External doors
Each external door must have a working deadlatch with at least one cylinder. Where a deadlatch is not feasible, the door must instead have a locking device that is operated by a key from the outside, and may be unlocked from the inside with or without a key.
Windows
All external windows of the rental property that can be opened must have a working lock. Where there is no lock, the window must have a latch to secure it against external entry.
The exceptions
Consumer Affairs Victoria lists a set of specific exceptions to the deadlatch requirement, including screen doors, heritage properties, and doors already blocked by another security barrier. If you are relying on an exception, check the current list rather than assuming — it is the kind of detail that changes.
Who this applies to, and from when
The minimum standards obligations apply to new rental agreements entered into from March 2021, and to a current fixed-term agreement of more than five years that rolls over into a periodic tenancy on or after 29 March 2021.
What it means in practice for a portfolio
- Every external door and every openable window is in scope, not just the front door.
- The garage side door and the laundry door count as external doors when they open to the outside.
- A window latch that has been painted shut is not a working latch.
- The most efficient time to fix all of it is between tenancies, alongside the rekey you were doing anyway.
We can walk a property and tell you what is fitted, what is missing and what is fitted but no longer working. What we cannot do is certify the property — that is not a locksmith's role, and anyone offering it is overreaching.
Source: Consumer Affairs Victoria, "Locks and security" and "Minimum standards for rental properties", read 9 August 2026.