Home Security Tips

Home Security Tips

A Guide to Home Security for front doors

If you don’t have a window in the door or some other way to check who’s calling, fit a door viewer. Look through this to identify the caller before opening the door. 

Check that the door hinges are sturdy and secured with strong, long, screws. For added security, fit hinge bolts. These are cheap and help to reinforce the hinge side of a door against force. 

Never hang a spare key inside the letterbox. This is an obvious place that a thief will check. Letterboxes should be at least 400mm (16 Inches) from any locks. Consider fitting a letterbox cage or other restrictor, which prevents thieves from putting their hands through the letterbox and trying the latches from the inside. 

Most front doors are fitted with a rim latch, which locks automatically when the door is closed. You can open these from the inside without a key. For strength and quality, look for BS3621 Kitemarked products, 

For extra protection, you should consider installing the following, 

This locks automatically when the door is closed and is more secure than other types of rim latch. It needs a key to open it from both the inside and the outside. 

Buy a door bar or chain. Use them every time someone calls. 

Remember, though, that you only use the door chain or bar when answering the door – don’t leave it on all the time. 

Fit a five-lever mortise deadlock about a third of the way up the door. Most insurance companies are happy with one Kitemarked to British Standards BS3621

You can only open a deadlock with a key, so a thief can’t smash the nearby glass panel to open the door from the inside. Deadlocks also mean that if burglars get into your home through a window, they can’t carry your belongings out through the door. 

Sliding patio doors should have anti-lift devices and locks fitted to the top and bottom to stop them being removed from outside, unless they already have a multi-locking system. Get specialist advice.