Best Patio Door Handle Security Locks (Burglars Hate These)

In this article, we look at the best patio door handle security locks and how to secure patio doors using these security locks, that you can buy and install on your patio doors quickly and easily to make them more secure and robust.

Patio doors are probably one of the weak spots when it comes to home security, so it’s a great idea to look at how you can improve the security of these doors to defend against anyone trying to break in.

This article specifically covers how to secure patio doors, security for french doors, but more specifically, patio door handle security locks for doors that open in or out and connect to either another door or a supporting column. The article will also discuss in general how to secure patio doors and improve security for french doors.

You can check out our article here for a more generalised look at patio door security and how to secure patio doors using external methods (like lighting etc), but for this article we will concentrate solely on security locks for patio doors which have handles that you push down on to open.

Unfortunately, there is no product out there that deals with patio doors that are vertical by design. However, I do have a couple of ideas, and I present these ideas (albeit, unconventional ideas), further down in the article.

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Benefits Of Patio Door Handle Security Locks / Security For French Doors

If you are looking for ways on how to secure patio doors easily and quickly, then a patio door lock security lock is the way to go. The benefits of having patio door handle security locks installed on your patio doors are as follows:

Top 5 Patio Door Handle Security Locks

1. Patlock

BEST FOR: Double patio doors, with push up/push down (lever) handle.

If you are looking for ways on how to secure patio doors quickly and easily, then the Patlock is for you.

The Patlock is a simple device that is used for patio doors that have two handles facing each other. Take a look at these images to see what I mean.

The theory is simple – slide the Patlock over the two handles whilst in the closed position, and these handles cannot be pushed up or down to open the door.

This is a major benefit because if someone was to drill the locks or somehow get past the UPVC column that supports the door, the handle would not operate – denying them access.

If you have this type of door, then this is an excellent additional security product that is inexpensive and also acts as a deterrent.

Check the latest price on Amazon.co.uk here: Patlock Security Lock

2. Patio Door Security Lock

BEST FOR: Security for double patio doors. Security for french doors. With push up/push down (lever) handle.

Similar to the patlock above (but a more simple design), this lock slides over two adjoining handles and makes the handles inoperable to anyone that tries to force their way into your property.

There’s more information on how this works right here, but essentially it stops the handle from being depressed to unlatch the door.

It comes with a knob to tighten the grip of the device over the handles, but this is another excellent product at an affordable price that is as easy to install as slipping the product over the handles, and slipping it back off again when not needed.

Check the latest price on Amazon.co.uk here: Patio Handle Security Lock

3. Door Brace/Jammer

BEST FOR: Single Patio doors, sliding patio doors with a runner at the bottom.

The door brace or door jammer is a simple piece of equipment that is also versatile.

It is basically a security bar that can be used either as a patio door handle security lock, or as a french patio door security brace.

For sliding patio doors, it can be placed in the runners of the door, between the door that slides open and the frame of the door.

This means the patio door cannot be opened because there is a physical barrier in the way – it prevents the sliding door moving along its runners.

But it can also be used on handles too – simple place one end underneath the handle, and one end on the floor, and it acts as a brace; the handle cannot be pushed down to gain access.

You can see images of how this works by clicking here and looking at the Amazon product page.

The nice thing about this product is that it can be used on any internal door as well.

Check the latest price on Amazon.co.uk here: Door Defender

4. Door Lock Box

BEST FOR: Security for double patio doors. Security for french doors.

Again, this product fits over your french door handles similar to number 1 and 2 on this list, but the main difference here is that it comes with a padlock.

The box system slides over your handles, and then you lock it with the supplied padlock – it’s as simple as that.

This is a more robust option than option 1 and 2 on this list, because the added security of a padlock makes it more secure.

However, that being said, security products should be robust but practical – we would imagine that having something like this would become a pain after a while with locking the actual doors using the usual key and lock, and then having to slide the box system over the handles – and then place a padlock on and then lock it.

We do also have some slight concerns over fire safety.

If these doors are your only means of escape, then unlocking a padlock and then unlocking the patio doors are going to add extra seconds in your attempt to exit your property in the event of fire.

Do make sure you have an adequate fire plan in place for your home, you have the correct smoke and heat detectors located in the correct places, as well as asking yourself if your home needs a fire extinguisher (especially as these doors that lead to gardens are typically near a kitchen).

This is a great product and one of the more robust options, we will take nothing away from that, but it’s up to you to make sure if you do purchase this, that you are happy with an additional key and lock, and your fire safety plans are up to date and robust.

