. The lock situation is easy to overlook at this point because nothing has obviously gone wrong.

The problem is that nothing obviously going wrong doesn't mean the key history is clean. A tenant may have had copies cut that were never disclosed. Keys may have been passed to family members or friends at various points during the tenancy. The tenant may have had a contractor attend and provided access via a spare key that was never returned.

Rekeying between tenancies is the simplest way to manage this risk. It's faster than a full lock change, it restores key security to a known starting point, and it means the incoming tenant begins their tenancy with genuine certainty about who holds keys to their home. For a landlord managing multiple properties across Melbourne's Bayside suburbs, building rekeying into the routine end-of-tenancy process is both a practical security measure and a professional standard that reflects well on how the property is managed.

Lock Standards in Rental Properties: What's Actually Adequate

Not all locks installed on rental properties meet a standard that genuinely protects the occupant. Older properties across Melbourne's Bayside suburbs — many of which are period homes in Brighton, Sandringham, Hampton, and Cheltenham that have been converted to rentals — sometimes have original or ageing lock hardware that wouldn't meet a contemporary security standard.

A functional lock that technically operates is not the same as a secure lock. A cylinder without hardened anti-drill pins, without pick-resistant security pins, or without anti-snap protection on a euro-format cylinder can be defeated quickly by someone who knows what they're doing. If you're a tenant in a property where the locks feel old, cheap, or inconsistent in operation, a request to the landlord for an assessment of the lock standard is reasonable and supported by the requirement under Victorian law that a property be provided in a reasonably secure condition.

True Locksmith can assess existing lock hardware at a rental property, advise on whether the current locks meet an adequate security standard, and provide a clear recommendation on whether rekeying, cylinder upgrade, or full lock replacement is the appropriate course of action.

Practical Steps for Landlords and Tenants

For landlords, the straightforward approach is to rekey the property between every tenancy as a standard practice, ensure all external door and window locks are in working condition before a new tenant moves in, respond promptly to written security requests from tenants, and engage a licensed locksmith rather than attempting lock work independently on an investment property.

For tenants, the practical steps are to ask at the start of a tenancy whether locks have been rekeyed since the previous occupant, make any security requests to the landlord in writing so there is a clear record, report failing or difficult locks as maintenance issues rather than tolerating them, and understand that in most circumstances, keeping the landlord informed of and provided with access to any lock changes made is a condition of the tenancy.

Lock Changes and Rekeying Across Melbourne's Bayside Suburbs

True Locksmith works with landlords, tenants, and property managers across Brighton, Hampton, Sandringham, Cheltenham, Moorabbin, Bentleigh, Beaumaris, Elwood, Heatherton, Highett, Parkdale, Mordialloc, McKinnon, Mentone, and surrounding suburbs. Whether the job is a straightforward rekey at the start of a new tenancy, a mid-tenancy lock repair, or a full lock change between occupants, our team attends rental properties across Bayside and Southeast Melbourne and provides honest advice on what the situation requires.

To speak with a licensed locksmith about a rental property lock question, call 0421-767-767. For more on our services, visit our Re-Key Locks and Change Locks pages.