Holiday Home Security Checklist for the Mornington Peninsula

Short answer: know exactly who has a key, rekey if you don't, fit keyed locks to every door and reachable window, use a key safe or smart lock instead of a hidden key, lock away sheds and gates, and check every lock before summer and again before you shut the house up for winter. The full checklist is below. Print it, or save it on your phone for your next trip down.

Why holiday homes need their own checklist

Holiday houses are empty far more often than ordinary homes, and they're used by more people. At the 2021 Census, 11.1% of private dwellings across Victoria were unoccupied on Census night. On the southern Peninsula the share is much higher:

Suburb	Private dwellings unoccupied on Census night
Sorrento	70.9%
Rye	54.5%
Dromana	39.6%
Safety Beach	33.1%
Rosebud	28.0%
Victoria	11.1%

Source: ABS 2021 Census QuickStats for Sorrento, Rye, Dromana, Safety Beach and Rosebud.

Two things follow. An empty house gets tested at the back and sides, where nobody sees. And a house shared by family, friends, cleaners and guests ends up with keys nobody can account for.

The checklist

Keys

• Write down everyone who has a key: family, friends, cleaners, gardeners, neighbours, past guests, the property manager.
• If the list is long or you can't finish it, rekey. Every old key stops working and the lock bodies stay. See rekey or replace your locks.
• Get rid of the hidden key under the pot plant, the meter box or the doormat. Those are the first places anyone looks.
• Label spare keys with a code, not the address.
• Don't forget the smaller keys: shed, side gate, garage, letterbox, window locks, bathing box.

Front, back and side doors

• Every external door has a working deadlock or deadlatch. If you rent the house out on a lease, Victorian rental standards require a working deadlatch with at least one cylinder on each external door (Consumer Affairs Victoria). See deadlatch vs deadlock.
• The laundry, garage internal door and back door get the same locks as the front.
• Sliding doors have a keyed lock and something to stop them being lifted off the track. See how to secure a sliding door.
• Doors close and latch properly. A door that has to be pulled hard to lock usually doesn't get locked.

Windows

• Every ground-floor window, and any you can reach from a deck, fence or roof, has a keyed lock.
• Bathroom and laundry windows aren't left on a vent setting over winter.
• You know where the window lock keys are kept. See the window locks guide.

Getting in without a key

• A key safe, fitted somewhere out of view from the street, with a code you change after each guest or at least each season. See key safes for holiday homes.
• Or a smart lock with separate codes for family, cleaners and guests, and a mechanical key backup in case the batteries go flat. See smart locks in Australia.
• A plan for the day the key safe code doesn't work: who to call and who has a backup key nearby.

Sheds, gates and outbuildings

• Sheds and garages are locked with a decent padlock or deadlock. They hold the ladders and tools that make getting into the house easier.
• Side gates are locked from the inside.
• Bikes, kayaks and paddleboards are locked up or stored inside.
• Garage remotes aren't left in a car parked in the driveway.

Salt air and seized locks

• Every lock opens and closes smoothly. Salt air near the water corrodes locks, and a lock that is stiff in spring can seize by January.
• Locks are serviced with a dry lubricant made for locks, not cooking oil or a heavy grease that traps sand.
• Outdoor padlocks are marine grade or replaced when they start to rust.

Before you shut the house up for winter

• Walk around and check every door and window lock, not just the front door.
• Change the key safe or smart lock codes.
• Ask a neighbour or local contact to check on the house and clear the letterbox.
• Use timers for a light or two if you can.
• Read your home insurance policy for any conditions about the house being unoccupied, and do what it asks.

Before summer

• Check every lock again, and fix or replace anything that sticks.
• Get spare keys cut before the rush. See key cutting.
• Change codes and update your key list before guests arrive.
• Make sure everyone staying knows the address, how to get in and who to call if they're locked out.

What should short-stay hosts do differently?

If you rent the house to guests, treat keys as something that will go missing. Change key safe or smart lock codes between every booking, give each guest their own code if the lock allows it, and keep a backup way in that doesn't depend on a guest returning a key. Put the address and a lockout contact number in the guest information, so a locked-out guest calls the right person instead of breaking a window.

What should you do if you're locked out of the holiday house?

Check every door and window first, then call anyone nearby with a spare. If that fails, call a locksmith rather than forcing a door. You'll need to show you own the house or have permission to be there, such as a rates notice, ID with the address or a booking confirmation. More in locked out of your holiday home. If a child, vulnerable person or animal is locked inside, call 000 first.

Want help working through the list?

We can get a local locksmith out to rekey, fit key safes, smart locks, window and sliding door locks, or check the house before summer, including in Rosebud, Rye, Sorrento, Dromana and Safety Beach. See security upgrades or call 0418 334 503. You'll get the price before anyone is sent.