New Laws for Holiday Lets

New laws implemented for holiday lets

New laws for Holiday lets

Very soon, all holiday let properties are going to be required by law to be keyless exit in case of emergencies. For properties with UPVC or similar doors where the handle needs to be pushed up before locking, the lock changes are straight forward and the existing cylinder just needs to be changed for one that has a thumb turn on the inside rather than a key.

But if you have a wooden door with a mortice (Chubb type) lock, then you will need a complete conversion kit consisting of replacement lock case, thumb turn cylinder and Euro cylinder handles. Most of this is straight forward, but sourcing handles to match your existing ones can be a drain.

If you do not get this work done and your tenants have an emergency, there will be no cover from your insurance should the worst happen due to them not being able to escape.

Here at AC Locksmiths Norfolk, we are happy to work around your changeover days and with your management company to get the locks changed seamlessly without hassle for you or your customers.

Should you require any more information, please contact me for an informal chat.

 

admin June 2, 2023

Insurance & holiday let locks / Key less exit / Law for holiday let locks /

Business Properties & secure fire exits

It is well known that business properties, especially where the public has access, should have  secure fire exit doors, which means that all locked doors should be able to be opened from the inside without a key.

But many people renting out properties for holidays do not realise that these fire exits should have easy escape capabilities. The logic behind this is that if the lock is key operated on the inside, the customers may well lock the door, put the key somewhere safe, and then should the worst happen and a fire break out, in their panic and being away from home, they could well forget where they have put the key and be caught in a tragic accident.

So if your wooden door has a nightlatch (often called a ‘Yale’ lock), and that lock has a British Standard Kite mark, you are fine.

Secure fire exits with correct locks

If your wooden door has a mortice (often called a ‘Chubb’ lock), with key operation on both sides, there is a conversion that can be done to use a Euro Cylinder that has a thumb turn on the inside. This means changing the lock and handles but can use the existing space with minimal visible change.

If your door is UPVC or has any mechanism where the handles must be lifted before locking, it is a simple matter of swapping the existing Euro Cylinder for one with a thumb turn on the inside.

This is a key both sides Euro Cylinder:

And this is a standard thumb turn Euro Cylinder:

There is a slight worry with installing these fire escape systems, though and that is I have a tool that can go in through letter boxes and turn the thumb turn allowing me access to the property. We have two solutions. Firstly, certain thumb turns on the very best cylinders are designed to be difficult for tools to turn. They might require a push while turning or just plain difficult for the tool to purchase.

Alternatively, you can buy specially designed sloped guards for your letterbox (although even these can be bypassed with ever more clever locksmith tools).

Or better yet a letter catching cage on the back of your door will stop all tools that I know of at time of writing.

If you own or run holiday lets, you might find your public liability insurance does not pay out if you have not taken the correct measures to ensure the safety of your guests.

I am noticing a lot of village halls are also suddenly finding out from fire inspections that they are not up to scratch. Please check the regulations specific to you if you run any property that is not a private home.

Click here for Government guidance on fire doors/fire safety

Should you have any questions regarding the above information, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Thanks for reading.

admin April 24, 2023

Easy escape doors / Fire safety / Insurance regulations /

Keys

Besides your mobile phone, what is the most important thing you carry around with you every day? Very few people even think about their keys, but without them you cannot function. Be it getting into your home or office, or starting your keys are always needed. So when was the last time you bothered to look at your keys, clean them even, or check that they were not bent or damaged in any other way?

Scandanavian locks 2

A lot of locks fail because the keys being used to operate them are worn, damaged or badly cut copies. I’ve seen people try their best to service their own locks, but then fail to keep the actual keys clean. We know toddlers love to put keys in their mouths and we snatch those keys away because we know they are dirty, but we never even give those grubby, bacteria ridden lumps of metal so much as a quick scrub to remove surface dirt.

The bodies at the top of the locksmithing industry in the UK suggest that we locksmiths should tell you to change your locks every 5 years, one of the main reasons for this is that people just do not maintain their locks, or they use too many copies that are cut poorly. So here are my top tips for keys:

1. Keep your keys clean. I know it is obvious, but I see loads of grubby keys, especially in the work place or where anyone needs a big bunch of keys. Dirt and grime collects in the grooves, which is then transferred into the lock where it builds up, wearing away the internal moving parts. Hot, soapy water and a stiff nail brush should get rid of the worst of it and be sure to dry the key straight away so as to avoid rust.

