Renting out a property comes with a set of lock and security responsibilities that are easy to underestimate — part legal duty, part insurance condition, part simple good practice. Get them right and you protect your tenant, your property and your ability to claim if something goes wrong. This guide sets out what a landlord is actually responsible for when it comes to locks and security, and the lock standards your insurer is most likely to expect.
This is a practical overview for landlords in England. Your tenancy agreement, your insurer’s policy wording and your specific property all matter — check GOV.UK’s How to Let guide and the NRLA for detail.
A landlord must provide a property that is safe and secure for the tenant to live in, and keep it that way. In lock terms that means external doors and accessible windows that lock properly and reliably, locks that are in good working order, and prompt repair when something fails. A front door that no longer locks, a snapped key in a cylinder or a window that won’t fasten are not “wait and see” problems — they leave the tenant exposed and the duty unmet.
The general principle: the landlord covers locks that fail through wear, age or mechanical fault, and security the property needs to be safe. The tenant can reasonably be charged where they caused the problem — losing the only keys, or damaging a lock through misuse. The dividing line is cause:
This is where many landlords get caught out. Insurance policies frequently specify the locks that must be fitted, and fitting anything below that standard can invalidate a claim. The common requirements:
Our guide to the lock standards your insurer expects goes into this in more depth, and what a BS3621 lock is explains the kitemark you are looking for.
Insurers vary. Some say “BS3621 on all final exit doors”; others accept TS007 cylinders; some require window locks throughout. The safest move is to read the exact wording and fit to it — then keep a written record of what was installed.
The Renters’ Rights Act 2025, in force since 1 May 2026, raised the bar on landlord standards generally — abolishing Section 21 no-fault evictions, converting tenancies to periodic assured tenancies, and strengthening enforcement against properties in poor condition. It did not introduce a single new “lock standard”, but it reinforced the wider duty to keep let properties safe and well-maintained, with stronger council powers and higher penalties where landlords fall short. Keeping locks and security in good order sits squarely within that direction.
Houses in multiple occupation carry additional, stricter requirements where locks and fire safety overlap — bedroom locks that still allow escape, communal-door security, and door closers and escape arrangements that actually work. Get these wrong and the consequences are both safety-critical and a licensing problem. Our guide to HMO locks, fire doors and compliance covers the detail.
One responsibility landlords sometimes overlook: once a tenancy starts, the tenant has the right to live in the property without unannounced visits. You can keep a key for genuine emergencies, but you generally must give at least 24 hours’ notice for routine access and visit at a reasonable time. Letting yourself in without notice — or worse, changing the locks — can amount to harassment under the Protection from Eviction Act 1977. Respecting access rules is part of being a responsible landlord.
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We fit and maintain locks to your insurer’s standard, handle between-tenancy changes, sort HMO and communal-door security, and give you a written record of every job for your file. One named local locksmith, fixed prices, no call-out fee. See our landlord locksmith services, or find your local locksmith to get started.
HMO locks and fire safety explained for landlords: bedroom locks that don't trap tenants, fire doors and closers, escape routes, communal-door security, key management and why compliance matters.
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