There is a persistent assumption that smart homes are for homeowners. It is wrong. Most smart home functionality needs no wiring and no drilling, and it all comes with you when you move.
Here is what works in a rental, what needs a conversation first, and how to leave the place as you found it. Devices are grouped by how they attach, because that is the constraint that matters when the walls are not yours.
The rule of thumb
If it plugs in, screws into an existing fitting, sticks on or sits on a shelf, it is usually low-risk in a rental.
If it involves fixed wiring, it needs the owner's permission and a licensed electrician. That is not a lease question, it is an electrical one. Energy Safe Victoria warns that unqualified electrical work is illegal and that it "isn't a DIY job, even for small jobs such as changing power points or light switches". The NSW Government says that by law electrical installation work must be done by a licensed electrician. Other states have their own regulator, so check yours, and see our guide to what electrical work you can legally do yourself.
Between those two ends sits everything that touches the property without touching the wiring: an adhesive strip, a screw into a door frame, a camera on the balcony. Here the rules depend on your state or territory, and they differ in the detail. Three examples:
- Victoria. Consumer Affairs Victoria lists changes renters can make without consent. These include LED light bulbs that don't need new light fittings and a wireless doorbell. They also include alarm systems or security cameras that are not hardwired, can easily be removed and do not impact the privacy of neighbours. Anything beyond that list needs written consent.
- New South Wales. The NSW Government lists minor changes a landlord cannot unreasonably refuse. These include a wireless removable outdoor security camera and changes that do not penetrate or permanently modify a surface, fixture or the structure. You still need the lease to allow it or the landlord's written permission.
- Western Australia. Consumer Protection WA says tenants ask first using a minor modification request form, and the landlord has 14 days to respond. At the end of the tenancy, the tenant removes the modification and repairs any damage unless the landlord agrees to keep it.
In Queensland, the RTA says tenants must ask permission to attach a fixture, and the owner or manager has 28 days to reply in writing. Elsewhere, check your own state or territory's tenancy authority. And whatever the law allows, read your lease: it is the document your final inspection will be measured against. Nothing on this page is legal advice.
What usually needs no permission
Plugs into a socket
Smart plugs. The single most useful device for a renter. A lamp, fan, heater, towel rail or phone charger becomes schedulable, and nothing is attached to the building at all. Australian smart plugs can be chunky, so check whether one will block the second socket on a double power point. Some are designed specifically to avoid that.
The TP-Link Tapo P100 is a good example of the renter-friendly kind. TP-Link Australia says it is "built smaller to avoid blocking adjacent sockets", needs no separate hub, and offers schedules plus an Away Mode that switches plugged-in devices on and off so the place looks occupied. It is 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi only, and it does not measure energy use.
TP-Link Tapo P100 Mini Smart Wi-Fi Socket Plug
Best for: Renters and first-time smart home buyers who want simple app, Alexa or Google Assistant control of a lamp or fan without buying a hub
What we like
- Connects straight to home Wi-Fi, so no hub or bridge is needed (TP-Link AU, The Good Guys)
- Compact 76.5 x 43.5 x 42 mm body that TP-Link says is sized to avoid blocking the neighbouring socket
- Schedules, countdown timers and an Away Mode that switches devices on and off to simulate someone being home
- Works with Alexa, Google Assistant and Samsung SmartThings, per TP-Link Australia
- Listed as supported by Home Assistant's local TP-Link integration
Worth knowing
- 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi only; The Good Guys notes it does not support 5 GHz
- No energy monitoring listed, unlike TP-Link's P110-series plugs
- No Matter or Apple Home support mentioned on TP-Link's AU product page
- Home Assistant setup still asks for your TP-Link cloud account credentials
Also stocked at: JB Hi-FiBunningsOfficeworks
Smart speakers and displays. They sit on a shelf and plug in. That is the whole installation.
Hubs, bridges and border routers. They sit beside the router. Wi-Fi devices connect straight to the router and need none of this; battery sensors on Zigbee or Thread usually do. Our Zigbee, Z-Wave, Thread and Wi-Fi explainer covers the trade-off.
Swaps into an existing fitting
Smart bulbs. Swap the globe, keep the original in a cupboard, swap it back when you leave. Consumer Affairs Victoria specifically lists LED bulbs that don't need new light fittings among the changes Victorian renters can make without consent. Check whether your fittings are B22 bayonet or E27 Edison screw before ordering; both are common in Australian homes, and not every smart bulb range is sold in both.
Sticks on with adhesive
This is where most of the no-drilling range lives, and where a little care pays off at the end of the lease.
Door and window sensors. Two small blocks, one on the frame and one on the door, held on with adhesive strips. Battery-powered and easy to overlook.
