Locksmithing and Security

One of the most frustrating things in this job is visiting property after property where developers or builders have done a poor or half-assed job.

There are a large number of new and developed properties around South London where the doors have all been fitted out the same way. They have a “architectural quality” roller-bolt latch and a deadbolt. First of all though, let’s deal with this euphemism “architectural  quality”. I’m afraid it means cheaply bought in bulk and not of the best quality.

The roller-bolt latches in this case are not too bad as architectural quality fittings go. And in my opinion roller-bolts are an excellent choice for a latch lock. You can pop out to the rubbish bins closing the door to the wind and the neighbour’s cat but without having to take your keys because the door will push open again when you return from the bins. Even better, when you’re going out for a while you can use your key and deadlock the roller-bolt so that it can’t be pushed open. However, all this is only true if the roller-bolt latches have been fitted correctly. And in these places they haven’t; they’ve been fitted too far away from the door edge and don’t hold the door properly when latching.

Another thing to drive me nuts at the two most recent jobs for these properties is where a decorative moulding is used to hide the gap between the plasterboard wall and the door frame. That’s common enough. But builders habitually fit it in the wrong place. They place it centrally over the gap. This means it’s too close to the frame edge. This means that they then have to hack a chunk out of the moulding in order to fit the latch bolt keep. And it also means that when I come along to fit a “London bar”, there isn’t room. If the builders had left, as they should, 20 mm of moulding-free frame, the keep would fit nicely and I could fit a “London bar”.

I’ve put a page up on the main web site, offering a pre-purchase inspection of new or developed properties in order to locate any areas where builders or developers have made your new residence impossible to secure.

(What is a London bar? It’s an inexpensive strip of strong steel to reinforce the doorframe and its keeps agains a kicking, shouldering or battering ram attack. It’s one of the most important things you can do to improve your security.)

And painters (and housefolders instructing painters): please put masking tape over locks when painting doors. And this includes the face plate of the mortice deadlock. Firstly it’s usually a nice piece of brass and should be left as such. Secondly and more seriously, paint jams up the rollers in the bolt. The bolt rollers are there to stop villains sawing through the bolt. The saw can’t get past the rollers — unless the rollers don’t roll any more because of paint.