Number of locks on entrance door of a flat?

[dr.s.lartius]

Is there anything in English Law, Building Regulations, best practice, etc. , which applies or recommends a limit on the number of independent locks, o r of independent locks which can only be opened with keys, or independent b olts or chains, or combinations thereof, or suchlike, on the entrance door of a flat?

It seems to me that too much security against unauthorised access may impos e an undue risk of being unable to escape rapidly in the case of, for examp le, fire.

URLs for authoritative relevant Web pages would be useful.

[Brian Gaff]

What you need is a person flap, bit like a cat flap but only works in one direction!

Brian

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Is this the communal entrance you're referring to? If so, I'd say it must be able to be opened from inside without a key - same as any other fire exit.

If a private front door, it's up to the owner.

[Mike Humphrey]

There is if it's above a certain floor - IIRC third floor or above - in which case building regs require that the lock can be opened without a key from the inside. Otherwise it seems that windows can be used as an escape route - though these could be locked as well.

Best practice is surely one lock - with multipoint locking if needed, but requiring multiple keys doesn't give any advantage.

Mike

[The Medway Handyman]

An office block I look after has a thumb turn inside and an electric release so tenants can let visitors in.

If the fire alarm goes off, the electric release triggers.

I'd assumed it was not only so people could escape quicker, but so the emergency services could get in.

[Roger Mills]

So a villain can get in if he can find a way of triggering the fire alarm?

[Yendor]

Check your building contents insurance, they normally specify, the minimum lock required to ensure you cover is valid.

[Dave Liquorice]

electric

Most electric releases are pretty pathetic, good shove with a shoulder will force it open.

[dr.s.lartius]

etc., which applies or recommends a limit on the number of independent lock s, or of independent locks which can only be opened with keys, or independe nt bolts or chains, or combinations thereof, or suchlike, on the entrance d oor of a flat?

mpose an undue risk of being unable to escape rapidly in the case of, for e xample, fire.

Read what I wrote. I asked about a limit, which implies a maximum, not a m inimum; and that is reinforced by the later "too much". And *my* insurance has nothing to do with the matter : "a flat" is not equivalent to "my flat ".

[SteveW]

An office block I worked in had fire doors on electric releases leading to emergency only staircases. When we had a fire drill a number of us went to the nearest door and found that the release didn't work and the door remained locked! Much simpler and more reliable in that case to have had a bolt held shut with a glass tube.

SteveW

[bert]

In message , [e-mail] writes

Then perhaps Fire regs are the place to look

[RobertL]

or if he can turn the power off. presumably in a power cut it does not lock everybody inside.

Robert

[RobertL]

, etc., which applies or recommends a limit on the number of independent lo cks, or of independent locks which can only be opened with keys, or indepen dent bolts or chains, or combinations thereof, or suchlike, on the entrance door of a flat?

impose an undue risk of being unable to escape rapidly in the case of, for example, fire.

minimum; and that is reinforced by the later "too much". And *my* insuran ce has nothing to do with the matter : "a flat" is not equivalent to "my fl at".

A limit not be a minimum, as in "lower limit" ?

Robert

[Hugo Nebula]

The fire brigade carry their own key; it's called an axe.

[Hugo Nebula]

The guidance of Approved Document B, Vol 2 (Buildings other than dwellinghouses) to the Building Regulations says that the operation of locks or other mechanisms should be without the use of a key and "without having to manipulate more than one mechanism", which suggests that more than one lock is not allowed. There's no distinction made between the front door of a flat, and the final exit from the common stair nor other doors.

The preamble suggests you consult Secured By Design at the local Plod Shop.

However, the Building Regulations would only cover the erection, change of use to, or material alteration* of a dwelling.

The companion guidance for dwellinghouses makes it clear that door locks aren't covered by the regulations for those types of buildings.

*It could be argued that changing or increasing the door locks counts as a material alteration by the very fact that it alters the means of escape in case of fire.

[dr.s.lartius]

What is a dwellinghouse? The residence of interest is in a purpose-built block of flats.

[Nightjar]

An individual dwelling, such as a house (detached, semi-detached or terraced) or a bungalow.

That would be a multiple occupancy dwelling, which are covered by the above document.

Colin Bignell

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Are you sure about that? I thought it referred to bedsits etc, where facilities like toilets are shared?

[Nightjar]

I thought that was a house in multiple occupancy. In any case, the point is that flats come under the document referenced by Hugo Nebula.

Colin Bignell

[dr.s.lartius]

I thought that in that document the lock-limitations only referred to the communal doors and not to the individual "front door" of each flat.