A customer in New Malden wanted the front-door lock replaced after losing her keys and worrying that they might fall into the wrong hands.
She sent photographs first, which allowed me to quote over the phone and arrange an appointment once the price was agreed.
As soon as I started removing the existing high-security nightlatch, the outside section simply fell away from the door. That was the first sign that the previous installation had not been done particularly well.
The opening through the timber looked extremely rough, and the security bolts for the external pull had never been installed. There was also so little sound timber left around the damaged section that fitting those bolts properly at this stage was not realistic.
I replaced the rim lock with another lock of the same high-security standard and reinstalled the nightlatch as securely as the existing door condition allowed.
The customer had a new set of keys and the lost keys were no longer a risk to the property.
