Category
Locks, standards and the cheap changes that stop the next problem.
Most home security advice is a list of gadgets. The part that actually decides whether your door holds — and whether a claim gets paid — comes down to three standards and one afternoon of checking.
TS007 is a Kitemark star rating created in response to cylinder attacks. The rating you want is 3 stars from the cylinder alone. Three stars can also be reached as one plus two, meaning a weaker cylinder plus separate hardware, which is not the same thing. So when a locksmith says “3 star”, the follow-up question is: 3 star cylinder on its own, or 1 plus 2? A good one answers without hesitating.
Sold Secure Diamond is the top grade for cylinders from Sold Secure. The strongest cylinders carry both ratings.
Practical rule: ask for a cylinder that is TS007 3-star and Sold Secure Diamond. That one sentence removes almost all the ambiguity from the conversation.
BS 3621 is the British Standard for mortice locks, and it matters for a second reason beyond security: it is the benchmark almost every insurer uses. On a compliant lock the faceplate carries the Kitemark and the text BS 3621. If it does not say BS 3621, it is not BS 3621 — whatever you were told when it was fitted.
The detail is in anti-snap locks explained: TS007, Sold Secure and what your door actually needs.
The first is the lock standard clause, which is where BS 3621 comes in.
The second is quieter and catches more people: many policies pay out only where there is evidence of forced entry. If somebody enters using a key, or through a door that was not locked, that may not count as forced entry at all — and a claim can fail even though the loss is real.
Both clauses, and the mistakes that cause refused claims, are in your locks and your insurance claim. If a claim has already been refused, that page covers that too.
A key safe is a genuine convenience and a genuine risk, and whether it affects your cover depends on the safe, the policy and where you put it. Position matters as much as the model.
If you need one — most often for care visits — does a key safe affect your home insurance? sets out what insurers say, the standard to look for, and the alternatives worth considering first.
Changing the locks after moving in is the one job where doing nothing has a clear downside: you have no idea how many keys exist, or who holds them. What is reasonable differs depending on whether you have bought or you rent, and there is a real difference in cost between swapping a cylinder and replacing a whole lock. See just moved in? whether to change the locks.
If you rent, it is also worth knowing what a landlord may and may not do with a key they hold. The right you have here is narrower than most tenants assume and wider than most landlords assume. See can my landlord keep a key and let themselves in?.
Not at three in the morning with somebody standing at your door quoting a price.
Check the faceplate on every external door for the Kitemark, the text BS 3621 and the year. Note what your cylinders are rated. That is the whole job, and it is the difference between choosing a lock and being sold one.
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