2. Only take the keys you need. Big bunches of keys just rub against each other and generally wear away. If you have mortice (Chubb) keys with thin prongs, those prongs are likely to get bent far easier when the keys are on a big bunch. Separate your keys into smaller bunches for use when you need them. This will also keep the keys cleaner.

3. Don’t get too many copies made. Any more than four keys is going to be more expensive than a basic keysafe. If you run a business, giving staff members the code to the keysafe that can be changed is a lot better than chasing them to return their key when they leave, and if they leave under nefarious circumstances, you might have to change your locks when they don’t return their key. A keysafe just requires changing the code to the keysafe. It also saves a load of bad copies wearing out the lock quicker.

4. Having said that, do not let your stash of keys run down to just the one, especially if that one is a copy. You should always be in possession of a branded original key for the lock. All locks come with at least two keys. If you only have one, not only are you going to be in trouble when you eventually lose it, but that means there is at least one other key in someone’s possession who can gain access to a door you want to secure, be it your home or workplace.

5. If you need to get copies made, always keep the originals as primary use. Just the other day, I attended a job in Blakeney where the lock wasn’t opening or locking on one side. I asked the customer to fetch me the original keys which worked just fine. Your original branded keys are the most important. Treat them with the utmost care. If you need to change your locks, think about how many keys you might need and get you locksmith to order them with your new lock.

6. If you must keys cut at a later date, shy away from chain outlets. They have a higher turnover of staff who are not always trained to high standards. Your local engraver/cobbler will be running their own business and will more likely have years of experience. But, they will not often have genuine branded blanks. Be prepared to demand genuine branded keys, even if that means coming back a few days later and paying more for the keys. The key cutter will take even more care to cut the key perfectly as they will not want you coming back with a bad cut key. It will cost them more to honour a guarantee of a good cut if the blank is branded.

7. As said above, any more than four keys should be negated by a basic keysafe, but it is worth investing in a high quality keysafe. Dial keysafes are easier to change the codes on, so perfect for holiday lets, etc, but push button keysafes are more secure and so better for the home where you might not need to change the code too often. Keysafes should be positioned near the door the key inside is going to open, but not on general view if avoidable. If you can position in a corner, or make the angles difficult for levers or hammers, then even better, but most burglars ignore keysafes as they can usually find easier ways in.

8. Many new high security locks are coming with special keys. At least one brand uses a magnet in the key. From personal experience, I can tell you not to have these keys anywhere near vehicle keys as the small magnetic field can scramble the signal between car and car key transceiver.

9. If you have a digital safe, hand the override keys to a trusted friend or family member. There is no point keeping the keys in the house where the burglar might find them. But do not keep the keys inside the safe – they will be useless to you if the batteries fail. If you only have a manual key safe, again give one of the keys to a friend or family member and ensure the second key is not left in the home while you are out.

AC locksmiths Auto

10. The glove compartment is not the place for your spare car key. The only person who can possible benefit from the key being there is the car thief.

11. If you drive to your holiday destination and it is more than a hundred miles from home, take the spare key to the car. Leave it in the holiday accommodation, because there is nothing worse than having to call a locksmith knowing you could get in yourself if you had the spare nearby.

12. If you have a special knack for unlocking your door, or you have to hold the key at a certain angle, either the key or your lock is not right. Check the key before any further damage is done. If it’s not the key, then change the lock before it fails completely just before you need to be in and out for an important event.

If you have any questions regarding any of the points raised above or in any of my other blogs, please contact me through any of the channels mentioned on my contacts page. (Text gets fasted response).

Thanks for reading!

admin February 21, 2020

car keys / Looking after your keys / property keys /

Fire door guards

In addition to my regular locksmithing work, I have now added the installation of fire door guards to my abilities.

These door guards hold fire doors open for as long as is convenient in busy offices, schools, care homes, or other spaces where those doors must be closed in the event of a fire. Once the guard hears an alarm, it releases, shutting the door when it absolutely needs to close to stop the spread of fire.

