Front door dilemma - Yale lock and dead lock, do I need both?

[Nowwearesix]

We are preparing to replace our upvc front door with a solid wood one.

I have chosen some lovely door furniture, but am stuck on whether we really need a Yale lock as well as a dead lock. The Yale locks and pulls only come in a really shiny chrome which won't match the rest of the furniture.

Can I get away with just having a dead lock? Or are there security issues?

Thanks!

I was told that 2 locks is visually off putting to casual burglars as it's harder and takes longer to get in, and implies you are security conscious.

Hmm, yes, that does make sense. Thanks.

I just need to try and find one that matches the matt finish of the rest of the furniture.

Anyone else?

I'd want more than one lock on a front door.

Builder said to me once that you need a yale and a deadlock so that if there was a fire you could get out quickly ie you don't want to be faffing around looking for a key in an emergency (house full of smoke for example). The deadlock is used when you are leaving the house empty.

Yale locks are reckoned to be relatively easy for a burglar to get past. A deadlock less so - insurance companies like you to have deadlocks. We have both: the deadlock can be opened without a key from the inside (key needed outside) so getting out when you've locked the place up is no big deal and when we're in we tend just to use the yale lock, although sometimes if I'm on my own I like the security of using both.

Yes. Our insurance actually specifies we needed both.

I have both. I never use the deadlock, only the Yale lock. I'd prefer if the pull was a satin/brushed finish too but I couldn't find one.

If you didn't have a Yale lock, the front door would be open from the outside unless it was deadlocked so it's not very secure.

Yale locks are really easy to pick, you just need a credit card. I disturbed burglars robbing the flats upstairs when I came home once, they easily got in in the middle of the day in broad daylight because the deadlock hadn't been locked and they just slid a card through the door.

Thanks all. I have ordered both a Yale and a dead lock.

too late now, perhaps, but rather than "a yale lock" get a British Standard Thief-Resisting Nightlatch. It is a bit bigger but cannot be opened with a credit card and cannot be wrenched off like a Eurocylinder. They are made by various companies, including Yale. Union do a very fine one which is a Chubb design. ERA are good value. Many colours and finishes are available.

Also get a British Standard Thief Resisting deadlock. A five-lever one cannot be wrenched or bumped like a Eurocylinder can. The Union one scored higher in Which tests than others at four times the price.

We've got a Banham lock. Lovely door furniture, same key for both locks and very secure. Only pain is that getting extra keys cut is expensive and a hassle, but otherwise we're pleased.

Thank you so much.

I have just checked the order and the Yale lock is an ERA night latch and the mortice lock is a Union one. Reassuring to know that these ones are decent ones.

But is it a British Standard nightlatch?

Make sure they're a decent distance apart on the door, not one under the other. Makes it harder for a would-be thief to gain access. It the locks are close together there's only really one point on the door frame for the burglar to break, but if they're far apart it's much, much harder.

You should be able to get a yale in a brass finish if that is what you are after. We have just had new wooden front door fitted with yale and dead lock. All brass purchased in B&Q…

Thanks everyone,

Yes, PigletJohn it says it is a British standard one. Our builders are getting it, and the door, from Howden's.

It was a silver one I was looking for dabchick88, but not shiny.

Good point about where to place them on the door, thanks beccajoh

that's great.

The builders will know that it is usual to put the mortice lock one third up from the bottom of the door (kick height) and the nightlatch one third down from the top (shoulder height).

You can reverse these positions if you wish. The upper height of the nightlatch means that small children are less able to reach it and get out.

Additionally, have the letter slot as far as you can from the nightlatch. If the handle/knob has not been deadlocked with the key (this is a feature of BS nightlatches) it is possible to turn it through the letterbox using a simple home-made tool. Keys can also be turned or pulled out, if they have been left in the keyhole.

If there is a panel beside the door, that is a better place for the letterbox, on the hinge (not lock) side of the door.

If you need to be able to unlock the door quickly in an emergency, you can hang the key on a cup-hook in the door frame, at the top, on the hinge side, where it is out of sight and cannot easily be grabbed by someone on the doorstep.

Brilliant advice PigletJohn. Thanks so much.