Entrance doors to houses in multiple occupation

Manual operation

Fire safety!

A House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) is defined as: 'houses or flats which have been divided into separate units of accommodation and are occupied by persons who do not form a single household'. 

The death rates by fire in these buildings are up to six times higher than in a house of single family occupation.  The rate is higher still in houses of three or more storeys.

Minimum security requirements

There are tens of thousands of these types of dwellings and they differ from a purpose built block of flats mainly because many of them retain the same street entrance door as they had when they were in single occupancy.  The main difference between this type of door and one used for a single family house is that more than one household will be using the door.  This means that if it was fitted with a lock that had a key operation on the inside, one of your neighbours could lock you in.  Therefore the minimum security advice is a little different.

• The door should preferably have a solid core construction that is a minimum 44m thick to allow for the installation of mortice locks and to provide resistance against forcing
• It should be hung on three hinges
• The frame should be secured to the brick or block with screws or frame fixers at maximum centres of 600mm and within 300mm from each corner.  You may not be able to identify the fixing points on an old door frame
• Residents in buildings like these should be able to leave the building in an emergency using a single action released lock on the final exit door.  Therefore, the door should be fitted with either an automatic deadlocking rim nightlatch certificated to BS 8621 or a mortice sashlock certificated to BS 8621 positioned at a height that is convenient for all residents to use.  BS 8621 locks have non locking turn knobs on the inside (instead of a keyway) so that people cannot key lock themselves or others in.  Arguably a mortice sashlock is a double action release lock as you have to turn the thumbturn and then depress the handle to open the door.  It seems though that this lock is normally acceptable, but you will have to speak with the Building Control people to see if their interpretation of the building regulations allows for this  
• A pair of hinge bolts should be fitted if the door opens outwards
• Fit a door viewer if you do not have clear glass in the door
• A letter plate deflector (or hood) to prevent access to the turn knob on the back of the rim lock and mortice sashlock.
• A door closer to ensure that the door will close automatically
• It is advisable that all communal doors have some clear glazing to allow activity in the communal hallway to be seen from the street.
• Fitting a door chain or limiter to a door that is used by more than one household is problematic and is not recommended.  This is because some people use them like door locks and put them on when they are not answering the door to callers.  This action not only locks people out, but can also delay people getting out in an emergency.
• Consultation with Building Control before carrying out this work is advisable

Additional security measures

The following additional security measures can be added if you live in an area with crime risks higher than the average

• A security grille can be fitted to the back of a glazed panel to prevent a glass-breaker accessing the turn knobs on the rim lock or mortice sashlock
• A sheet of transparent polycarbonate can be fitted to the inner face of a glazed panel to prevent a glass-breaker accessing the turn knobs on the rim lock or mortice sashlock. The use of polycarbonate in this instance may be more appropriate where the glazing consists of leaded lights (often stained) 
• Ordinary glass in a glazed panel can be replaced with 6.4mm or thicker laminated glass (See  Glazing for domestic security ) 
• Reinforcing bars can be fitted on the inner face of the hinge and locking frames
• Reinforcing plates can be fitted on either side of the mortice lock
• A T-bar can be fitted onto the opening edge of the door to extend over the gap between the door and the frame, thereby making it difficult to insert a lever or force back the latching bolt.
• Plywood panels in the bottom of some doors are very thin and can easily be kicked in (This method of entry is normally used when the entrance door is deeply recessed into a porch).  Waterproof plywood sheets of about 12mm thick can be fixed over the top of these panels to improve the strength of the door. Screw and glue them onto the rails and stiles of the door and paint to match.
• The best option would be to replace the doorset with one that is certificated to PAS 24:2016 Enhanced security performance requirements for doorsets and windows in the UK. Doorsets and windows intended to offer a level of security suitable for dwellings and other buildings exposed to comparable risk. (PAS 24:2016 replaces PAS 24:2012), which incorporates a multi point lock that is operable on the inside using a thumbturn and handle (i.e. no removable keys).  For an even better solution for security and fire safety it is now possible to obtain a multi point lock which automatically throws the bolts each time the door is closed.  Exit can be by depressing the internal handle, which gives you the ideal single action release, or some might also require the turning of an internal thumbturn.
• Consultation with Building Control before carrying out this work is advisable. 

Electronic operation

Probably a majority of house conversions have electronic access controlled locks on the main entrance door.  These can either be electromechanical, such as an electrically released staple for a rim lock or mortice lock, or electromagnetic, which uses one and preferably two magnets to hold the door closed.  Electromechanical locks are normally used on house conversions.  Currently there are no security standards for these types of locks, although something may come out of Europe within the next couple of years.  Consequently, the security performance of these locks varies widely and so it is recommended that residents get together and seek the advice from a member of the Master Locksmiths Association or a specialist access control installer.  Likewise, landlords and management agents should do the same thing to make sure that that they have taken all reasonable steps to provide a decent level of security for their tenants.