The Fireco Dorgards allow busy office workers unrestricted movement through buildings without having to stop every few metres and juggle heavy loads while trying to open doors that are already resistant because they must have automatic closers installed. They allow school corridors to be kept open allowing teachers and pupils to get to their classes quickly. In care homes, they allow residents to move through the corridors without having to battle heavy doors they might not be able to push or pull unaided.

Many big public buildings have fire doors held open with wedges or fire extinguishers that obviously will not allow the doors to close in the unfortunate event of a fire. This can lead to cases of criminal negligence.

If you work in an office, school, care home or any space where fire doors hinder daily routines, why not get in contact and ask me for a free survey and quotation.

You can contact me via any of the methods on my contacts page.

Thanks for reading

admin April 22, 2019

Fire doors / Fire safety / Fireco Dorgurad /

Landlords and Copied Keys

Just a very brief blog here for landlords, particularly of holiday lets, and about copying keys.

You may get two or three keys with your new lock. If you have any more cut (one for the letting agency, one for the cleaner, etc), then please ensure you personally keep an original and the tenants use an original. Far too often I am seeing locks break because poor cut copies wear the inner levers/pins and suddenly, you are left with new customers having to use back doors because they cannot get in or out via the front.

Customers who jiggle the keys to unlock the door will forget to mention it to the letting agents. Cleaners who know the ‘Knack’ won’t even think about it. Test your doors on a regular basis. If the locks are not running as smooth with the door closed as they do with the door open, then get them looked at before a customer complains and demands money back. And when you are ordering new locks, order extra keys at the same time, insisting on genuinely branded keys. It might cost a little more, but will give you peace of mind, because the extra keys bought with the lock will be covered by the guarantee. Using keys cut elsewhere will invalidate the guarantee.

If you have any questions regarding the above, please get in touch via any of the methods on my contacts page.

Thanks for reading.

admin March 29, 2019

Copied keys problems / Holiday let lock issues /

Rental & holiday home locks

Just recently, I was called to a holiday let property at midnight because the lock had failed and the holiday makers were unable to get in. By the time I got there, the property owner had also arrived and there was an atmosphere you could have cut with a knife. It was cold, dark and wet. The holiday makers wanted to get in from a night out, the owner had been in bed and both were insinuating it was the others’ fault that the key was not working. Luckily, I was able to jiggle the key and get them all into the house quickly. But the lock was old and both keys were having problems, so I showed the landlord as discreetly as possible it was her problem and got that lock changed as fast as possible in order to get away from the tension that was growing with every minute.

A C Locksmiths Norfolk

The landlord had made several mistakes:

Firstly, she had let a lock get too old. The industry recommends that you change your locks every five years as standard. Of course, in the home, we hardly even think of changing our locks until they go wrong, but as another recent customer told me, she got her locks changed because her teenage son kept hiding keys in the garden so his friends could let themselves in when they wanted! He then forgot where he would hide them and she thought he might have lost around seven keys and even had more cut that she didn’t know about. With a holiday let home, you should be more vigilant with locks. Especially near the coast where they get weather beaten and corrode more quickly. Also, we trust our houses to strangers. How do we know none of them are making copies to return in a year or two to break in when other holiday makers are out? For security and peace of mind, it is good practice to get into the habit of changing the locks on a holiday let yearly. If you do it in late March, you won’t even notice the cost because it’s tax deductible. You have nothing to lose.

The second mistake was giving customers copy keys: locks come with two or three keys as standard. Always keep one key to have for emergency copy purposes. The others should be for the use of customers. They will be the ones using the lock the most. If you damage a lock using inferior cut keys, you have no come back on guarantees. If you have cleaners and/or management companies looking after your property, they should be using the copies because they only usually need to go in once a week on change over day. But the keys that are used the most should always be the originals. As a side note, in my experience, the worst key copiers are chain stores. Support your local cobbler/engraver as they usually do a much better job. But most of the time, even the local key cutters will only stock non-original brand key blanks. Customers don’t want to pay for the branded keys. But branded keys last longer and work better with the locks. If you have a Yale lock, you want a key that also has Yale written on it, not JMA or worse still, no marks at all. The absolute best thing you can do is to order all the keys you need when you talk to your locksmith about fitting a new lock. Remember, it’s a business expense, so you might as well get something for your money rather than lose it to the tax man.

