What is in this guide
Start childproofing a rental by listing the changes you need, checking each device’s instructions and confirming the permission process before attaching anything. A no-drill label does not answer every question about a fitting, and this plan cannot guarantee a lease outcome: it helps you organise the checks and keep a clear record.
1. Write down the job before choosing the fitting
Walk through the rooms and make a short list of the places you want to address. Describe each job specifically: a cupboard door, a furniture anchor location, an internal doorway or a window fitting. Add a photo so another person can identify the same spot without visiting.
Give each entry a next action. That might be finding the manufacturer’s instructions, asking what the wall is made from, or requesting an installer. Avoid a list where every line simply says “buy childproofing”. Different locations need separate answers, even when the devices look similar in a shop.
Keep three kinds of task separate:
- Rearranging your own belongings, with no attachment to the property.
- Considering a removable fitting whose instructions and surface requirements still need checking.
- Proposing a change to a wall, door, window, gate or other property fixture.
This is a planning distinction, not a ruling about what requires consent. If a task involves a broken existing fixture, put it on a separate repair list. Our guide to getting repairs organised in a rental covers that conversation rather than treating every property problem as something you should buy a device to solve.
2. Check the local guidance before sending a request
Find your state or territory tenancy authority’s guidance on alterations, modifications or fixtures. NSW Fair Trading and Consumer Affairs Victoria both publish pages addressing rental changes, including child-safety fittings. Use the guidance for your location alongside your agreement, rather than borrowing a permission rule from another state’s article.
Write down the questions you need answered: does this proposal need permission, is there a particular request process, and what happens to the fitting when you leave? If the agreement or an agent’s reply leaves you unsure, take the actual wording and proposed device to your tenancy authority or tenants’ advice service.
The phrase “voiding the lease” is too broad to use as a practical checklist. Ask about the particular change instead. This article does not determine whether a fitting is allowed or what consequence might follow from installing it.
3. Compare removable options by their instructions
For an adhesive cupboard lock or similar removable fitting, read the installation and removal instructions before deciding it suits the rental. Look for the surface types listed, preparation steps, any waiting period before use, limitations and the removal method. If those details are missing, ask the supplier for them.
Photograph the proposed surface and record anything you do not know about it. Painted timber, laminate and an unidentified finish should not become interchangeable entries on your list. Ask the property manager about the finish where necessary, then ask the manufacturer whether the device is suitable for it.
Treat “removable” as a question to investigate, rather than a promise that the surface will look unchanged afterwards. You need an answer about the actual finish and removal method. A small trial, if the instructions and permission allow one, also cannot establish that a safety device will perform its intended job.
For a gate or furniture restraint, compare the intended location and mounting instructions before the attachment method. Do not choose a device solely because it avoids holes. For furniture anchoring, ACCC Product Safety directs renters to discuss installation with their landlord or agent. Use its guidance and the manufacturer’s instructions to organise the appropriate installation; this planning guide does not specify fixings or substitute a removable attachment.
4. Make the proposal easy to understand
Send one clearly described proposal rather than asking, “Can we childproof the house?” Include the location photo, the device instructions and the proposed attachment method. Ask who should carry out the work and how removal or leaving the fitting in place should be handled.
You can adapt this wording:
We are planning a child-safety fitting at the location shown in the attached photo. The manufacturer’s instructions describe the proposed attachment method. Please confirm the permission process, who should install it, and the removal or restoration arrangements at the end of the tenancy. Please identify any conditions in writing.
If several fittings are involved, number the photos and match each one to its instructions. A reply about a cupboard lock should not be filed as though it also answers a window or wall-anchor proposal. Keep unanswered items visible until you have the information needed for that particular job.
5. Keep the records beside the condition report
Create one folder for the plan. Save the location photos, product instructions, correspondence, any written approval and installer paperwork together. Add a note of the installation date and retain a photo of the finished work.
For each installed fitting, record whether removal is planned and where its instructions are stored. Keep spare parts or original components labelled in a container you can find when packing. If a fitting belongs to the property rather than to you, record that distinction too.
Our family paperwork filing system gives these records a permanent home beside the lease and condition report. The aim is to let either adult in the household find the relevant reply without searching through months of messages.
6. Plan removal while the details are fresh
Before moving day, review each fitting against its instructions and the recorded arrangements. If removal or surface restoration needs clarification, ask while there is still time to arrange the work. Avoid improvising with solvents or tools because the removal sheet has gone missing.
Photograph the location afterwards and save any final correspondence. These records do not guarantee a bond outcome; they document what was proposed, installed and agreed. The wider bond-return preparation guide covers the tenancy handover separately.
Start with one proposed fitting today: photograph its location, find its instructions and write down the permission question that remains unanswered.
How we checked this
Checked on 7 October 2026 against NSW Fair Trading, Consumer Affairs Victoria and ACCC Product Safety guidance. The sequence, comparison questions and record system are editorial recommendations. No device was tested, no property inspected and no individual tenancy assessed.
Related reading: What to check before hanging anything heavy on a rental wall.
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