Locks and window latches in a Point Cook rental
Two of the 15 Victorian rental standards are about keeping a home secure. What the locks and windows standards ask of a Point Cook property, and where they usually fail.
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In short: The main entry door needs a working deadlatch, other outside doors need key locks, and every outside window that opens must latch shut. Old latches, painted-over sashes and doors that have dropped are the usual reasons a Point Cook rental falls short.
What the two standards ask for
The locks standard asks for a functioning deadlatch on the main entry door, so it locks itself when closed, and functioning key locks on the other outside entry doors. The windows standard asks that every outside window able to be opened can be closed and latched against entry from outside.
Why doors stop latching
Much of Point Cook is built on basalt clay that shrinks and swells, and a little seasonal movement is enough to drop a door so its latch no longer meets the strike plate. The door still closes, but it does not lock, and that is a fail on the day.
Windows that will not open or will not shut
Sliding and awning windows collect grit in their tracks, winders wear, and sashes get painted shut during a quick freshen-up between tenants. A window that cannot be opened is a ventilation question; one that cannot be latched is a windows standard fail.
How we check them
We try every outside door and every openable window by hand, lock and unlock each door, and photograph any latch that does not catch. The report lists them room by room, so a locksmith or handyman can clear the lot in one visit.
Written by our local inspection team from work carried out in Point Cook. Licensed building practitioners.