Holiday let owners know the peace of mind that comes with having customers who come back year after year or recommend their property to others. It’s a lot better than having to refund a customer because of something that could easily have been avoided. And unfortunately, you can’t rely on the cleaners/management company to notice. The cleaners quickly get used to locks that need a knack (they need changing quickly) and the management companies don’t want to keep hassling you for jobs that require expenses, especially if they have to pay the trader and then wait for you to pay them. A good holiday let owner will have a locksmith go in and look at all their doors and windows, either at the start or end of the season. UPVC doors might need adjusting, wooden doors might have swollen or as was the case with some doors this dry summer, contracted to a point of the locks being unusable. Mechanisms should be oiled twice a year (when clocks go forward and back is a good habit to get into) and handles might have lost their spring. A door and lock might seem like a boring thing, but it is your customer’s first point of contact with your house. They won’t notice if it all runs smoothly, but if it looks shabby or is a bit stiff, that sets the tone for more things to find wrong, whether they know it or not.

For property owners of longer lease homes, you really should be changing the locks between tenants. No matter how good your outgoing tenant s may have been, you simply don’t know how many copies of keys they have had made. Scarily I’ve seen it a number of times when people buy homes for themselves, and later discover the old owner letting themselves in. Again, as this is a business expense, there is nothing to stop you installing new locks. And better you do it rather than the tenant. At least you can use the same locksmith every time who will usually use the same brands so your door is not being weakened by different sized locks needing ever bigger holes in the door.

As a tenant, you are well within your rights to demand that your new landlord provide new locks with original cut keys. Any additional keys should be discussed with the landlord because if you get bad cut copies, the lock becomes your problem.

If you have any questions regarding the above information, please don’t hesitate to get in touch using any of the methods on my contacts page.

Thanks for reading

admin November 23, 2018

Changing the locks / Holiday homes / Rental homes /

Holiday Home Security and Lock Maintenance

Lock maintenance

The summer season is well and truly over as the sky turns grey and the cold, wet weather moves in. If you have a holiday home that you let out during the summer months, now is the perfect time to review the condition of your locks and security.

Holiday home security
In my job I see holiday homes catering for all budgets, from basic amenities, to home from home comfort with installed luxuries like internet connection and satellite TV. But no matter what the level you are offering, it is always embarrassing when your customer’s holiday is set back by problems with the locks, and they find themselves locked out (or in some cases, locked in) because the locks have not been maintained properly.

Most property service companies are reactionary, so even though the problem will be resolved, it can still lead to you having to refund a customer and can even mean you have to cancel bookings, which has the knock on effect of possibly losing you recommendation business in the future. While maintenance is not an absolute guarantee that nothing will go wrong, you can at least rest in the knowledge you have done all you can to give your customers a hassle free holiday, and you not wasting time chasing property managers to get the job done.

Holiday homes with multi-point locking systems on their doors are probably the most likely to create problems, particularly if they are near the sea. Moisture creates rust, especially when these mechanisms are set into wooden doors and customers slam doors or leave them open to blow in the wind. These doors should have a service at least once a year, but preferably at the start and end of high season.

Yale locks seem to cause no end of problems with people managing to deadlock the door while it is open and then slam the door, effectively locking them in unless someone unlocks the door from the outside. Standard Yale type locks should be replaced with BSI3621 models to avoid this and other problems.

Mortice locks can throw up a problem where a part inside slips and it becomes impossible to insert the key. These locks should be checked by removing from the door and checking the tightness of the screws as wooden door expansion and contraction can loosen these screws.

These are just some of the problems to be avoided. There are many more. But the good news is that you can guard against all this for free. The cost of routine maintenance carried out by a professional locksmith is a business expense and therefore can be claimed as part of your expenses when submitting tax returns, effectively making the work free.

AC Locksmiths is ready to take on regular contract work to maintain the locks of your holiday home. I can liaise with your letting company to coincide maintenance with changeover periods and help prevent the problem that can mean your customers demand their money back. Should you require any more information on the above subjects, please contact via any of the methods listed on the contacts page.

Thanks for reading.

admin October 22, 2015

Holiday home security / Home maintenance / Lock maintenance / Rented property /