Updated 4 November 2026
CM Law's Ultimate List: The top 50 FAQs on Buying a Residential Investment Property #31. Security
Security deserves attention before you commit to an investment property. Check the building itself, the surrounding area, tenancy obligations and the cost of maintaining existing equipment. A security system is only useful if it works and can be managed lawfully. Treat promises of guaranteed safety, higher rent or cheaper insurance cautiously.
What security features should you inspect before buying?
Inspect external doors, windows, locks, lighting and access to garages or shared areas. Ask whether intercoms, entry fobs and any existing alarms work, and who maintains them. Record defects and obtain appropriate professional advice and repair quotes before committing, rather than assuming an advertised security feature is functional.
Ask the selling agent for available maintenance records and details of unresolved security complaints. Check whether equipment, subscriptions and access credentials will transfer at settlement. For an occupied rental, review the tenancy and condition report. A general building inspection may not test electronic security systems, so confirm the inspector’s scope and commission specialist checks where necessary.
Prepare a handover checklist identifying each device, its condition, service provider and operating instructions. Clarify who will hold administrator access to connected equipment. Ask your property manager how tenants will report faults after hours and how completed repairs will be checked. These arrangements help turn a one-off inspection into a workable maintenance process throughout the tenancy.
What security must a NSW residential landlord provide?
A landlord must provide and maintain the locks and security devices needed to make the rented property reasonably secure. What is reasonable depends on the circumstances. The obligation does not impose a universal requirement for CCTV, security guards or a burglar alarm, and installing equipment does not replace maintenance.
NSW Fair Trading’s security guidance explains the obligation under section 70 of the Residential Tenancies Act 2010. Moving-in guidance also requires free initial keys, fobs or access information for each named tenant, including access to common property they may use. Keep an inventory and arrange a clear handover. Missing access devices should be identified before a tenant arrives.
How should you use local crime statistics?
Use official crime data to inform your enquiries, alongside inspecting the actual property. Compare the same offences, geographic boundaries and time periods, and distinguish incident counts from population-based rates. A suburb’s figures do not predict whether a particular home will experience crime or establish that a building is adequately secured.
The NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research’s mapping guide explains available filters and comparisons. Record the reporting period and check whether you are viewing incidents, victims or offenders. Hotspot maps show concentrations; they are not population-adjusted measures of individual risk. Ask practical follow-up questions about maintenance and access management instead of labelling an entire suburb “safe” or “unsafe”.
Who maintains security equipment in a strata building?
The owners corporation generally maintains common property, while individual owners maintain their own lot. Responsibility for a particular door, lock, gate or light depends on the strata plan, applicable by-laws and relevant arrangements. A landlord should still respond to a tenant’s report and pursue the appropriate repair through the strata manager.
The NSW strata repairs guide explains these responsibilities. Before buying, review meeting minutes, repair records, financial statements and planned capital works for recurring access failures or proposed security upgrades. The strata buying guide explains why boundaries and by-laws matter. Obtain advice about approved or proposed levies and any maintenance obligations attached to earlier owner-installed equipment.
Can landlords or tenants change the locks?
Locks can be changed with consent or on recognised reasonable grounds, including emergencies and relevant Tribunal orders. Additional protections apply where domestic violence or abuse is involved. Do not assume every change needs prior landlord approval, or that a person excluded from the property must receive a replacement key.
The current NSW rules incorporate changes commencing on 21 September 2026. They include requirements concerning qualified installers, replacement keys and exceptions. Follow the procedure applicable to the circumstances and obtain prompt advice where access is disputed. Keep sensitive access information secure, and record who is authorised to receive it.
What should happen when a security defect is reported?
Respond promptly and assess whether the fault makes the home unsafe or insecure. That can qualify as an urgent repair under NSW tenancy law. Record the report, arrange appropriate assistance and tell the tenant what will happen next. An unresolved disagreement about responsibility should not be left without follow-up.
NSW’s urgent repairs guidance explains notification and repair procedures. A request for an optional upgrade is different from a failed lock that leaves the premises insecure. Strata common-property work can require a different pathway, so do not assume ordinary tenant reimbursement rules cover every repair. NCAT can make relevant repair and security orders; compensation depends on the established claim and evidence.
