Everyone wants to make sure their home is secure, so it pays to give plenty of thought as to whether your house locks provide adequate protection. There are several different types of house locks available, and some can help you save money on your insurance premiums. Here, we look at the various kinds of locks on offer so that you can ensure your home is as safe as it can be when you are out and about. There are four main types of lock available: Five-lever mortice deadlock A mortice deadlock is one that requires a pocket, known as the mortice, to be cut into the door or wall into which the lock is to be fitted. The more levers a mortice lock has, the more secure it is. As a result, insurers often insist that you must have a five-lever mortice lock conforming to BS3621 on all exit doors and key-operated locks on all ground floor and accessible windows to qualify for cover, although often the wording may vary slightly depending on the insurer.  The BS3621 indicates that the lock conforms to current British Standards.

Some insurers will offer you offer you a discount of up to 5% off your home contents insurance premiums if you have this kind of lock installed. external doors brisbane northsideRemember however, that the locks must have been in use if you want to make a successful claim. upvc front door with top lightFor example, insurers are likely to refuse to pay out if burglars break in through a window that has been left open, regardless of whether you have the correct lock in place. solid oak front doors manchesterMulti-point locking system A multi-point locking system has a minimum of three locking points that all lock simultaneously by the turn of a key. sliding patio door draft stopper

Multi-point locks are most common on uPVC doors and, if they are a main entrance, then for insurance purposes you will need a lock cylinder with at least five pins. garage door repair royal palm beach flhaving effective security measures in place will be a major deterrent to burglars The Master Locksmiths Association recommends the use of SS312 Diamond approved cylinders as these have been tested fully against all known methods burglars use to disable locks and break in. best non slip doormatNightlatches Rather than being morticed into a door, a nightlatch is actually mounted onto the door. windows and doors rochdaleThese are much less secure than mortice locks, but can be used as an additional security measure.

Double-locking nightlatches are the most secure type of nightlatch as they have a keyhole on the handle inside the door so that the latch can be deadlocked from inside. Always look for a nightlatch which conforms to British Standards to ensure a high level of security. Key operated window locks Ideally you should have key-operated window locks on all downstairs windows. These are either fitted to the top or bottom of a window, or on the handle that closes the window. Why security pays Although installing locks can be expensive, over a long-term period you should be able to recoup some of the costs through lower insurance premiums. Remember too that having effective security measures in place will be a major deterrent to burglars, therefore making your home a safer place to live. When taking out home insurance, always check to see what the minimum standards of security required are – failing to have them in place could invalidate your cover and mean your claim is refused if you do fall victim to burglars.

When calling a locksmith it is important to know what type of lock needs fixing or replacing. Use our visual guide below to identify your particular lock type. Mortice locks are set within a recess or hole in a door rather than fitted to the surface of the door. Mortice locks can either be 'Sashlocks' or 'Deadlocks'. Mortice Deadlocks are common on wooden front doors that also have either a bolt or nightlatch. Mortice Sashlocks have a latch and bolt and are usually found on doors to the rear of a property, the latch can be operated by a handle and the bolt can be operated with a key.Mortice locks can either have levers or a cylinder. Lever Mortice locks can have anything between 2 - 5 levers, the 5 lever mortice lock is the most secure with the incorporation of anti-drill plates (A steel plate which can prevent vandals from drilling to gain access).Cylinder Mortice Locks are commonly found on commercial premises. Euro Cylinder Locks are found in both uPVC doors and in timber doors.

Different types of Euro Cylinder include : The Single Cylinder which provides key access from one side only. The Double Cylinder which provides key access from the front and back of the door. The Double Cylinder with Thumbturn which has key access from one side and uses a thumbturn on the other side of the door. The cylinders are available with different types of locking mechanisms, these could be disc tumbler, pin tumbler, and wafer tumbler locks. Cylinder Locks can come in different sizes and profiles to suit paticular door sizes. Profile names include ; Oval Profile, Euro Profile and Swiss Profile. We all want to make sure that our loved ones, our belongings and – often – the tools of our trade are kept safe and protected in our homes. It is therefore essential that we make informed decisions about home security, especially the locks we rely on every day.. The age, style and location of a property will influence the kind of security measures we need to address, and different construction materials are as important a consideration as our individual security requirements when looking at the different types of door locks.

Every door into your property from the outside needs an appropriate type of exterior door lock to preventing burglars and intruders from entering. For wooden front doors, single bolt mortice deadlocks are the most commonly-used locks, embedded in the doorframe and a recess in the door itself. They are generally operated with a key from both sides, to make it more difficult for a burglar to reach in through an adjoining window to unlock a door from the inside. This also ensures that if an intruder gets in somewhere else, he can’t leave through the front door. Obviously, for both these reasons, you should never leave a key in the lock, or anywhere close by it! As well as a mortice lock, most wooden front doors will have a separate key-operated bolt, or a nightlatch that closes when the door shuts. A nightlatch is a spring lock that can be unlocked by a key from outside, and by a handle from inside, but it can also be retracted or deadlocked by a stop knob on the inside. Rear doors made of wood are more likely to have a mortice sashlock, which has a latch that is operated by a handle as well as a key-operated bolt.

