Answer

During the course of a building survey, a common concern for new home owners is security. These issues are normally straight forward to remedy resulting in improved security in the windows. The security of any property largely depends on the quality of security and hardware used, within the windows themselves. Most windows provide a limited amount of security based on their design and the type of hardware used. Most older timber and aluminium windows use a handle as their main locking mechanism and PVC windows use a single or multi point locking mechanism for security.

Insurance industry figures show that there has been an increase in burglaries and most forced break-ins are through the windows. It usually takes less than a minute for a burglar to enter through a window. The security in older windows is mostly inadequate and provides limited resistance to the burglar. In most cases a screw driver is used to force open the window. A second method is taking out the glass from the windows which are not internally beaded. Most modern windows are now externally beaded which prevents the removal of the glass.

Window security can be made better, with the addition of extra security hardware to the existing windows. There are a number of specialist window security products and window security companies that can improve the security of most window styles.

When forced, a timber window can split where the handle is screwed to the frame. When an aluminium window is forced the rivets are likely to become loose. The aluminium window frames can also bend with forced entry, resulting in the window handle comes away from the frame.  When PVC windows are forced, the single point or multi point lock can come out of the locking receivers in the window frame as the PVC window frame bends. There are numerous types of security hardware that can be added to window frames like sash locks, shoot bolts and child safety latches to improve security in windows.