What is BS3621 and why does it matter to me I’m buying a door not a lock – it matters if you are buying a composite door because in the main, they come as a door set – door, frame and all the necessary accessories and those accessories include the locking system
BS 3621 as the name states is a British Standard which means that someone has taken the time to examine and test the lock to ensure it meets a certain minimum criteria and documented the results of those tests as the standard all new locks must achieve – BS3621 specifically targets items such as “lock snapping”, “bumping” and other forms of attack it may suffer at the hands of a burglar.
In order to achieve this standard, a lock must exceed a set minimum level of performance when subjected to the BS Standard specified tests, providing it meets the requirements it is allowed to be Kitemarked by the British Standards Institution – that’s the easy householders check – look for the BS Kitemark then you know your lock meets with BS3621 and the optimum standards for attack resistance, security, quality and reliability.
Why is BS 3621 so important to insurance companies – it’s the industry standard by which they measure the robustness of door locks. If you are unfortunate position of being burgled and the access was through a locked door without a lock with appropriate BS Kitemark, you may find that you do not receive your anticipated level of insurance cover if you have to make a claim.
A current TV advertisement illustrates perfectly the need for your locks to be approved -when the words “I don’t know , nobody knows” in answer to the question “does your door lock conform to BS 3621 as featured in the “Get A Quote, Not A Quiz” as issued by Aviva Insurance – we all feel for the guy in the advert because there are so many rules and standards out there that are just a mystery to us all.
If you are reading this blog you are probably considering a Timber Composite Door as your next major purchase – if so, you need not worry about BS3621 as all of our locks exceed the minimum standards requirements – just tell your insurance company that your new composite door is fitted with an “Ultion lock the three star diamond sold secure lock” and if they know there locks that will be the end of that conversation