Rental Security: What Landlords Owe And Tenants Must Do

Rental Security: What Landlords Owe And Tenants Must Do

A lock breaks. A side gate won't bolt. The outside light has been dead since March. In a rented home, whose job is that?

It is one of the questions we get asked most, and October, National Home Security Month, with the evenings drawing in, is the right time to answer it properly. The short version: the landlord provides and repairs the security, the tenant uses it, reports faults and insures their own belongings. Here is the longer version.

What must the landlord provide?

A home that can be properly secured and kept that way. External doors that fit and lock, windows that close and fasten, and repairs done promptly when any of it fails. If a tenant reports a broken lock, that is an urgent repair, not a when-we-get-round-to-it job, because until it is fixed the home and everything in it is exposed.

There is a legal floor under this. Councils assess rented homes against a set of housing hazards, which includes entry by intruders, covering things like inadequate locks and insecure doors, and they can require a landlord to put serious failings right. Shelter's housing guidance explains the framework in plain English.

Good landlords go a step beyond the floor: decent exterior lighting, a gate that bolts, and considering a lock change between tenancies so old keys stop mattering. None of it is expensive against the cost of a break-in.

What is the tenant's side of the deal?

1. Use the security you have. Lock the door properly, deadlock at night, fasten reachable windows before dark. The best lock in the world does nothing if you don't turn it.
2. Report faults straight away, in writing. A text or email creates the record that gets things fixed, and protects you if it doesn't.
3. Insure your own belongings. The landlord's policy covers the building, not your laptop, bike or jewellery. Contents insurance is the tenant's, and it costs less than most people expect.
4. Don't lend or copy keys casually, and tell your landlord if one goes missing.
5. Make it look lived in when you are away: a lamp on a timer, post managed, a neighbour aware.

Can a tenant change the locks or fit a camera?

Ask first, in writing, is the safe rule for anything that alters the property. Landlords are often happy with a video doorbell, especially a battery model that doesn't drill into the door, and many will say yes to an extra lock if asked properly.

Going ahead without asking causes two problems: it can breach the tenancy agreement, and a landlord locked out of their own emergency access helps nobody. Talk first, agree in writing, keep everyone covered. And if you are filming, be thoughtful about pointing cameras at shared spaces or the neighbours' windows.

What happens after a break-in?

Police first, and get the crime reference number, because both insurance claims will need it. Then the landlord or agent, immediately, so the property can be secured the same day, boarded if necessary, and locks replaced.

The claims then run on separate tracks: building damage, the door, the frame, the window, goes through the landlord's buildings insurance, while stolen or damaged belongings go through the tenant's contents policy. This is the moment the contents insurance conversation stops being theoretical, so have the policy before you need it.

Two more things worth doing in the aftermath. Look after the tenant, because a break-in is frightening and a landlord who responds with urgency and kindness keeps a good tenant through a bad week. And once the dust settles, walk the property together and ask what would have stopped this, then fix that. Most police forces offer free crime prevention advice, and after an incident is exactly when to take it.

What should both sides do this month?

Landlords: walk the outside of the property before winter, test every lock and light, and fix what you find. Tenants: do the ten-minute indoor check, use the timer lamp trick as the evenings darken, and report anything that isn't right.

Security in a rented home works when both halves do their part, and neither half is expensive. If you are a landlord who would rather this was all just handled, that is what management is for. Get in touch, we are here to help.

Frequently asked questions

Who pays if a rented home is broken into?

Building damage is for the landlord's buildings insurance; stolen or damaged belongings are for the tenant's contents insurance. Report to the police first and keep the crime reference number for both claims.

Are landlords legally required to fit burglar alarms?

There is no general legal requirement for alarms. The legal expectation is a home that can be properly secured, with working locks on external doors and windows, kept in repair.

Can I install a video doorbell in my rented home?

Usually yes, but ask in writing first. Battery models avoid drilling and are the easiest option. Be considerate about what the camera can see beyond your own front door.

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Source: Housing Health and Safety Rating System, as revised by the 2026 Amendment Regulations in force 23 June 2026 (entry by intruders remains a listed hazard); Shelter housing conditions guidance. Checked and verified in force 2 September 2026