Lair items? What are those?
As for houses, I don't necessarily see a problem with a PC having a basic house, even a nice one, without paying. As a DM, I would consider it well within bounds to attack the PC there, burn it down, or plant false evidence there, or whatever, just as I'd feel free to mess with NPCs defined in their backgrounds.
I'd assume that the house was protected by normal means, such as mundane locks, bars on the shutters, etc... Magical or really superior protections, or powerful guards, I'd expect a PC to pay for.