Would you know whether your door locks meet BS 3621 standards? It’s a difficult question that can baffle and bemuse anyone without an in-depth knowledge of security product standards. However, knowing whether your locks are BS 3621 compliant may be the difference between whether your building insurance covers you.

BS 3621 is a British Standard designed to show whether a lock is of a good, thief-resistant quality. However, even though the homeowner in Aviva’s advert has lived in his house for seven years, he’s unable to answer the insurer’s question. He does not know – would you? Presuming he’s lying, the interrogator presses further.

Finally, the man cracks: “I don’t know!” he cries. “Nobody knows!”

The advert is right – for the end user, questions like these can feel impossible to answer. Here at The East London Locksmith, we understand that you have a million and one things to think about, and those probably do not include BS 3621.

Yet, while it might look like technical jargon, BS 3621 is a necessary standard to understand for homeowners, with the implications potentially being reasonably significant. To meet this standard, a lock must exceed a certain level of performance and be subjected to a general vulnerability assessment. This assessment allows it to be Kite marked by the British Standards Institution – a highly recognisable quality mark showing it meets optimum standards for attack resistance, security, quality and reliability.

Crucially, BS 3621 is the benchmark for insurance companies to measure the robustness of door locks. If you are burgled and your locks have not been tested to this standard, you may not receive your expected cover upon making a claim. Any Kite-marked lock will bear the logo, so you can ensure you remain protected with a simple check.