How to protect an empty property
An empty property is protected by making entry slow, noisy and visible: a high-resistance lock and cylinder, a reinforced frame, and a house that does not look abandoned. No lock is unbreakable — what you are after is for whoever tries to move on to another door.
Start with where they would actually get in
People reinforce the front door and leave the courtyard door, the basement window or the connecting storage room. Entry is made where it is easy, not where it is armoured.
Before spending anything, walk round the property looking at where you would get in yourself.
What genuinely makes a difference
A high-resistance lock and cylinder on every access point, not just the main one.
Reinforcing the frame. A very good door in a weak frame opens by taking the whole frame with it.
Not looking empty. An overflowing letterbox, a shutter that never moves and an unkempt garden are the clearest sign nobody is there. A neighbour who collects the post is worth more than a lot of gadgets.
What helps less than it seems
Alarm stickers with no alarm behind them: they are easy to spot and deter nobody with experience.
Moving up to the top cylinder grade when the door is thin timber. The weak link is not the cylinder.
If someone is already inside
Then it stops being a locksmith matter. Changing the lock with people inside can amount to a criminal offence of coercion even though the property is yours. It is a court process and you need a solicitor.
Anyone offering to «sort it out» by changing the lock is walking you into a bigger problem than the one you have.
Would you rather someone looked at it?
Esto entra dentro de anti-squatter locks.Call and I will tell you the cost before I set off.
Frequently asked questions
Does an anti-squatter lock guarantee nobody gets in?
There are no guarantees. It cuts the risk a great deal because it makes forcing the door take time and noise, and that is enough for most to try another door.
Is it worth it on an upper floor?
Less than on a ground floor, but the main entrance and the storage room count just the same. The building as a whole is what matters.
The house is for sale and people come to view it
The risk there is different: a lot of people with access. A cylinder with a protected key and a record of copies is the sensible answer.