The back door gets less attention than the front, but burglars don’t overlook it. In the Crime Survey for England and Wales, 37% of domestic burglaries with entry in the year to March 2025 came through the back of the house (ONS). The sample is small, but over the last decade the back has often rivalled the front as an entry point.
There’s a reason. A back door is usually out of sight of the street, often next to a side passage or garden gate, and is the one most often left unlocked while people are at home. Here are eight things that make the difference, roughly in order of impact.
1. Lock it, even when you’re in
It sounds obvious, but in the same ONS data roughly one in four burglaries through a door involved a door that wasn’t locked. Engage the full locking mechanism according to the manufacturer’s instructions; some locks require the handle to be lifted and a key turn, while automatic systems work differently. Getting into the habit of locking the back door during the day costs nothing.
Engage locking as the manufacturer instructs; handle-lift and automatic systems operate differently. Keep the routine consistent.
2. Choose a door tested as a whole
A strong door slab in a weak frame, or a great lock on thin hinges, still fails. PAS 24 tests the complete doorset (door, frame, hinges, locks and glazing) against a timed manual attack. Secured by Design, the police security initiative, only accredits doors certified to a recognised standard like this. For a back door, that’s the single best specification to ask for.
A complete doorset includes the leaf, frame, hinges, lock and any glazing. Check the certificate for the supplied configuration.
3. Multi-point locking along the full height
A single latch puts all the resistance in one place. Multi-point locks engage hooks and bolts at several points, which spreads the load and resists levering. Some steel doors go much further. Latham’s Budget and Security stock steel doors, for example, use a 19-point system; its residential back-door range uses Winkhaus multipoint hardware.
4. An anti-snap cylinder
Lock snapping attacks the euro cylinder at its weakest point. Greater Manchester Police has warned about lock-snap burglaries and recommends TS007 3-star or Sold Secure Diamond cylinders, or a 1-star cylinder paired with a 2-star security handle. If your back door has a standard cylinder, replacing it is one of the cheapest upgrades you can make.
5. Laminated glass, not just toughened
Most homeowners want a glazed back door for light, especially in a kitchen extension. Toughened glass shatters into small pieces when broken, which can give a burglar a hole to reach through. Laminated glass holds together when cracked, much like a car windscreen. Ask for laminated glass on any panel within arm’s reach of the lock.
6. Hinges that can’t be removed
On an outward-opening door the hinges are on the outside. Look for hinge bolts or dog bolts, which lock the hinge side of the door into the frame so it can’t be prised off even if the hinge pins are attacked.
7. Lighting and sightlines
A hidden back door is a gift to a burglar. A motion-activated light, trimmed hedges and a locked side gate all make the door less attractive. If the rear entrance can’t be seen from anywhere, invest more in the door itself.
8. Match the door to the risk
Start with a certified complete doorset suited to the opening, whether composite, steel or timber. For an exposed rear entrance or a remote property, discuss the security specification and any insurer requirements with the supplier.
Who makes secure back doors?
Latham’s Steel Doors makes a dedicated security back door in flush, six-panel and cottage styles. It’s galvanised steel with a foam core, a Winkhaus multi-point lock, a 3-star Kitemark cylinder and a choice of glazing, listed as Secured by Design. It’s made to measure in the UK from £1,399.99 including VAT, supply only.
Composite brands such as Solidor, Hurst, Rockdoor and Door-Stop make back doors from the same ranges as their front doors, with PAS 24 certification on many models. Stable doors and half-glazed designs suit kitchen extensions. They’re bought through installers.
For extensions with wide openings, French doors and bifolds from aluminium and timber specialists are the usual choice. Ask specifically for PAS 24 certification on the doorset, as large glazed doors vary widely in security.
A quick checklist for your back door
- Locked every time, including during the day
- PAS 24 certified doorset, ideally Secured by Design
- Full multi-point locking engaged as instructed
- TS007 3-star or Sold Secure Diamond cylinder
- Laminated glass near the lock
- Hinge or dog bolts
- Motion light and a locked side gate
Sources
Burglary figures come from the Office for National Statistics’ Nature of crime: burglary tables for the year ending March 2025. Its estimates are based on a small number of incidents each year, so treat individual percentages as indicative. Lock-snapping advice comes from Greater Manchester Police. Product information comes from manufacturer websites, checked in October 2026.
Product and source documents: Latham’s; Latham’s 2; Latham’s 3
