The Cornwall Home Security Checklist

Most Cornwall break-ins are opportunist, not planned — a door with a snappable cylinder, a window left on the latch, a key safe from a bargain bin. The checklist below covers what a locksmith (or a burglar) would look at first. It matters most at three moments: after a break-in, when insurance and peace of mind both demand action; when you move into a new home and have no idea who holds keys; and if you run a holiday let that strangers cycle through all summer and nobody watches all winter.

Work through it honestly. Fifteen minutes, no tools needed.

The checklist

• My final-exit doors have insurance-grade locks. Wooden doors: a BS3621 5-lever mortice (kitemark stamped on the faceplate). uPVC/composite doors: the multipoint mechanism plus a decent cylinder. If you can't find a kitemark or star rating anywhere, assume it fails.
• My euro cylinders are anti-snap (TS007 3-star) and don't protrude. Lock snapping defeats a standard cylinder in under a minute. Look for three stars stamped on the cylinder face, and check it sits within about 3mm of the door handle plate — a protruding cylinder is the classic weak point.
• I know exactly who has keys — and nobody I can't name. Just moved in? Previous owners, their family, agents, builders and neighbours may all hold copies. A full lock change is the only reset; on a 3-bed home it costs £300–£600 and takes an afternoon.
• Ground-floor and accessible windows have working key locks. Windows are the entry point in roughly a fifth of burglaries. Keys stored nearby but out of sight, and locks actually used — an unlocked window lock protects nothing.
• Sheds, garages and side gates are properly locked. Outbuildings hold ladders and tools that open the main house, and rural Cornwall sees real outbuilding theft. Closed-shackle padlocks, a hasp bolted through the door, and a locked side gate that stops casual access to the back.
• Any key safe is police-approved and properly mounted. Cheap key safes open with a tap from a hammer. If you use one — most holiday lets do — it should carry Sold Secure / police-preferred accreditation, be bolted to masonry, and sit out of sight of the road.
• The property looks occupied and overlooked. Lighting on a timer or sensor, no post piling up, hedges cut low enough that the front door is visible. For holiday lets and second homes that stand empty off-season, this is the cheapest deterrent there is.
• My locks match what my insurance policy actually says. Most policies specify BS3621 on final-exit wooden doors and key-operated window locks — and insurers do check after a claim. Dig out the policy schedule and compare it against your doors, not your memory.

Ticked everything? Good — stay that way

Re-check after any building work, new tenants or a change of cleaner, and give coastal locks an annual clean and lubricate — salt air is brutal on cylinders (see our coastal lock care guide). Holiday-let owners: a yearly lock audit before the season starts catches worn mechanisms before guests find them — our holiday-let locksmith page covers the whole setup.

Couldn't tick something?

Locks below insurance standard, or an unknown number of keys in circulation: a lock change or upgrade fixes both — £75–£120 labour plus parts per door, BS3621 and TS007 options included. See the full price guide for what everything costs.

Just been burgled: secure the property first — emergency locksmiths handle boarding and same-day lock replacement, and insurers usually require BS3621-rated replacements. Then work through the rest of the list before the memory fades.

Not sure what you're looking at: a locksmith can check it for you. Find one through the Master Locksmiths Association directory, or get a quote from a local locksmith below.

Want the deeper background — burglary statistics, entry methods, and the full 30-minute walk-round? Read our burglary prevention guide for Cornwall homes.