Mortice locks can have between two and five levers – five being the most secure, and the type usually required by insurance companies for external doors. They are designed to be robust, and hard to pick or force open, often incorporating anti-drill steel plates to deter vandals. UPVC front and rear doors are generally fitted with cylinder locks, which work together with multi-point locking mechanisms. The most commonly used UPVC door locks are Euro Cylinders. These can be single cylinder (which can be accessed by a key from one side only) or double cylinder (which offer key access from either side, or a thumb-turn on the inside). Euro Cylinder locks must have a minimum of four locking points to comply with most domestic insurance policies. It is advisable to check your insurers’ requirements and take advice from your local LockRite locksmith as some euro cylinders are susceptible to lock-snapping (see below). Sliding door locks are essential; sliding patio doors are a common target for burglars, because they are relatively easy to force, or lift, open.

Fortunately, many patio doors are designed with integral multi-point locks as well as anti-lift mechanisms. If yours are not, contact your local Lockrite locksmith to discuss upgrading the locks and handles. Some people prefer the convenience of keyless/digital locks. These are touch pad or touch screen panels, used in conjunction with a mortice or multi-point lock, that allow the unlocking of a door by entering a pin code. The main advantages of these are that you don’t have to take a door key with you, and that you can create different temporary codes so that other people can have access to your house when you need them to. Keyless smart locks are now becoming available, and affordable, in the UK. As with other keyless locks, they usually work together with existing mortice or multi-point locks. The biggest advantage of this technology is that you can use an app on your smartphone to lock and unlock your door. Some systems even allow you to do this remotely, and also let you send electronic ‘keys’ to friends or tradesmen, which only work for a specified time – they will offer you text notifications when people enter or leave your house.

Generally, keyless smart locks use Bluetooth, rather than wifi, for most functions, which makes them secure, and useable, even if there is a power cut or your internet has gone down. Most systems have full battery backup and full encryption capability (similar to that used by banks) to protect messages sent to and from your smartphone. In addition, most can also be operated by digital key fobs, or even keys in an emergency! You can read more about smart locks and how they work. If you live in an older property, you may find that many of your interior doors – especially the bedroom and bathroom doors – have old-fashioned key-operated locks. These are effective to ensure privacy, but become a nightmare if you lose the key! Nowadays, it is more common to have door-handle or door-knob locks that have a locking mechanism on the inside of the room and either a flathead lock or a small hole on the outside. These can be unlocked in an emergency using a flathead screwdriver or a special tool.

At one time or another, you are likely to encounter door lock problems. The problem may be as simple as locking yourself out, or in, when you lose a key, when a key gets stuck or broken, or when the lock itself develops a fault – in which case a call to your local LockRite expert will soon get things sorted out. With euro cylinder locks, a fairly recent issue has gained a lot of publicity. Some of these locks are susceptible to ‘lock-snapping’, when a burglar will break the door-handle to expose the cylinder, which can then be snapped, leaving the multi-locking mechanism vulnerable and potentially useless. Again, your local LockRite expert will provide the solution, by replacing your cylinder locks with ones that are anti-snap, anti-bump and anti-pick. Currently, reported problems with keyless smart locks are few, partly because this is new technology. One slight irritation is that Bluetooth recognition may involve a slight delay, which could leave you standing in front of your door waiting for a few seconds before it opens.

When you apply for home insurance cover, insurers will ask you to tell them what locks you have on your exterior doors (and your windows too). It is, of course, worth shopping around, as some insurers may even offer discounts or lower premiums if you have higher standards of security. However, be aware that if you don’t have suitable door locks, you may be charged very high rates for cover, especially if you live in an area with high levels of crime. Once you have insurance in place, it’s essential that you’re careful not to invalidate any claims you may have to make on the policy. Not only should you ensure that you have door locks of a sufficient standard to meet the policy requirements, but you must also use them! Any loss adjustor will tell you that there is no point in having a high-quality five-lever mortice lock fitted if you just close the door behind you without operating the lock when you leave the house! It is equally important to maintain your locks well – this is particularly relevant if you live in an area near the coast, where salty sea winds can soon cause corrosion and deterioration of door locks, making failure and consequent lack of security a significant risk.

Consult your local LockRite expert for maintenance advice, and avoid the possibility of your insurer rejecting a claim. In summary, complying with your insurer’s requirements is essential to ensure that your home and property are fully covered, and that break-ins are less likely. Most insurance companies require British Standard (BS3621) locks, and euro cylinders should additionally have a three-star rating. BS3621 locks may cost a little more, but the truth is that saving money on your locks could turn out to be a very expensive mistake! LockRite locksmiths offer a wide range of services that include boarding up and burglary repairs. However, the last thing you want is to have to call them out after a break-in! Instead, act now and get LockRite to help you make sure your door locks are up to the job of securing your property. If you think that your locks may not be up to scratch, contact us for repairs, maintenance, replacement or upgrade advice – you may just need additional bolts or bars, rather than new locks.