Home security upgrade

Many people think improving security means fitting an expensive lock on the front door. But someone trying to get in does not attack where it is hardest. They look for the weak point, and in a house on the coast that weak point is often not the front door.

That is why this service starts with an inspection of the whole home, not with a sale.

Where they usually try to get into homes in the area

In Torrevieja and the Vega Baja there are a great many bungalows, townhouses and ground floor flats. They have a garden, patio or terrace, and almost always more than one entrance. These are the points we see attacked most:

• The terrace or patio door. It is usually aluminium, with a simple lock and out of sight of the street.
• Ground floor roller shutters. They can be lifted from outside if they have no locking at all.
• The lock cylinder on the front door, when it sticks out or is a basic model.
• The hinges, on doors that open outwards and leave the hinge pins exposed.
• Back or service doors, from the kitchen or utility room, that nobody has changed since the house was built.

What we check

Front door

We look at the cylinder: how far it sticks out, whether it is protected against the usual opening techniques and whether there is an escutcheon. We look at the lock: how many locking points it has, what state the strike plate is in, whether the door is left on the latch alone. And we look at the door leaf and the frame: whether they are solid, whether they move when pushed, whether there is a gap to get a crowbar in.

Hinges and frame

A door with a good lock and weak hinges can be attacked from the opposite side. We check whether the door is protected on the hinge side and how the frame is anchored. If needed, we talk about anti-jemmy hinges.

Secondary entrances

The terrace door, the patio door, the door from the garage into the house, a storeroom connected to the house. This is where we get the most surprises.

Roller shutters and windows

We check whether ground floor or easily reached roller shutters can be lifted from outside. If they can, the most effective solution is roller shutter reinforcement: we reinforce roller shutters so they cannot be lifted or bent.

The priorities, in order

When we finish, we give you a clear list. Not everything has to be done at once, and not everything is equally important. The usual order is this:

1. What can easily be opened today. A very basic cylinder, a ground floor roller shutter with no locking, a terrace door that gives when pushed.
2. What protects what you already have. An escutcheon for the cylinder, a well anchored strike plate, protected hinges.
3. What adds a second obstacle. A security deadbolt, a lock with more locking points.

Each item comes with its own fixed quote. You choose what to do and when.

An alarm does not replace the lock

We are asked this often. An alarm warns you, but it does not stop anyone getting in. If the door opens in a matter of seconds, by the time the alert arrives they will already be inside. The sensible approach is for the lock and the entrances to make things difficult, and for the alarm, if you have one, to raise the alert in the meantime. One does not rule out the other.

Homes that stand empty for long periods

On the coast there are many houses used in summer or for a few weeks a year. For them the inspection takes a different approach: it is not enough for the door to hold, the house should also not look abandoned from outside, and every entrance should be secured with more than just a latch. If that is your case, have a look at the page on second homes as well.

After an attempted break-in

If someone has tried to get in, even if they did not succeed, the lock may have been damaged and you now know where they tried. It is the moment to check everything. You have the first steps in attempted break-in.

Get an idea first

If you want to know how your home stands before you contact us, there is a security test that guides you with a few questions. It does not replace the inspection, but it helps you see where to start.

Book your inspection

Message us on WhatsApp, in your own language if you prefer, and tell us what your home is like. We arrange the visit and, after the inspection, give you a fixed quote for each improvement before we start. We do nothing you have not approved. We are locksmiths from Torrevieja, with 15 years in the trade, and we work right across the Vega Baja.