Victorian rental minimum standards
What the minimum standards actually require on locks and windows.
In plain English, door by door: what has to be there, what fails an inspection, and what the 24-hour urgent repair clock means when a lock breaks.
24 hrsUrgent repair window on a broken lock
$2,500What a renter can claim if nobody acts
1 Dec 2025Blind cord anchors mandatory
$110Standards check, deducted from the work
The three things that fail an inspection
Most non-compliant properties I walk into fail on the same handful of items, and none of them are expensive to fix. They just need somebody to notice.
This page is the plain-English version. The binding wording sits with Consumer Affairs Victoria, and none of this is legal advice — it is what I see on the doors.
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Double-cylinder deadlocks
A lock that needs a key to get out fails the standard and is a fire risk. Very common in older stock.
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Windows with no working latch
A rod in the track is a stopper, not a lock. Every openable, accessible window needs a functioning latch.
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Unanchored blind cords
Mandatory since 1 December 2025, no exemption for older blinds. A five dollar part that stops an inspection failing.
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Checked in one visit
Doors, cylinders, windows and cords inspected together, with a photo report per room.
Door by door
What the standard expects, and the version of it I actually find on site.
- External entry doorsA functioning deadlatch, or a lock that is key-operated from outside. Screen and security doors are not counted as the entry door — the door behind them is what has to comply.Deadlatch
- Locks keyed on both sidesFails. A renter has to be able to get out without hunting for a key. This is the single most common thing I replace in Geelong rental stock.Replace
- Openable external windowsA working lock, latch or winder on any window that opens and can be reached from outside. It has to function — painted shut or seized does not pass.Working latch
- Corded blinds and curtainsAnchored since 1 December 2025 so the cord cannot form a loop of 220mm or more within a child's reach. Fixed into something solid, not stuck on.Anchored
- Rooming housesTheir own regulations. Every room needs a lock that works by key from outside and opens from inside without one. A PIN or fob counts as a key.Per room
- A broken lock reported by a renterMakes the property insecure, which puts it on the urgent repairs list. 24-hour window. Miss it and the renter can engage their own tradesperson and claim up to $2,500.24 hours
General information for property managers and rental providers, not legal advice. The urgent repairs provisions sit in the Residential Tenancies Act 1997, and the standards with Consumer Affairs Victoria.
The number worth knowing
$110 to find out. Up to $2,500 if nobody looks.
A minimum standards check is $110 plus GST and it comes off in full against any work you book from it. You get a photo report per room and an itemised quote you can forward to the owner without rewriting it.
The alternative is finding out at a routine inspection, or worse, when a renter reports a broken lock and the 24-hour clock is already running.
What property managers ask
What do the rental minimum standards say about locks?
Every external entry door that isn't a screen door has to have a functioning deadlatch or a lock that is key-operated from outside. Every window that can be opened and is accessible from outside has to have a functioning lock or latch. Both have to actually work, not just be present.
Does a double-cylinder deadlock meet the standard?
No, and it's the most common failure I find. A lock that needs a key from the inside as well as the outside is a fire risk and doesn't satisfy the standard. It's very common in older stock through Corio, Norlane and Bell Park. Swapping it to a key/knob deadbolt is a straightforward job.
Does a rod in the window track count as a window lock?
No. The standard asks for a functioning lock or latch on the window itself. A timber rod or a dowel in the track is a stopper, not a lock, and it won't pass an inspection.
What about blind and curtain cords?
Every corded internal window covering in a Victorian rental has needed an anchor since 1 December 2025, with no exemption for older blinds. The cord has to be secured so it can't form a loop within a child's reach. Adhesive hooks don't count — the fixing has to go into something solid.
A tenant has reported a broken lock. How long do we have?
A broken or missing lock makes the property insecure, which puts it on the urgent repairs list under the Residential Tenancies Act 1997. The window is 24 hours. If it isn't actioned, the renter can arrange their own tradesperson and claim reimbursement of up to $2,500.
Who pays for bringing a property up to standard?
The rental provider. The standards are a condition of letting the property, not something that can be passed to the renter or deferred to the next lease.
Can you check a property and tell us what's needed?
Yes. A minimum standards check is $110 plus GST — external doors, cylinders, every openable window and the corded blinds — and you get a photo report and an itemised quote. The $110 comes off in full against any work you book from it.
Not urgent?
Send me the details and I’ll come back with a price.
If you’re locked out right now, ring me instead — that’s always faster. For everything else, this gets you a number without a phone call.
I answer these myself, usually the same day. Nothing goes to a call centre and nobody else gets your number.
Would rather talk? Call 0415 395 981 or send a text.
Want a property checked?
Send me the address and I'll book it in. Photo report and an itemised quote the same day.
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