Does my insurer require any of this?

Policies vary and some specify lock standards for doors, so it is worth reading yours before you specify rather than after. Telling your insurer you have upgraded to a tested doorset is also occasionally worth something on the premium.

Is a composite door more secure than uPVC?

Not inherently. A composite door has a denser slab, which resists a physical attack on the door itself better, but almost all forced entries go through the lock. A PAS 24 uPVC doorset with a 3-star cylinder beats an uncertified composite door with a 1-star cylinder.

What about the glass?

Laminated glass is the security specification, because it holds together when broken rather than clearing the opening. It is worth asking for in any glazed panel beside a door lock, and in accessible ground-floor windows. Toughened glass is a safety specification, which is a different thing -- see the guidance on where safety glass is required.

Living with them · 18 of 19

What makes a window or door actually secure?

Two things to put in writing: PAS 24 for the window or doorset as a whole, and a TS007 3-star cylinder, or a 1-star cylinder paired with 2-star handles. Part Q of the building regulations requires PAS 24 on new dwellings only, not on a replacement in an existing home, so on a replacement nobody will specify it unless you ask.

Security is one of the few areas of this trade with real, testable standards behind it. The catch is that the regulation requiring them does not apply to most of the work being done, which is why the standards are so rarely mentioned on a quote.

The standard for the whole doorset or window

PAS 24 is the enhanced security test standard. A doorset or window that holds a PAS 24 certificate has been through mechanical loading, manipulation and physical attack tests as a complete assembly -- frame, sash, glass, hinges and lock together.

That last point is what makes it meaningful. A strong lock in a weak frame is a weak door, and a test that only examines the cylinder would never show it. PAS 24 is the only way to know the whole thing was assessed.

Secured by Design is the police-backed scheme that licenses products meeting those standards. The logo on a brochure is a useful shorthand, but it belongs to a specific certified product, so it is worth checking the certificate covers the doorset you are actually being quoted.

Where the regulations stop

Approved Document Q applies to new dwellings. It requires reasonable provision to resist unauthorised access, which in practice means PAS 24 on doors and on accessible windows.

Replacing a door or window in an existing house is not covered by Part Q. Your installer is obliged to meet the thermal and safety requirements that do apply to a replacement -- see building regulations -- but nothing compels them to fit a tested doorset, and a standard specification often is not one.

This is not a scandal, and it does not mean installers are cutting corners. It means the question is yours to ask. A good installer will answer it in one line.

The cylinder, and the attacks that matter

Most break-ins through a uPVC or composite door are attacks on the lock cylinder rather than on the door. The relevant standard is TS007, which is scored in stars.

A 3-star cylinder resists snapping, drilling, picking and bumping on its own.
A 1-star cylinder with 2-star security handles reaches the same combined level, because the handle protects the cylinder. Three stars have to come from somewhere; either route is legitimate.
A 1-star cylinder on its own is not enough, and it is a very common default.

Beyond that, the things worth checking are hinge bolts or security hinges on outward-opening doors, laminated rather than toughened glass in any pane next to a lock, and key-locking handles on ground-floor and accessible windows.

Questions

Does my insurer require any of this?: Policies vary and some specify lock standards for doors, so it is worth reading yours before you specify rather than after. Telling your insurer you have upgraded to a tested doorset is also occasionally worth something on the premium.
Is a composite door more secure than uPVC?: Not inherently. A composite door has a denser slab, which resists a physical attack on the door itself better, but almost all forced entries go through the lock. A PAS 24 uPVC doorset with a 3-star cylinder beats an uncertified composite door with a 1-star cylinder.
What about the glass?: Laminated glass is the security specification, because it holds together when broken rather than clearing the opening. It is worth asking for in any glazed panel beside a door lock, and in accessible ground-floor windows. Toughened glass is a safety specification, which is a different thing -- see the guidance on where safety glass is required.

Note This guide is general information about England and Wales, not advice about your specific property. TrustedGlazing is an introducer and does not install, survey or quote. Rely on your installer's survey and your local authority for decisions about your own home.