diff --git a/android/defaults.go b/android/defaults.go
index 9db0c3607..2cfd77aae 100644
--- a/android/defaults.go
+++ b/android/defaults.go
@@ -70,6 +70,9 @@ func InitDefaultableModule(module DefaultableModule) {
 
 type DefaultsModuleBase struct {
 	DefaultableModuleBase
+
+	// Container for defaults of the common properties
+	commonProperties commonProperties
 }
 
 // The common pattern for defaults modules is to register separate instances of
@@ -101,6 +104,9 @@ type Defaults interface {
 
 	// Get the structures containing the properties for which defaults can be provided.
 	properties() []interface{}
+
+	// Return the defaults common properties.
+	common() *commonProperties
 }
 
 func (d *DefaultsModuleBase) isDefaults() bool {
@@ -116,22 +122,41 @@ func (d *DefaultsModuleBase) properties() []interface{} {
 	return d.defaultableProperties
 }
 
+func (d *DefaultsModuleBase) common() *commonProperties {
+	return &d.commonProperties
+}
+
 func (d *DefaultsModuleBase) GenerateAndroidBuildActions(ctx ModuleContext) {
 }
 
 func InitDefaultsModule(module DefaultsModule) {
+	commonProperties := module.common()
+
 	module.AddProperties(
 		&hostAndDeviceProperties{},
-		&commonProperties{},
+		commonProperties,
 		&variableProperties{})
 
 	InitArchModule(module)
 	InitDefaultableModule(module)
 
 	// Add properties that will not have defaults applied to them.
-	module.AddProperties(&module.base().nameProperties)
+	base := module.base()
+	module.AddProperties(&base.nameProperties)
 
-	module.base().module = module
+	// There is currently no way to control the visibility of a defaults module, i.e. there is no
+	// primary visibility property.
+	base.primaryVisibilityProperty = nil
+
+	// Unlike non-defaults modules the visibility property is not stored in m.base().commonProperties.
+	// Instead it is stored in a separate instance of commonProperties created above so use that.
+	// The visibility property needs to be checked (but not parsed) by the visibility module during
+	// its checking phase and parsing phase.
+	base.visibilityPropertyInfo = []visibilityProperty{
+		newVisibilityProperty("visibility", &commonProperties.Visibility),
+	}
+
+	base.module = module
 }
 
 var _ Defaults = (*DefaultsModuleBase)(nil)
diff --git a/android/module.go b/android/module.go
index adb9454e0..5bb117790 100644
--- a/android/module.go
+++ b/android/module.go
@@ -211,6 +211,9 @@ type Module interface {
 
 	// Get information about the properties that can contain visibility rules.
 	visibilityProperties() []visibilityProperty
+
+	// Get the visibility rules that control the visibility of this module.
+	visibility() []string
 }
 
 // Qualified id for a module
@@ -503,6 +506,12 @@ func InitAndroidModule(m Module) {
 		&base.variableProperties)
 	base.generalProperties = m.GetProperties()
 	base.customizableProperties = m.GetProperties()
+
+	// The default_visibility property needs to be checked and parsed by the visibility module during
+	// its checking and parsing phases.
+	base.primaryVisibilityProperty =
+		newVisibilityProperty("visibility", &base.commonProperties.Visibility)
+	base.visibilityPropertyInfo = []visibilityProperty{base.primaryVisibilityProperty}
 }
 
 func InitAndroidArchModule(m Module, hod HostOrDeviceSupported, defaultMultilib Multilib) {
@@ -582,6 +591,13 @@ type ModuleBase struct {
 	archProperties          [][]interface{}
 	customizableProperties  []interface{}
 
+	// Information about all the properties on the module that contains visibility rules that need
+	// checking.
+	visibilityPropertyInfo []visibilityProperty
+
+	// The primary visibility property, may be nil, that controls access to the module.
+	primaryVisibilityProperty visibilityProperty
+
 	noAddressSanitizer bool
 	installFiles       Paths
 	checkbuildFiles    Paths
@@ -668,10 +684,15 @@ func (m *ModuleBase) qualifiedModuleId(ctx BaseModuleContext) qualifiedModuleNam
 }
 
 func (m *ModuleBase) visibilityProperties() []visibilityProperty {
-	return []visibilityProperty{
-		newVisibilityProperty("visibility", func() []string {
-			return m.base().commonProperties.Visibility
-		}),
+	return m.visibilityPropertyInfo
+}
+
+func (m *ModuleBase) visibility() []string {
+	// The soong_namespace module does not initialize the primaryVisibilityProperty.
+	if m.primaryVisibilityProperty != nil {
+		return m.primaryVisibilityProperty.getStrings()
+	} else {
+		return nil
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/android/package.go b/android/package.go
index 03f6a1e3d..880d6a97b 100644
--- a/android/package.go
+++ b/android/package.go
@@ -64,16 +64,6 @@ func (p *packageModule) qualifiedModuleId(ctx BaseModuleContext) qualifiedModule
 	return newPackageId(ctx.ModuleDir())
 }
 
