Locks That Can Improve Security And Reduce Your Insurance Premiums

Safety is one of the factors home insurance companies take into consideration when determining your home insurance premiums. Enhancing the security of your home can help you to get a discount on your home insurance premiums. One of the ways of improving your home safety is by choosing the right type of locks for your doors and windows. A top quality lock guarantees the security for your family, home as well as its contents.

In this article, we are going to emphasise the various types of locks available on the market and the ones preferred by the insurance companies. Here are the types of locks you can install to improve security and lower your home insurance premiums:

Five-lever mortice deadlock

Five-lever mortice deadlock is one of the most used locks, and it’s usually fitted on wooden exterior doors. A cavity, also known as mortice, is created on the door, and it is where the lock is installed.

To open the lock, a key is inserted to move the lever, which is a piece of metal that bars the door from opening. A mortice lock with more levers is more secure since more points of contact are required to pick it. According to the British Standard BS3621, the minimum number of mortice locks a home should have for a minimum level of security is five even though there are homeowners who buy a maximum of three-lever mortice locks.

Home insurance companies demand every outside door and ground floor window to fitted with a five-lever mortice lock that complies with BS3621 standards before they can accept to cover any home.

Insurers offer up to 5 per cent discount of your home insurance premiums if the locks fitted on your doors and windows have Kitemark features, which is an indication that the lock has met the BS3621 standards.

Multi-point locking system

These types of lock offer an advanced level of security when compared to a mortice lock. A multi-point locking system is composed of three-five locking points, all of which lock concurrently whenever the key is keyed in. Note that this locking system cannot be installed on every single door.

These types of lock are different from the rest in that you have to lift the handle up to lock properly and the extra steps involved can be a bit confusing to some homeowners even though they are considered more secure.

These locks are more common on uPVC doors. If they are fitted on the outside door of your home, a lock cylinder with a minimum of five pins is a must to comply with the insurance policy requirements. This will help you to get your home premiums slightly reduced.

Key-operated window locks

It is recommended to mount key-operated locks to all windows present on the ground floor. These locks can be installed on top, bottom, or the handle that shuts the window.

As long as you keep in mind to lock up your windows whenever you get out of your home, you can be guaranteed to get a discount off your premiums.

Rim automatic deadlatch 

The deadlatch, also known as night latch, is a type of lock home insurers recommend to be used alongside other locks to enhance security. These locks are fitted onto the front door instead of being morticed into the wall since they are not as secure as a five-lever mortice deadlock or multi-point locking system.

The use of Rim automatic deadlatch alongside other types of locks can help you to get a discount on your home premiums as it offers an additional level of security.