What does a real case show about liability for an assault?
In Modbury Triangle Shopping Centre Pty Ltd v Anzil [2000] HCA 61, a video-shop employee was seriously injured by three attackers in an Adelaide shopping-centre car park after work. The lights were off. He alleged that the occupier’s failure to keep them illuminated made it liable for his injuries.
The High Court allowed the occupier’s appeal and dismissed the claim. In the circumstances, its duty did not extend to protecting the employee against the strangers’ criminal conduct. Foreseeability of an attack did not, by itself, establish that duty. The reasons also show why courts cannot simply assume better lighting would have prevented a particular assault.
This was a South Australian commercial-premises case. It did not determine a NSW residential landlord’s statutory obligations or excuse defective locks. The practical lesson is to identify the duties that actually apply, document reported problems and arrange appropriate repairs. A crime occurring on the property does not, by itself, prove the owner is liable.
Can you install CCTV or smart security devices?
Check consent, strata approvals and privacy requirements before installing cameras or changing access systems. A security purpose does not justify unnecessary monitoring of tenants or neighbours. Consider camera placement, recording settings, access to footage and ongoing management. Landlords must respect tenants’ privacy and their right to reasonable peace and comfort.
NSW’s guidance on cameras in domestic-abuse circumstances explains a specific approval pathway and relevant safeguards. It recommends disabling audio and limiting what cameras capture. Its special minor-change provisions should not be treated as blanket approval for every installation. For connected locks and cameras, plan secure account transfers, access permissions, maintenance and an alternative if power or connectivity fails.
Do security checks cover smoke alarms and other safety duties?
No. Protection against unauthorised entry is only one part of a landlord’s obligations. Smoke alarms have separate installation, testing, maintenance and repair requirements. Check those obligations independently, and ensure proposed locks or security work do not compromise safe escape. A functioning burglar alarm does not establish compliance with fire-safety requirements.
The NSW smoke alarm guidance explains landlords’ responsibilities, including annual checks and generally repairing or replacing a failed alarm within two business days of becoming aware of it. Special strata arrangements have conditions. Ask for relevant maintenance records and qualified advice on proposed alterations rather than treating a security inspection as a complete safety assessment.
How should security costs affect your purchase decision?
Budget for necessary repairs, ongoing servicing, replacement access devices and any monitoring subscriptions. For strata property, consider your share of common-property expenditure. Obtain written quotes and policy information specific to the property. Do not base affordability on unsupported promises that security upgrades will deliver a particular rent increase or insurance discount.
Ask the insurer or broker to confirm relevant security conditions, exclusions and notification requirements. Give your conveyancer the inspection findings, strata records and any proposed repair agreement before exchange. Decide who must complete each item and when. CM Lawyers assists with buying investment property in NSW. Contact Christine Manolakos and the team on (02) 9557 9000 or lawyers@cmlaw.com.au.
This article provides general information about investment property security in NSW. It is not a substitute for legal advice about the property, tenancy, strata scheme or circumstances involved.
Key resources
NSW Government — Keys, locks and security devices — Reasonable security, lock changes and current domestic-abuse protections.
NSW Government — Signing a lease and moving in — Initial keys, access information and tenancy documents.
NSW Government — Urgent repairs — Unsafe or insecure premises and the applicable repair procedures.
NSW Government — Strata repairs and maintenance — Common-property responsibility and repair requests.
NSW Government — Buying a strata property — Plans, by-laws, records and financial commitments.
BOCSAR — Guide for the Crime Mapping Tool — Comparing recorded crime, dates, geographical areas and hotspots.
Modbury Triangle Shopping Centre Pty Ltd v Anzil [2000] HCA 61 — Official High Court judgment. Facts at paragraphs 1 and 3–6; duty at paragraphs 17–29 and 35–36; final orders on the first PDF page.
NSW Government — Security cameras in domestic-abuse circumstances — Specific approval rules, privacy safeguards and strata considerations.
NSW Government — Smoke alarms in a rental property — Separate fire-safety and maintenance responsibilities.
NCAT — Tenancy and social housing orders — Relevant repair, lock, key and compensation orders.
CM Lawyers — Property contract reviews and fees — Have the contract reviewed before you sign or bid.