-// Override to ensure that the default_visibility rules are checked by the visibility module during
-// its checking phase.
-func (p *packageModule) visibilityProperties() []visibilityProperty {
-	return []visibilityProperty{
-		newVisibilityProperty("default_visibility", func() []string {
-			return p.properties.Default_visibility
-		}),
-	}
-}
-
 func (p *packageModule) Name() string {
 	return p.properties.Name
 }
@@ -97,6 +87,13 @@ func PackageFactory() Module {
 	module.properties.Name = name
 
 	module.AddProperties(&module.properties)
+
+	// The default_visibility property needs to be checked and parsed by the visibility module during
+	// its checking and parsing phases.
+	module.primaryVisibilityProperty =
+		newVisibilityProperty("default_visibility", &module.properties.Default_visibility)
+	module.visibilityPropertyInfo = []visibilityProperty{module.primaryVisibilityProperty}
+
 	return module
 }
 
diff --git a/android/visibility.go b/android/visibility.go
index 94af3433b..a7e718ba7 100644
--- a/android/visibility.go
+++ b/android/visibility.go
@@ -67,8 +67,8 @@ type visibilityRule interface {
 
 // Describes the properties provided by a module that contain visibility rules.
 type visibilityPropertyImpl struct {
-	name          string
-	stringsGetter func() []string
+	name            string
+	stringsProperty *[]string
 }
 
 type visibilityProperty interface {
@@ -76,10 +76,10 @@ type visibilityProperty interface {
 	getStrings() []string
 }
 
-func newVisibilityProperty(name string, stringsGetter func() []string) visibilityProperty {
+func newVisibilityProperty(name string, stringsProperty *[]string) visibilityProperty {
 	return visibilityPropertyImpl{
-		name:          name,
-		stringsGetter: stringsGetter,
+		name:            name,
+		stringsProperty: stringsProperty,
 	}
 }
 
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ func (p visibilityPropertyImpl) getName() string {
 }
 
 func (p visibilityPropertyImpl) getStrings() []string {
-	return p.stringsGetter()
+	return *p.stringsProperty
 }
 
 // A compositeRule is a visibility rule composed from a list of atomic visibility rules.
@@ -211,16 +211,7 @@ func registerVisibilityRuleEnforcer(ctx RegisterMutatorsContext) {
 // Checks the per-module visibility rule lists before defaults expansion.
 func visibilityRuleChecker(ctx BottomUpMutatorContext) {
 	qualified := createQualifiedModuleName(ctx)
-	if d, ok := ctx.Module().(Defaults); ok {
-		// Defaults modules don't store the payload properties in m.base().
-		for _, props := range d.properties() {
-			if cp, ok := props.(*commonProperties); ok {
-				if visibility := cp.Visibility; visibility != nil {
-					checkRules(ctx, qualified.pkg, "visibility", visibility)
-				}
-			}
-		}
-	} else if m, ok := ctx.Module().(Module); ok {
+	if m, ok := ctx.Module().(Module); ok {
 		visibilityProperties := m.visibilityProperties()
 		for _, p := range visibilityProperties {
 			if visibility := p.getStrings(); visibility != nil {
@@ -294,14 +285,12 @@ func visibilityRuleGatherer(ctx BottomUpMutatorContext) {
 	qualifiedModuleId := m.qualifiedModuleId(ctx)
 	currentPkg := qualifiedModuleId.pkg
 
-	// Parse all the properties into rules and store them.
-	visibilityProperties := m.visibilityProperties()
-	for _, p := range visibilityProperties {
-		if visibility := p.getStrings(); visibility != nil {
-			rule := parseRules(ctx, currentPkg, visibility)
-			if rule != nil {
-				moduleToVisibilityRuleMap(ctx).Store(qualifiedModuleId, rule)
-			}
+	// Parse the visibility rules that control access to the module and store them by id
+	// for use when enforcing the rules.
+	if visibility := m.visibility(); visibility != nil {
+		rule := parseRules(ctx, currentPkg, m.visibility())
+		if rule != nil {
+			moduleToVisibilityRuleMap(ctx).Store(qualifiedModuleId, rule)
 		}
 	}
 }