Motion sensors. Corner-mounted or shelf-standing. The mount matters less than the aim: a sensor on a bookshelf pointed down a hallway can do the same job as one screwed into a cornice.
Leak sensors. Under the sink, behind the washing machine, next to the hot water unit. These do not mount at all; they sit on the floor. For a renter they are arguably the most valuable sensor here, because a leak caught early is less likely to turn into water damage and a dispute about who pays for it.
Temperature and humidity sensors. Useful for mould-prone bathrooms and hot bedrooms. The Tapo T315 is one example that suits a rental. TP-Link Australia says it sits on a desk or mounts with the included 3M adhesive, runs on two AAA batteries, and shows readings on an e-ink screen. The catch is that TP-Link says a Tapo hub is required for remote monitoring, automations and data export, so without one it is essentially a desk display.
TP-Link Tapo Smart Temperature & Humidity Monitor
Best for: Tapo households that already run (or will buy) a Tapo hub and want a readable room display plus alerts and automations for heaters, fans or humidifiers
What we like
- 2.7-inch e-ink display shows temperature, humidity, a comfort indicator, battery and signal, so the readings are useful even without opening the app (per TP-Link Australia)
- TP-Link quotes ±0.3°C and ±3% RH accuracy from a Swiss-made sensor, with data refreshed every two seconds
- Free cloud logging of up to two years of data, with free CSV export, according to TP-Link
- Runs on two AAA batteries (included); TP-Link claims up to two years of battery life based on its own lab testing
- Sits on a desk or mounts on a wall with the included 3M adhesive, per TP-Link Australia
Worth knowing
- Needs a Tapo hub (sold separately) for remote monitoring, automations, notifications and data export
- Uses TP-Link's 922 MHz sub-GHz radio rather than Zigbee or Wi-Fi, so it pairs with Tapo hubs rather than third-party hubs directly
- The display only shows temperatures between 0°C and 50°C, although TP-Link lists a wider operating range
- Retailer battery-life claims differ from TP-Link's (JB Hi-Fi's listing says up to a year)
Also stocked at: The Good GuysAmazon AUBing LeeOfficeworks
Smart buttons and scene controllers. A wireless button stuck beside a doorway does what a wall switch does, without touching the wall switch. If you already use Philips Hue bulbs, the Hue Dimmer Switch is built for exactly this. Philips Hue describes it as "battery powered and wireless, so you won't have to do any rewiring", and the wall plate attaches with included adhesive or screws. It can pair with up to 10 Hue lights without a Bridge, but Philips Hue says a Bridge is needed to customise what the buttons do. It is built for Hue lights, so it is not the answer if your bulbs are another brand.
Philips Hue Smart Dimmer Switch V2
Best for: Australian renters and homeowners with Philips Hue bulbs who want a battery-powered wall remote without rewiring, ideally paired with a Hue Bridge
What we like
- Battery powered and wireless, so Philips Hue says no rewiring is needed
- Runs on a single CR2032 coin cell (included), with Philips Hue quoting a minimum battery life of two years
- Mounts with included adhesive or screws, lifts off its wall plate to use as a remote, and attaches to magnetic surfaces
- Philips Hue's support page describes pairing directly to up to 10 bulbs without a Bridge
- With a Hue Bridge it can control up to two Rooms, a Zone or the whole setup, and the Hue button can trigger time-based scenes or automations
Worth knowing
- Changing what the buttons do requires a Hue Bridge, per Philips Hue
- The no-Bridge setup is limited to pairing up to 10 bulbs, per the Hue setup guide
- Retailer and brand warranty lengths differ (see listings before buying)
On adhesive. Where a device is light enough, use removable stretch-release strips rather than permanent foam tape. They cost a little more and are designed to come off cleanly, though older or poorly prepared paint can still lift. Test on an inconspicuous spot first, warm the adhesive gently before removal, and do not leave a device up for years before finding out. Permanent tape on a rental wall is how a small sensor turns into a paint repair.
Sits on a surface
Indoor cameras. Free-standing models with a weighted base need no mounting. Cameras carry privacy obligations that go beyond your lease, so read what Australian privacy law says about home cameras before pointing one anywhere shared.
That is most of a smart home.
What needs a conversation
Smart switches. These replace the wall switch, which means fixed wiring: owner permission and a licensed electrician. In most rentals it is not worth pursuing when smart bulbs and a wireless button achieve most of the same result.
Video doorbells. A wired doorbell is usually drilling plus wiring, and anything involving a mains-powered transformer is a job for an electrician. Battery doorbells sidestep the wiring, and Consumer Affairs Victoria lists a wireless doorbell among the changes Victorian renters can make without consent. Mounting one can still mean screws into brick or render, so check your lease and your state's rules before you drill.
