You may wonder why am I writing about the huge tower block fire in London? And what exactly does this have to do with Locksmiths in Manchester.

Well quite a lot really. I’m constantly changing locks for people across Manchester in apartments and high rise buildings. And what a lot of people are unaware of are the Fire Regulations surrounding apartments and multiple occupancy accommodation. Please click this link here to have a look at the Residential Landlords Association.

The rules are simple – and make perfect sense when you think about them. In the event of a fire in an aprtment or a shared house you have to be able to get out of the accommodation (whether that be a room, or the entire flat) without needing your keys. So imagine you were on the 16th floor, a fire broke out and naturally you panic to get out of the flat. You have to be able to unlock your front door without needing your keys. Whether this be through a thumb turn lock or a nightlatch, or an escape case.

It breaks fire regulations to have a mortice lock on an apartment door, and I would never fit one as a secondary lock because of this. A lot of locksmiths are either unaware of the implications of this – or don’t care either way. The Grenfell Tower fire just highlights another requirement for private landlords, owners and councils.

These locks are the correct ones to have on your apartment door.

These locks are not correct to have on your door.

If you’re in a Manchester apartment and you want some advice please call me. And if you know your door isn’t compliant, then again call me and book in for a lock change immediately.