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Rim Lock and Night Latch Replacement Oxford
Surface-mounted latches and box rim locks on wooden doors repaired or replaced, from plain nightlatches to BS3621 automatic deadlocking models, in the right backset for your door.
Get a rim lock or night latch price
Tell us what you need and we will call you straight back. Calling is quickest: 07520 644 595. Photos by WhatsApp: 07466 695655
40mm or 60mm backset
Narrow stile glazed doors and standard panel doors both catered for.
Three security grades
Standard, deadlocking and BS3621 latches explained before you choose.
Cottage box locks
Old rim box locks on ledged and braced doors serviced or replaced.
Under an hour
Most like-for-like latch swaps on timber doors are done in one short visit.
Our rim lock service in Oxford repairs and replaces the surface-mounted locks fitted to the inside face of wooden doors, mainly nightlatches, from £75 plus the lock and usually within 10 to 30 minutes of your call inside the city. We fit standard, deadlocking and BS3621 nightlatches in 40mm or 60mm backsets, and service the old box rim locks found on cottage doors.
A rim lock is any lock that sits on the surface of the door rather than inside it. This page explains the grades, the sizes and the one habit that causes most nightlatch lockouts.
What counts as a rim lock?
A mortice lock is buried in a pocket cut into the door edge. A rim lock is screwed onto the inside face of the door, with a matching staple or keep fixed to the frame. Two families turn up on Oxford doors.
Nightlatches
A metal case on the inside with a sprung, angled latch, a small knob to open it, and a round cylinder through the door for the key outside. The latch catches automatically when the door closes.
Box rim locks
Larger rectangular lock cases, often black japanned steel or brass, with a lever key and a handle or knob on each side. Common on ledged and braced doors in Cotswold stone cottages and on internal doors in Victorian houses.
Rim deadlocks
A surface-fixed bolt thrown by a key, used on outbuildings, older back doors and doors too thin to take a mortice case.
Box rim locks on period doors are worth repairing where possible. Springs and levers can usually be cleaned, replaced or adjusted, and a matching modern rim sashlock is available if the case is beyond saving.
Standard, deadlocking or BS3621 night latch?
| Type | How it behaves | Weak point | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard nightlatch | Latch springs shut; inside knob always opens it | Can be slipped back, and the knob can be reached through a letterbox or broken glass | Internal doors, or a front door backed by a mortice deadlock |
| Deadlocking nightlatch | Key turned from outside locks the bolt and the inside knob | Only secure when you remember to key it | Front doors with glass panels near the latch |
| BS3621 nightlatch | Bolt deadlocks automatically as the door shuts, hardened case and long throw; key locks the inside knob | Costs more and needs a door at least 44mm thick | Final exit doors where a single high grade latch is wanted |
All three use the same basic footprint, so upgrading from a standard latch to a deadlocking or BS3621 model is usually a straight swap on the same door.
Backset: measuring 40mm and 60mm rim locks
Backset is the distance from the edge of the door to the centre of the key cylinder. Nightlatches come in two common sizes.
- 60mm (standard). Fits most solid timber front doors with a wide stile.
- 40mm (narrow). For doors with a slim stile beside a glass panel, common on 1930s and 1950s glazed front doors and some period doors in Jericho and Grandpont.
Measure from the door edge to the middle of the keyhole on the outside. If the cylinder hole is already there, matching the backset means no new drilling and no visible patching. Changing backset means a new 32mm hole and filling the old one, which we avoid unless the old position was wrong in the first place.
Why a night latch alone is not insurance grade
Most home insurers ask for a BS3621 lock on final exit doors. An ordinary nightlatch does not meet that. Its latch is angled so it can close on its own, and that same slope means a thin tool or flexible strip can sometimes push it back if there is a gap between door and frame.
Two compliant set-ups for a wooden front door
Either fit a BS3621 nightlatch, or keep a standard latch for convenience and add a BS3621 5 lever mortice deadlock lower down. The second option is the classic British front door arrangement, explained on our mortice lock replacement page.
The other issue is reach. If the door has glass or a letterbox within arm’s length of the knob, a standard latch can be opened from outside without touching the lock at all. Deadlocking the knob with the key closes that gap. A letterbox cage or a security bolt for overnight, covered on our door bolts page, helps too.
Slam-shut lockouts and how to stop them
A nightlatch is the lock most likely to shut you out. Step outside to take the bins out, the door swings in the wind, and the latch catches with the keys on the hall table. It is the single most common reason for a call to our emergency lockout service.
- Use the snib. Most latches have a small slide that holds the latch back. Set it before stepping out, release it when you come in.
- Hang keys away from the door. A hook out of reach of the letterbox, not on the knob.
- Consider a key-to-lock model. Some deadlocking latches can be set so the door only locks when the key is turned, at the cost of convenience.
- Leave a spare with a neighbour or in a certified key safe away from the door.
More habits like these are in our guide on avoiding getting locked out again.
Rim lock repair or replacement in Oxford: what we usually find
Many latch faults are fixable without a new lock. The slide on the latch wears, the connecting bar between cylinder and case gets bent if the key is forced, or the door has shrunk so the latch no longer reaches the staple. We check those first and charge £55 to £85 for a lock repair, with no fee if we cannot fix it.
Replacement makes sense when the case is cracked, the cylinder keys are lost, or you want to step up a security grade. We bring standard and narrow models in both standard and BS3621 grades, cut the connecting bar to your door thickness, and line the staple up so the door closes with a light push rather than a slam. If the latch sits on a door that also needs a new mortice lock or cylinder, see the door lock change service or browse all locksmith services across Oxford.
Rim lock and night latch prices
Prices include VAT and labour; the latch or lock is priced separately and confirmed before we travel.
| Service | Price | What's included |
|---|---|---|
| Nightlatch (rim lock) fitting | £75 to £95 + lock £30 to £60 | Standard, deadlocking or BS3621, 40mm or 60mm |
| Lock repair | £55 to £85 | No fix, no fee |
| Mortice deadlock fitting below the latch | £85 to £115 + lock £35 to £65 | BS3621 5 lever backup |
| Door opening daytime (non-destructive) | £59 to £79 | If the latch has shut you out |
| Door won’t close or latch | £55 to £85 | Staple and door alignment |
Prices include VAT and labour. Parts are listed separately. See the full Oxford locksmith price list.
