BS3621 Lock Upgrades for Property Insurance in Portsmouth

Protect your property. Gain peace of mind.

Upgrade to a high security euro cylinder and close the door on lock snapping, bumping, drilling and picking.

Euro cylinder locks, explained

Some uPVC and composite doors are fitted with a cylinder lock, commonly known as a Euro profile or euro cylinder. Each euro cylinder has a section cut out to provide space for a revolving cam. Turning the key revolves the cam, which engages with the door’s lock mechanism to allow the locking and unlocking.

Unfortunately the cut out produces a weak point on the cylinder making it vulnerable to lock snapping.

Once a standard cylinder has been exposed i.e by removing the handles or the cylinder is not fitted flush this then can be snapped, a thief can quickly and easily manipulate the mechanism and unlock the door.

Lock snapping isn't the only threat

Lock snapping is not the only threat to a euro cylinder but there is a rapid growth in the use of the technique. Lock bumping, Lock drilling, and Plug pulling are also concerns. Fortunately, manufacturers like Yale & Apecs invest heavily in developing features to combat the threats and upgrading to one of their high security euro cylinders can be done easily and at little cost.

Benefits of upgrading to a high security euro cylinder lock

Manufacturers like Yale and Apecs build a set of defensive features into every high security cylinder, so the weak points thieves rely on are closed off one by one.

Anti-Snap

Anti-Bump, Anti-Drill, Anti-Pick & Anti-Plug Pull

Anti-bump – low and high driver pins resists lock bumping
Anti-Drill – lock drilling resisted with anti-drill pins and plug cuts snaps the drill bits
Anti-Pick – spool pins makes lock picking fruitless
Anti-Plug Pull – resists plug pulling out of the cylinder

Insurance Compliance

Home insurance policy holders should check the level of protection offered by their current locks and ensure that they meet the requirement of their insurance policy. Failure to do this could mean that the insurance policy is invalid and result in any claims being rejected. There may be a financial benefit to be considered too as some insurance companies may offer a discount for the fitting of high security locks.

As a general rule you should fit a cylinder lock that has attained a BS Kitemark and is regarded as Insurance Approved and Secured by Design. Both the Apecs 3 star, Yale Superior euro cylinders are BS kitemark approved.

As new standards may be introduced in the future, we do recommend that you clarify the requirement of your own individual insurance policy. This requirement can sometimes be found in policy documents or within the insurers website.

Rest Easy

There has been much press recently about the rise in burglaries and the weakness of standard euro cylinder locks. Such news may raise concerns over how insecure our doors may be and cause us to worry each night when we go to bed, or each morning when we leave for work.

It’s surprising how peace of mind returns once you upgrade to high security euro cylinders. Rest easy knowing that your property is safe and that a weak euro cylinder is not going to invalidate your insurance policy.