Multipoint lock (MPL’s) is the term used to refer to the locking mechanism located in the side of your door, usually found on UPVC doors but more recently they  are being fitted to wooden and composite doors. They are a very secure alternative to a night latch and a dead lock fitted to similar doors.

The requirements for the majority of insurance companies when looking at these type of locks are as follows, generally they are looking for 3 or more locking points, so for example, when you lift the handle to lock the door you have a deadbolt in the centre and at least two other locking points, so possibly hooks, rollers or additional deadbolts.

There are so many varieties of these locks in service as an experienced locksmith I would generally go for the ones with hooks or deadbolts rather than rollers as they go further into the frame side and are therefore more secure.

The most common type of Multipoint Locks are what are referred to as lever lever, this means they have a handle on either side of the door, this is used to engaged all the locking points on the side of the door and a turn of the key in the cylinder locks it all properly. There is another version not so widely seen and they fall under the category of wind up locks and the handles they have are slightly different and are referred to as lever pad, they have a lever handle on the inside and a pull pad on the outside, this is because there is no need to lift the handle to operate the mechanism, it is worked by turning the key in the cylinder to wind up the mechanism instead.