Lock Installation

A replacement swaps like for like — old cylinder out, new cylinder in. An installation adds a lock that was not there before — fitting a new deadbolt to a flat entrance door, adding a 5-lever mortice deadlock to a back door that only has a night latch, fitting a high-security cylinder to a garage side door that came with a builders' standard lock.

Common installation scenarios: bringing a property up to insurer-required standard (BS3621 mortice on every final exit door); adding a deadbolt to a UPVC patio door that has none; fitting a Yale-style night latch in addition to a mortice deadlock on a timber front door; adding an internal deadlocking bolt to a bedroom door for a vulnerable family member; installing a smart lock on an Airbnb so guests use a unique code rather than a physical key.

British home insurance policies are explicit: final exit doors must be fitted with a lock to BS3621 (timber doors) or a multipoint mechanism with a TS007 3-star Kitemarked cylinder (UPVC and composite doors). If you do not have this you are technically in breach of your policy conditions and a claim after a break-in can be reduced or refused. We install to BS3621 and TS007 3-star as the default, not the upgrade, on every external door.

The BS Kitemark is stamped on the faceplate of a mortice lock or on the face of a euro cylinder. The TS007 standard appears as one, two or three stars — only 3-star meets the snap test that real-world break-ins use. We will check what you currently have at no charge and tell you whether you are insurance-compliant or not.

A mortice lock sits inside a rectangular pocket cut into the edge of the door. Installing a new mortice from scratch involves: marking the position carefully, drilling out the bulk of the pocket, chiselling and routing the pocket clean, cutting the recess for the faceplate so it sits flush with the door edge, marking and cutting the cylinder hole through the face of the door (for sashlocks), fitting the lock body and aligning the strike plate and box keep on the frame.

Done well, a new mortice installation is invisible — no visible damage to the face of the door, faceplate flush with the edge, strike plate flush with the frame, and the door closes and locks softly under its own weight. Our engineers are trained carpenters as well as locksmiths and we use dust extraction throughout to keep your home clean. Typical installation time is 90 minutes per door.

A night latch is a surface-mounted lock fitted on the inside face of a timber door, operated by a key from outside and a knob from inside. It is the lock most UK home insurers require on the main entry — typically alongside a 5-lever BS3621 mortice deadlock fitted below it. Together the two locks meet every major insurer's requirement for a final exit door.

Installing a new night latch involves marking the cylinder position, cutting a clean cylinder hole through the door, fitting the lock body to the inside face and the cylinder to the outside, and aligning the staple (the catch on the frame) so the latch engages cleanly without lifting the door. We fit Yale, ERA, Ingersoll, Chubb and Banham night latches, all to BS3621, with auto-deadlocking variants available for extra security.

For new UPVC or composite doors that need a complete locking strip — for example after a previous mechanism has been forced and removed during a burglary — we install a complete multipoint mechanism, including the gearbox, the bolts (typically 2 hooks, 2 rollers and a central deadbolt on a standard 1700mm door), the keeps on the frame and a new euro cylinder.

We work with all major UK mechanism brands: GU, Fuhr, Maco, Yale, Avocet, ERA, Mila, Lockmaster, Roto and Winkhaus. We can normally source like-for-like replacement strips within 24–48 hours if they are not already on the van, and we always offer an upgrade to a TS007 3-star anti-snap cylinder at the same time for marginal additional cost.

Smart locks add keypad, smartphone and remote access alongside (or instead of) a traditional key. They are particularly useful for Airbnb hosts, busy families with multiple key-holders, parents who want to grant time-limited access to children's friends, and anyone who has lost a key more than once in the last year. We install Yale Conexis L1 and L2, Ultion Nuki Smart Lock, August Wi-Fi Smart Lock and most other major brands.

Installation typically takes 60–90 minutes per door, including configuration, app pairing and admin training. We strongly recommend a smart lock is fitted alongside (not instead of) a traditional BS3621 deadlock — smart locks should be regarded as a convenience layer on top of mechanical security, not as a replacement for it.

We install anti-ligature hardware on healthcare and education premises where ligature risk has been assessed. We install fire-rated locks (BS EN 12209) and door closers (BS EN 1154) on fire doors to maintain compartmentation integrity. We install DDA-compliant lever furniture and accessible thresholds where required for disabled access. We install bathroom locks with emergency external release for elderly and vulnerable users.

Every specialist installation is documented with the make, model, British Standard and serial number of the part fitted, so your Responsible Person or compliance officer has a clear paper trail for audit and inspection.

We cover Slough (SL1, SL2, SL3), Reading (RG1–RG6, RG30, RG31), Oxford (OX1–OX4), Windsor (SL4), Maidenhead (SL6), Bracknell (RG12, RG42), Heathrow (TW6, UB7), Harrow (HA1–HA3), Uxbridge (UB8, UB10) and Staines (TW18, TW19), with the same fixed pricing 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Average attendance into our core West London, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire coverage area is 20–40 minutes. Engineers are positioned across Slough, Langley, Iver, Uxbridge, Hayes, Heathrow, Staines, Windsor, Maidenhead, Bracknell, Reading, Earley, Tilehurst, Oxford, Harrow and the M4/M40/M25 corridor so we are almost never further than 20 minutes from your door.

Most lock installations can be completed the same day you call. Book before lunch for a same-afternoon slot.