Mortice (Chubb Type) Locks
The majority of insurance companies used to accept 5 Lever locks as adequate security. Most now insist on locks being to BS3621 Standard, with new legislation coming in for the upgraded BS3621 2004 European Standard. If your locks do not meet your insurance company’s requirements, you will not be covered if the worst happens.
Many properties have not had the locks changed in many years and still have 2 or 3 lever locks on the doors. These are now only suitable for internal doors!
When fitting new locks, we fit BS3621 2004 locks on external doors as standard.
If you are concerned that your locks are not up to insurance standards, you can call us and we will gladly do a free, no obligation survey to see if your locks need upgrading (please have your most recent insurance documents to hand, as requirements can vary from one insurance company to another).

 

 

Cylinder Locks (Yale Type and UPVC)
We can upgrade most nightlatches (Yale type locks) on wooden doors to a variety of different grades of security. We can even fit BS2621 versions.
One of the main things to look for with a nightlatch, is whether your lock has an Anti-slip device. This will stop the door being forced open with the old “credit card” technique.
We can also upgrade the cylinders to higher security versions. We fit many different types of higher end cylinders. Although we fit 6 pin, anti-drill cylinders as standard, we can supply and fit even higher security cylinders on request.
A common weakness on UPVC doors and any other door using euro or oval cylinders, is snapping (whereby the cylinder can be snapped in half and then access gained quite easily) and many people are increasingly becoming concerned about “bumping” (whereby a lock can be “bumped” open with a specially cut down key). Both of these methods are regularly shown on the internet!
We can upgrade your cylinder to virtually any type of high security cylinder, including; bump resistant, snap resistant, pin in pin and restricted profile cylinders.
Call us now for a free quote.

 

 

Additional Security
There are some cases where your insurance company may insist on additional security for your property to comply with their regulations. This is often in the form of window locks (usually these should be operated with a key) and additional locks or bolts on patio or French doors. Many insurance companies require bolts or “key-operated” bolts (such as rack bolts) to be fitted to patio or French doors.
Although very rarely mentioned in insurance documents, we would highly recommend having Sash Jammers fitted to your UPVC doors. In the case of the security on your lock being compromised, these are a very affordable way of keeping your door held closed and therefore a very good additional layer of security.
To discuss any type of lock upgrading you may need, please call us now.