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SECURITY
Security items your home
inspector should note include door locks, window locks, and
central alarm systems. If the house has a central alarm system,
your home inspector is likely to recommend that the original
installer conduct a test of the system since that is beyond the
scope of a home inspection.
By the way, the owner should be willing to disable the security
alarm system during the inspection.
In my opinion, the most secure type of door lock is a deadbolt
keyed on both sides. The reason for this is that anyone breaking
in through a glass panel or sidelight needs to have a key to
unlock from inside. The deadbolt should extend one inch into the
jamb strike insert. The threaded fasteners for the jamb strike
should penetrate solid wood to a depth of three inches. However,
I have one reservation about double-keyed locks: in an emergency,
the occupants of the house cannot unlock the door from inside
without a key.
In my opinion, one key should fit all of the door locks.
Hollow core doors should not be used as exterior doors because
it is relatively easy to break through them.
The window locks and latches should be checked. I report missing
or stuck window locks.
Although I do not offer to test security alarm systems as part
of the home inspection, I report unplugged power transformers,
missing or disconnected back-up batteries, or disconnected window
and door sensors. |
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