Outdoor cameras. Almost always a bracket screwed into brick or render. In NSW a wireless removable outdoor security camera is on the list of minor changes a landlord cannot unreasonably refuse, but you still need permission, and surveillance law applies regardless of what your lease says.
Smart locks. Replacing a lock changes the door hardware and the keying, and affects the owner's and agent's key access. Some retrofit models fit over the inside of an existing deadbolt or deadlatch, reusing the original screw holes and leaving the exterior hardware and the key untouched. That is a much easier proposal and far more reversible, but most leases still treat it as an alteration. Ask first and get the answer in writing.
Smart blind retrofits. Motors that clip onto an existing roller mechanism reuse the hardware already there, but like retrofit locks they are still an alteration under most leases. Get permission in writing.
Anything requiring drilling. Wall-mounted panels, permanent mounts, new fixing points. Depending on your state and your lease, some minor fixings may be allowed or may be hard for a landlord to refuse, but get it in writing.
Hardwired smoke alarms. Not yours to touch. In NSW, for example, the NSW Government says landlords must ensure smoke alarms are working and cannot hand that responsibility to tenants, and hardwired alarms must be repaired or replaced by a licensed electrician. Requirements vary between states and territories.
Apartments and strata
If you rent in an apartment or townhouse, there is a second layer beyond your lease: the owners corporation and its by-laws. The NSW Government's guide to renting in strata says tenants need to follow the by-laws that apply to all residents, and that tenants cannot make modifications to common property. In WA, Consumer Protection lists a strata rule that prevents a change as one of the grounds a landlord can rely on to refuse it.
Anything attached to common property, such as external walls, corridors and entry doors, is usually governed by the by-laws. A camera covering common areas often needs approval even if your landlord is happy with it.
Practically, keep cameras inside your own space, pointed at your own space. A camera in a window looking at your own balcony is a very different proposition from one mounted in a shared corridor.
Wi-Fi: the upgrade renters most often need
If the internet account is in your name, the router usually is too, and replacing it is often the single highest-impact change you can make.
Rentals are hard on Wi-Fi. The modem sits wherever the wall socket is, older double brick or rendered walls weaken the signal, and apartment buildings are crowded with overlapping networks.
Three things that help without any modification:
- A mesh system. Extra nodes plug into power points, with no cabling required.
- A dedicated 2.4 GHz network for smart devices. Many smart plugs and sensors, including the Tapo P100, only work on 2.4 GHz, and a separate network can make setup and troubleshooting easier.
- Manual channel selection. In a crowded building, choosing the quietest of channels 1, 6 and 11, which TP-Link explains do not interfere with each other at 20 MHz width, can beat leaving it on auto.
If a router came with the property, keep it in a cupboard and reinstate it when you leave.
Designing for the move
A renter's smart home has to be portable. A few habits make moving painless.
Keep the boxes and the originals. Original globes, the supplied router, any hardware you swapped. One box in the top of a wardrobe.
Prefer adhesive and free-standing over anything permanent. In WA, for example, tenants are expected to remove modifications and repair any damage at the end of the tenancy unless the landlord agrees to keep them. Consumer Affairs Victoria says renters must typically restore the property to its previous condition unless the rental provider agrees otherwise. The less you fix to the walls, the less there is to undo.
Photograph the fittings before you change anything. Cheap insurance for the final inspection, alongside your entry condition report.
Avoid location-specific automations. Naming a device "Hallway Motion" is fine; building automations that hard-code the layout of this particular flat is not. Keep them simple enough to rebuild in an afternoon.
What to buy first as a renter
If you are starting from nothing, this order gets you a useful smart home for the least commitment:
- One or two smart plugs, on whatever you switch on and off most or keep forgetting.
- Leak sensors, under the sink and behind the washing machine (these need a compatible hub if they run on Zigbee or Thread).
- Smart bulbs in the room you use most. Check the fitting type first.
- A door or motion sensor for the entry or a hallway light automation.
- A smart speaker or display matching your household's phones, once you have enough devices for voice control to be worth it.
That is a capable setup that installs in an evening and fits in a shoebox. Add a battery doorbell and a few contact sensors once you know how you use it (after checking the rules where you live). Then you have most of what a homeowner gets, minus the switches and minus the electrician's bill.
If you are new to all of this, our beginner's guide covers how to sequence purchases so you do not overbuy.
Sources
- Energy Safe Victoria: Electrical DDIY
- NSW Government: Avoiding electrical accidents
- Consumer Affairs Victoria: Renters making changes to the property
- NSW Government: Making changes to a rental property
- consumerprotection.wa.gov.au: Making changes to a rental home
- Residential Tenancies Authority (Qld): Fixtures and structural changes
- NSW Government: Smoke alarms in a rental property
- NSW Government: Renting in strata
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