Residential Security Upgrade After Burglary Concern — Alberton

The Situation

A homeowner in an Alberton suburb contacted us after a house on her street was broken into through the front door. The neighbour’s door had been forced, apparently without much difficulty, and the homeowner wanted to understand how her own locks compared and what improvements were possible.

She was not in immediate distress — this was a planned visit rather than an emergency — and she wanted practical advice, not an upsell. She had a budget in mind but was open to a range of options.

What We Found

The property had three external doors: front entrance, back door, and a security gate on the front. The front entrance had a single-cylinder deadbolt that was original to the property, probably 15 years old. It functioned correctly but was a basic-grade lock with a short throw bolt (the part that extends into the door frame) of approximately 12mm. The back door had a rim latch — the type with a spring-loaded latch only, no deadbolt. The security gate had a good-quality gate lock that was in reasonable condition.

The weak points were clear: the back door rim latch offered minimal forced entry resistance, and the short throw on the front deadbolt was less resistant to kick-in than a long throw unit. The frame itself also had some slight movement at the strike plate.

What We Recommended and Installed

1. Front entrance: Replaced the existing short-throw deadbolt with a longer-throw unit of a better security grade. Reinforced the strike plate mounting with 75mm screws going into the door frame stud rather than just the door jamb.
2. Back door: Fitted a new deadbolt in addition to the existing rim latch. A back door with only a rim latch is a meaningful weak point — a deadbolt added to the same door significantly improves resistance to forced entry.
3. Security gate: The existing gate lock was in good condition and appropriately rated; no change needed.

We also supplied a door reinforcer (a metal plate that goes over the strike plate area) for the back door, which was showing some wear at the existing strike plate location.

Outcome

The homeowner was satisfied with both the advice and the outcome. She noted that the back door in particular had felt insecure to her for some time but that she had not acted on the feeling. The job took approximately three hours including all installations and testing.

The total cost was within her stated budget. She chose a mid-range security grade rather than the highest available, which was appropriate for the property type and the general security level of the area.

Key Points on Residential Lock Security

The two most impactful improvements for most standard Alberton residential homes are:

• Adding or upgrading the deadbolt on any door that has only a rim latch
• Ensuring the strike plate is secured with long screws into the structural frame, not just the door jamb

Neither is expensive. Both significantly increase forced entry resistance. If you would like a similar assessment of your own home, call us on 066 147 4234.