What Landlords Need to Know About Re-Keying After Tenants Move Out

A tenant hands back two keys and the agent’s spare. The lease ends, the bond is cleared, and the property is ready for the next renter. But you don’t actually know whether those two keys are ALL of the keys. Tradies, friends, ex-partners, cleaners, the share-house mate who moved in halfway through, any of them may have had a copy cut at some point over the past twelve or twenty-four months.

For Melbourne landlords and property managers, that uncertainty is reason enough to think carefully about what happens to the locks between tenancies.

The legal position in Victoria is more relaxed than many rental providers assume, but the security case for rekeying is strong, and the cost is modest compared with the consequences of a break-in or an insurance dispute.

This guide covers the legal context, the practical workflow, what it costs in Melbourne, and the situations where rekeying moves from “good idea” to “do it now”.

What Victorian law actually says about locks between tenancies

Victoria does not legally require rental providers to rekey a property between tenancies. That sometimes surprises landlords who assume it is mandatory. Under Section 70 of the Residential Tenancies Act 1997 (Vic), the obligations sit elsewhere.

The duties most relevant to landlords (now formally called residential rental providers) are:

• External doors and windows must have working locks. Locks must be provided on all external doors and on every window capable of having one fitted.
• Whoever changes a lock must hand over a key. If the rental provider or the renter changes any external door or window lock during a tenancy, they must give a key to the other party as soon as practicable.
• Consent is required for changing locks in a master key system, and that consent cannot be unreasonably withheld.
• Locks must be maintained. A non-functioning external lock is treated as an urgent repair under the Act.

Notice what is absent. There is no clause saying “the rental provider must rekey or replace locks at the end of every tenancy”. Some other jurisdictions have written that into law, but Victoria has not. The decision sits with the rental provider.

That makes rekeying a risk management decision, not a compliance one. Which is exactly why it deserves a clear process rather than an ad-hoc call at the end of each tenancy.

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Why rekeying between tenancies is still the sensible default

In our experience working with rental providers and property managers across Kew, Hawthorn, Camberwell, and the inner east, the same handful of reasons come up again and again.

• You don’t actually know how many keys are out there. Standard residential keys can be cut at most hardware stores and shopping-centre kiosks for under $10. Over a two-year tenancy, copies multiply quietly and informally.
• The exit condition report rarely covers key history. It records the keys returned, not the keys that were ever cut.
• Insurers may scrutinise “no forced entry” claims. If a burglary occurs without signs of forced entry, the insurer may look closely at who had access. Demonstrating that locks were rekeyed at turnover is a strong signal of reasonable care.
• Your duty of care to the incoming tenant. A new renter is entitled to assume the property is secure for them, not for the previous six people who held a key.
• Marketing value. “Locks rekeyed before move-in” is a small line on a listing that quietly signals a well-managed property and tends to attract a better-quality applicant.

For most standard residential rentals, the full rekey cost sits well below one week’s rent. Weighed against the alternative of explaining to an incoming tenant why their predecessor’s plumber still has a working key, it is an easy call.

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Rekeying vs replacing locks: which makes sense for a rental?

Both options achieve the same headline result, namely that old keys stop working. The right choice depends on the lock you already have, its age, and how the property is being positioned in the market.

For most well-maintained rentals, rekeying is the right call. It costs less, takes less time, and the security outcome is the same, provided the existing lock is sound. Replacement makes sense when the locks are nearing the end of their life, were chosen by a previous owner with no thought to standards, or when you want to bring the property up to an insurer-friendly specification.

A licensed locksmith can usually advise on the spot which is the better economic choice for any given property.

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What rekeying a rental property costs in Melbourne

Melbourne rekeying prices in 2025 have stayed broadly stable for the past two years. As a guide:

• Standard residential cylinder: around $100 to $200 per lock during business hours, including the call-out.
• High-security or restricted-key cylinder: around $120 to $250 per lock.
• Multiple locks at the same address: most locksmiths will discount the second and subsequent locks because the call-out is already covered by the first.
• After-hours work: expect a surcharge of $100 to $300 if you need the job done outside normal trading hours, which is rarely necessary for a planned changeover.

A typical Melbourne rental with a front door, a back door, and a side gate or laundry door usually lands somewhere between $250 and $450 to rekey all external locks in one visit. That is a fraction of one fortnight’s rent on most properties.

For property managers running a portfolio, the smart approach is to book rekeying on the same day as the exit clean, so the property is empty and the locksmith is not waiting around. That keeps the cost towards the lower end of the range.

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A practical workflow for property managers and landlords

The cleanest way to handle rekeying is to make it part of the standard turnover routine. A workable sequence:

1. Record the key count at lease signing. Note the number of keys handed over to the renter on the entry condition report.
2. Reconcile the key count at exit. At the exit inspection, count the returned keys against the entry record. Document any shortfall in writing.
3. Book the rekey before the new tenant’s start date. Aim for the gap between the cleaner finishing and the new tenant taking possession. A day or two is plenty for most homes.
4. Use a licensed Victorian locksmith. Locksmiths in Victoria operate under the security industry licensing administered through the Victoria Police Licensing and Regulation Division. Ask for the licence number if it is not displayed on their vehicle or invoice.
5. Get fresh keys cut as a matched set. Order the right number on the day, including a labelled spare for the agency or owner.
6. Update the property file. Replace the old key tags, retire any unreturned key records, and note the rekey date.
7. Hand over to the new tenant with a signed receipt. This closes the loop and supports any future insurance position.

This sequence works for both privately managed and agent-managed properties, and it scales cleanly across a portfolio.

When rekeying moves from “good idea” to “do it now”

There are a handful of situations where rekeying is no longer just a default best practice and becomes the obvious next step:

• A key was not returned at exit, and the tenant cannot confirm where it is.
• The tenancy ended in dispute, particularly where a renter has been evicted or has left under contested terms.
• A family violence intervention order affects the property or a former occupant. The Residential Tenancies Act has specific provisions in this area, and rekeying may be required quickly and confidentially.
• The property was sublet or share-housed informally, and you cannot establish how many copies of the keys were cut.
• The lock is part of a master key system in a multi-unit building, and the previous renter had a master or sub-master key.
• The previous tenancy was long, say more than three or four years, and the key history is unclear.

In these cases, treat the rekey as part of the close-out, not the next preparation, and have it done before the next tenant attends an inspection.

Working with a licensed Victorian locksmith

Locksmithing in Victoria sits within the broader private security regulatory framework, and any locksmith who fits, changes, or rekeys locks should be licensed accordingly. A quick check on the Victoria Police Licensing and Regulation Division website is good practice for any property professional engaging trades.

A good locksmith will also be a member of the Master Locksmiths Association of Australasia (MLAA), which sets industry standards above the regulatory floor and gives you a clear point of reference if anything goes wrong.

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The bottom line for Melbourne landlords

Victorian law does not force rekeying between tenancies, but the security, insurance, and reputational case for doing it is strong, and the cost is low. Build it into the standard exit-to-entry workflow, use a licensed locksmith, and document the change on the property file. A few hundred dollars and an hour on-site is a small price for clean key history and a tidy paper trail.

VicLocks works with landlords, property managers, and self-managing owners across Kew and greater Melbourne on tenancy-change rekeying, full lock replacements, master keying for multi-unit properties, and broader residential security upgrades. We turn up when we say we will, we explain the options before we start work, and we leave the property in better security shape than we found it.

Contact VicLocks today for a rekey quote or to set up a standing arrangement for tenancy changeovers across your portfolio.

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