Check the latest price on Amazon.co.uk here: Door Lock Box

5. Multi purpose Door Bolt

BEST FOR: Single patio doors, double patio doors. Security for french doors.

Number 5 on the list is the multi purpose door bolt.

It comes in at number 5 because it won’t be as easy to install as the first 4 on the list- you’ll need a drill to install this patio door security lock.

These can be fitted to either the top or bottom of your french doors, and offer a locking system that increases the overall security of your patio doors.

This is a great product, but like number 4 on the list, we do have some concerns about fire safety if you should need to use your patio doors as a fire escape in the event of a fire – these locks will slow your escape down.

However, the nature of this product means you are limiting the chances of your patio doors being forced open, so it’s a great product to install on your doors as anothe rlayer of security.

Check the latest price on Amazon.co.uk here: Door Bolt

Patio Door Handle Security Locks For Vertical Handles

If you are looking for a security measure that secures handles that are vertical, then I have some bad news.

There’s currently no patio door security lock that caters for such handles, like the ones below:

If you happen to find a bespoke solution, please let me know in the comments below.

If you have doors that have handles similar to this (and not the push up/down lever handle), then your best bet is the Door Defender, as long as you can manouvere it into a space that prevents the door from opening if the lock was defeated (such as a runner for example).

See image number 3 on the Door Defender product page to see what I mean.

If this doesn’t fit, then you will have to improvise – with locks used for bikes.

As I’ve said to Derek in the comments below, the two products that I’m about to link to are not designed for patio door security, they won’t be as aesthetically pleasing on the eye as some of the solutions above, and they won’t be as secure or as robust.

But nevertheless, an additional security measure is better than no aditional security measure.

What they will do is deter, deny entry to an extent and slow anybody down who has defeated the main door lock.

• White Bike U Lock (Amazon.co.uk)
• Abus Web Chain Lock (Amazon.co.uk)

Again, consideration has to be given to fire safety here. If you were trapped in your home, and you needed to get out fast, these locks would impeded your escape, although probably no more than a couple of the other patio door locks mentioned above, and marketed as patio door locks.

Ultimately, it’s up to you, and the configuration of your home, and the configuration of your patio or french doors, but these are definitely options if you are particularly worried about the security of your patio doors.

Layered Security

So you’ve searched the internet on how to secure patio doors in a better way than you currently do, but is that it? Are you going to stop there?

One of the principles we work to on Safe Secure Homes is the layered approach to security.

In simple terms, the more layers of security you have protecting your home, the more likely it is that you will deter and defend against burglary.

If you’re interested in more layers of security for your home, this article here gives you 75 tips on how to improve the security of your home by adding layers of security on top of existing security arrangements.

It’s a must read.

Older Patio Doors – Easily Forced

Patio door handle security locks are a weak point in your property, and is one of the main areas that burglars gain access to home properties.

These doors are a lot weaker than your front door, especially if your doors are older and haven’t been replaced in a while.

If your doors are older, do look at bolstering the security using some of the products listed above – but do also make plans to replace the doors with high level security doors in the future.

New Patio Doors – What To Look For

Buying new patio door handle security locks will no doubt improve the security of your patio doors and will go some way to deterring and preventing any attempts to break in via these doors, but for maximum security, patio doors should be upgraded where necessary.

You will want to have a good budget to replace any patio doors, and as with most things, higher quality means a higher price.

You’ll also want to choose your patio doors very, very carefully.

Currently there are no legal security standards for doors on the quality or standard of a patio door (except for new builds), so you will need to do some research first.

I do recommend only purchasing doors that have been quality and stress tested by independent testing facilities.

I recommend only purchasing new patio or french doors that have the PAS24:2012 seal of approval on them.

In a nutshell, this means the door has passed stringent tests by UKAS (a gov appointed body). Some of these tests include glass removal tests, cylinder and lock stress tests using tools, impact tests and manipulation tests.

However, in this day of age, I would say 99.9% of new patio doors, french doors and sliding doors are up to date with modern locking mechanisms and security considerations.

Questions & Comments

As always, I would love to hear your thoughts, questions and comments on patio door security locks, security for french doors and how to secure patio doors. Maybe you’ve installed some yourself, or you have your own suggestions on how to improve the security of patio doors?

Just drop your comments below and I’ll make sure I reply as soon as I can.

Stay Safe. Stay Secure.