Burglary Damage Lock Repair
The lock is usually the least damaged part of the door — and the missing keys are the part no repair touches.
Call (408) 418-0044
Force applied to a door travels into whatever is weakest, and on most doors that is the short run of jamb timber behind the strike plate, held by a couple of screws that never reached the framing. The lock is frequently found still bolted, still working, and sitting in a frame that has given way around it. Replacing it first would be treating the only healthy part of the assembly.
There is a second problem no repair reaches. Whatever left with the intruder may include keys from a hook by the door, a spare from a drawer, a garage remote, a gate fob, and paperwork carrying the address. Rebuilding the door restores the opening. Changing what the existing keys open is what restores the answer to who can walk in.
What gets assessed after a forced entry
- The jamb behind the strike. Splits follow the grain and run much further than the visible damage suggests, often well above and below the plate. A new lock screwed into split timber is decoration rather than security.
- The screws, and what they actually reach. Short screws bite only the jamb lining. Long screws passing through into the framing behind it are the least expensive meaningful improvement available on most doors, and frequently the only thing that was ever missing.
- The door slab itself. Hollow core doors deform around the lock case and the edge bulges where the bolt was loaded. Solid and engineered doors take it better, but a cracked stile needs replacing rather than filling.
- The cylinder, and how it was attacked. Snapped, drilled and twisted cylinders leave unmistakable marks. A door opened by manipulation or with an existing key leaves almost none, which is worth understanding before anyone concludes that nothing happened here.
- Hinges, glazing beads and anything else that took load. A door forced at the lock edge often has strained hinge screws on the opposite side, and glass that was struck can look sound today and fail next week.
Have this ready
- The incident or report number, if one has been taken.
- Photographs of the door, frame, lock and any tool marks, taken before any repair begins.
- A list of what is unaccounted for: house keys, spares, garage remotes, gate fobs, car keys, mailbox keys.
- Whether the opening has to be secure tonight regardless of when the permanent repair happens.
- Whether the property is rented, since the landlord will normally need to agree to changes to the door.
If nothing has been forced and you simply want to know where this door would give way before anything happens to it, that is a survey rather than a repair. see a home lock security assessment.
Common questions
I have come home to an open door. Should I go in and check?
No. Stay outside, move somewhere safe, and call emergency services. Somebody may still be in the property, and even if they are not, walking through the rooms disturbs the scene and puts your hands on surfaces nobody wants your prints on. The locks can be dealt with once the house has been cleared.
Do the locks need replacing, or just the door repaired?
It depends where the keys are. If every key is still accounted for and the cylinder is undamaged, the frame repair may be all the hardware work required. If keys are missing, or the cylinder itself was attacked, changing what the existing keys open is the part that actually restores control of the door.
What will an insurer want from me?
Generally photographs taken before the repair, an itemised description of the parts fitted and the work done, and the incident number. Keep the damaged cylinder, plate or handle rather than letting it leave in the van, because a physical part is much harder to argue with than a description of one.
Nothing was taken. Is a repair still necessary?
Yes, because the door has spent its resistance. Split timber does not knit back together, a strike that has torn once will tear again with less effort, and a bulged door edge no longer holds the bolt the way it used to. The next attempt would start from a far weaker position than the first one did.
Related locksmith services
Describe the lock or key problem
A short description of what happened gets the right tools on the vehicle.
Call (408) 418-0044