front door in converted flat-advice and options

[600rob]

I recently bought a flat which is part of a Victorian house that is converted into 3 flats. I plan to rent the flat out, but first I want to do a bit of work on the place before putting it out for rent.

All three flats in the house share the main front door providing access to the building. each flat then has its own separate front door.
The front door to the flat I've bought looks pretty flimsy so I want to replace it with something more secure. The thing is I'm no expert on doors and what the options are.

I want something that is solid and secure but at the same time I'll need something which is fairly easy to change locks on and get replacement keys. (Due to tenants potentially loosing keys and changing tenants)

Can you guys provide any advice or suggestions on what types of door I can consider?

 

[crank39]

Your choices might be limited if it has to be a fire door, others on here might be able to advise further but i would of thought it had to be a half hour FD

 

[OwainDIYer]

Euro cylinder locks are easy to change the cylinder i.e. rekey without having to remove / replace the whole locks.

 

[600rob]

Not sure if it has to be an FD door to be honest. I'll have to look into that and find out if it is a requirement as it'll be the first rental property I've had.

 

[JohnD]

Almost certainly it will be required to be a fire door. Not a problem, It is an indoor door, so does not have to be weatherproof.

Fire doors are also thick and heavy, so good for blotting out noise.

If you must put a letterbox in it, have it as far away as possible from the lock.

 

[600rob]

i managed to get over to the flat and take another look at the door this weekend ( before the sale completes)

The survey came back as it being a 30 minute resistant fire door which is decent enough.

the door itself is actually not that bad, plus is has one of those banham locks fitted which are quite secure ( but costly to replace lost keys).

I plan to keep the current lock and fit an additional lock to make the door that bit more secure.

I took a quick look at euro cylinder locks and the don't seem to be all that secure and very easy to get past by thieves who use this technique called lock snapping.
I think i will look for a different type of lock other than the euro cylinder to provide additional security

 

[JohnD]

A 5-lever mortice deadlock to the latest BS is the best value and most secure option. Get a popular brand and you can change it in minutes when tenants move (the first fit will take longer to cut a neat mortice). The Union red cased lock came out very well on "Which" test and is widely available.

If the fire door has extra-thick doorstops on the frame, you will need a 3-inch lock or the keyhole will be too close to the edge.

If it already has a mortice deadlock, look for a BS nightlatch. The ERA ones are packaged by Wickes as own brand (but you can still see the makers name on the parts) at a very modest price. BS nightlatches are quite big and strong.