The Key-in-Handle Door Lock - An Open Invitation to Thieves

Riskboss evaluators always find that residential suite doors in high rise buildings have high security deadbolt style locks, yet other keyed areas such as mechanical rooms and other critical rooms do not.

Most residential high rise developers use the key-in-handle style door lock as their preferred ‘go to’ locking mechanism for storage locker rooms, bicycle rooms as well as most mechanical rooms. Simply put, this type of lock has the lowest level of protection of all locks on the market.

Some lock companies recommend latch guard plates that reportedly prevent lock, ‘jimmying’. Riskboss evaluators routinely find that strike plates are a poor replacement for deadbolt style locking mechanisms. The use of latch guard plates to improve the level of protection of the key-in-handle door lock adds no added protection or value against illegal entry and as such Riskboss does not recommend these devices.

Riskboss has evaluated over 75 residential towers in the GTA and highly recommends the deadbolt locking system to all important doors. The deadbolt style lock provides the best level of protection against illegal entry.