Another consideration for people living in these types of flats is whether they actually need an electronic access control system in the first place.  If the building you live in is only on two floors it is probably a better idea not to have it, because then the door can be secured in the same manner as manually opened entrance doors above.  Those on the first floor could still use a door phone to speak to a caller, but many of you would be able to look out of an upstairs window.  I used to live in a flat like this and if it was my mate I would throw the keys down to him.  That said, wheelchair users would benefit from the practicality of an accessed controlled door with an audio link (and possibly visual) and in some cases it would be a necessity.   

The level of access control

Police advice for access control for new build properties that are certificated to the Secured by Design standards is as follows:

Up to three flats

Electronic access control is not normally required unless one of the flats has a floor level of more than 4.5m or any part of the accommodation is intended for persons with a disability. 

From four to ten flats

Electronic access control with entry phone to each flat is required. 

More than ten flats

Electronic access control with video phone to each flat is required.  The image of the caller should be viewed on a monitor that is a component part of the handset, not on the television.  

This latter requirement of the police was made because many of the first access controlled systems relied on the use of a spare channel on the resident's television.  On occasion, a resident might not own a TV thus rendering the system useless to that particular resident.  Then there were a couple of 'what ifs', such as what if the TV breaks down or what if there's a power cut and so on.  Another matter that came up (particularly with large blocks of council owned flats) was the ability for the resident to make a visual recording of the caller on video through the TV and whether this would have breached the Data Protection Act.  To get around these actual or percieved problems it therefore seemed sensible to recommend (or in the case of Secured by Design to require) a completely independent access control system with the monitor in the handset.  Whether, with the latest technology, this arrangement is as necessary now as it was is perhaps open to debate.  

Minimum security requirements

Due to the operating mode of these doors the minimum security advice is again a little different.

• The door should preferably have a solid core construction that is a minimum 44m thick to allow for the installation of mortice locks and to provide resistance against forcing
• It should be hung on three hinges
• The frame should be secured to the brick or block with screws or frame fixers at maximum centres of 600mm and within 300mm from each corner.  You may not be able to identify the fixing points on an old door frame.
• The door should be fitted with one of the following:  A rim nightlatch certificated to BS 8621 with an electrically released strike, or an electric mortice sashlock or a BS 8621 mortice sashlock incorporating an electric released strike positioned at a height that is convenient for all residents to use.  These locks should be automatically deadlocking so that if the locks use latching bolts they cannot be slipped from outside.  The locks should be operable from the inside without the use of a key.  It would be useful to incorporate a battery backup in case of mains electricity failure.
• If the door opens outwards it is probably better to lock it using an electromagnetic lock using two magnets. This type of locking system should have a battery backup in case of mains electricity failure and should fail safe (unlocked) when all power is lost.
• A pair of hinge bolts should be fitted if the door opens outwards.
• Fit a door viewer if you do not have clear glass in the door
• A letter plate deflector (or hood) to prevent access to the turn knobs on the back of locks
• A door closer is essential to ensure that the door will lock automatically
• It is advisable that all communal doors have some clear glazing to allow activity in the communal hallway to be seen from the street.
• Consultation with Building Control before carrying out this work is advisable 

Additional security measures

The following additional security measures can be added if you live in an area with crime risks higher than the average

• A security grille can be fitted to the back of a glazed panel to prevent a glass breaker accessing the locks
• A sheet of transparent polycarbonate can be fitted to the inner face of a glazed panel to prevent a glass-breaker accessing the turn knobs on the rim lock or mortice sashlock. The use of polycarbonate in this instance may be more appropriate where the glazing consists of leaded lights (often stained) 
• Ordinary glass in a glazed panel can be replaced with 6.4mm or thicker laminated glass (See Glazing for domestic security )  
• Reinforcing bars can be fitted on the inner face of the hinge and locking frames. Although, of course, they must not obstruct the electric strikes.
• Reinforcing plates can be fitted on either side of an electric mortice lock
• A T-bar can be fitted onto the opening edge of the door to extend over the gap between the door and the frame, thereby making it difficult to insert a lever or force back the live bolt.
• Plywood panels in some doors are very thin and can easily be kicked in (This ‘MO’ is normally used when the entrance door is deeply recessed into a porch).  Waterproof plywood sheets of about 12mm thick can be fixed over the top of these panels to improve the strength of the door. Screw and glue them onto the rails and stiles of the door and paint to match.

• Your solution might be to completely replace the main entrance door and frame in which case you are advised to read the excellent guidance provided in the latest police publication “Secured by Design Homes 2016” (pages 40 - 44) at this link

• As the above security improvements are to a door that is likely to be your only means of escape in an emergency it is recommended that you seek further guidance from your local Building Control office or from a suitably qualified person, such as an architect or a locksmith who is a member of the Master Locksmiths Association.   

Updated December 2016