Forced latch

A forced latch is a lock latch that has been overcome without a key: by pushing the door hard, levering in the gap of the frame or working directly on the latch. The latch is the angled bolt that clicks in by itself when the door closes, and it is not made to resist.

It almost always happens on doors that have been pulled shut without locking them with the key. The signs are usually small: marks on the edge of the leaf or on the strike plate, a bent latch or a door that no longer closes properly.

To stop it happening again:

• Always lock with the key, even when you just pop downstairs.
• Fit an anti-card latch or a lock with a protected latch.
• A metal strike plate, firmly screwed, and a well adjusted door.
• On aluminium terrace doors, an additional lock.

If your door no longer closes properly or the latch is damaged, we fix it with our lock repair service. For the cylinder, take a look at our security cylinders.