Smart Locks for Homeowners

The obvious one is never being locked out again. No spare under the plant pot, no emergency locksmith because your keys are on the kitchen table and the door swung shut behind you.

The less obvious ones tend to matter more day to day. Kids who come home from school before you do, without a key to lose. A cleaner who comes on Thursdays and only needs access on Thursdays. Letting a delivery driver put a parcel in the porch while you're at work. Family visiting for a weekend who get their own code instead of borrowing yours. A dog walker with access between eleven and one and no other time.

And when a tradesperson needs to get in while you're out, you're not leaving a key somewhere or taking a day off — you issue a code for that afternoon and see in the log when they arrived and left.

Smart locks arrive in the box able to do far more than a default PIN code — family member profiles, temporary codes for visitors or tradespeople, activity logs of who came and went. Most people fitting one themselves never get past the basic setup because the manufacturer apps aren't always intuitive. We set it up properly the first time and walk you through actually using it.

The other half of it is the door itself. A smart lock has to physically suit the door it's going on — the cylinder length has to be right, the multipoint mechanism has to actually engage, and the handle has to be the correct handing. Get any of those slightly wrong and the lock works, technically, while quietly chewing through batteries or failing to throw the bolts properly. That's the sort of thing that shows up six months later as 'the lock's gone faulty' when it was never fitted right.

Most UK front doors fall into a few categories, and each has its own considerations:

• uPVC or composite with a multipoint lock — the most common setup on modern homes. Usually straightforward, but the euro cylinder needs measuring properly rather than guessed.
• Timber door with a euro cylinder — generally the easiest retrofit.
• Timber door with a night latch or mortice lock — often needs a different style of smart lock, or additional work to the door.
• Flat entrance doors — normally fine for your own door; communal entrances belong to the building and need the freeholder's agreement.

If you're not sure which you have, send us a photo when you get in touch and we'll tell you.

A common worry is whether a smart lock is less secure than a normal one. The honest answer is that it depends entirely on the lock and how it's fitted — which is true of conventional locks too. A good smart lock properly installed is not a downgrade; a cheap one badly fitted is.

The practical point most people miss is insurance. Many UK home insurance policies specify a standard for the final exit door — often BS3621 for mortice locks, or a specified cylinder standard. Changing your lock can affect that. We'll tell you what we're fitting and what it's rated to, but do check your own policy wording or ask your insurer before you change anything — that's your call to make with the facts, not something we'd decide for you.

• Supply and fitting of your chosen smart lock
• Full app/account setup, not just the physical install
• Codes and access set up for your household
• Separate codes for cleaners, dog walkers, or family, on their own schedules
• Old lock removed and disposed of, or left with you if you'd rather keep it
• A walkthrough so everyone in the house knows how to use it