It's dark by five, someone knocks, and you're not expecting anyone. The only way to see who it is? Open the door.

Police doorstep advice, including Wiltshire Police's guidance on distraction burglary, keeps saying the same thing: see who's there first, and if you open the door, open it on a chain. Here's how to choose and fit the right hardware for your door.

Step 1: Work out what kind of door you have

The door decides the hardware.

  • Timber door: a traditional door chain or a door bar screws into solid wood on the door and the frame.
  • uPVC door: a standard chain often has nothing solid to bite into. Look for a door restrictor (limiter) sold as suitable for uPVC doors. These usually have a hinged arm on one side and a keeper on the other.
  • Composite door: check the maker's guidance or the product pack says it's suitable for composite doors. The skin is thin, and what's behind it varies by door.

Never drill through a glass panel.

Step 2: Choose your position

  • Fit a chain or restrictor at a height the person who answers the door can reach comfortably, usually around chest height.
  • Fit a viewer at the eye height of the shortest regular user. If someone in the house uses a wheelchair, fit it lower or add a second one.
  • Keep well clear of the multipoint lock's gearbox in the door edge and the keeps on the frame. A screw through the lock turns a small job into a big one.

Step 3: Fit a chain or restrictor

  1. Hold both parts in place with the door shut and mark the screw holes with a sharp pencil.
  2. Check the arm or chain engages smoothly before drilling anything.
  3. Drill small pilot holes to the depth of the screws (a bit of tape on the drill bit works as a depth stop).
  4. Use the fixings supplied and tighten firmly, without stripping them in uPVC.
  5. Test it: shut, engage, open. The door should stop solid, with a gap that lets you talk and see ID but not much more.

Step 4: Fit a door viewer

  1. Measure the door's thickness. Viewers come in thickness ranges printed on the pack, so buy one that matches. A wide-angle viewer lets you see someone standing off to one side.
  2. Mark the centre on the inside face, then check the matching point outside.
  3. Drill from one side until the tip just shows, then finish from the other side. This stops the bit blowing out the skin on composite and uPVC doors.
  4. Screw the two halves together by hand, lens on the outside, until snug.
  5. Check the view after dark with the porch light on.

Step 5: Use it every time

Police forces often sum it up as "Lock, Stop, Chain, Check":

  • Lock the back door before answering the front.
  • Stop and think: are you expecting anyone?
  • Chain on before you open, or look through the viewer first.
  • Check ID by calling the company on a number you find yourself, not the one on their card.

Don't leave the chain on all the time if a carer or family member has a key, or they won't be able to get in. If a caller's offer seems off, Citizens Advice can help you check if it's a scam, and fraud can be reported to Action Fraud. If you feel threatened, call 999.

More doorstep warnings are in my article on doorstep roofers after a storm.

When to stop and get help

Booking Handyman Plus Van

I adjust uPVC and composite doors and replace locks and hinges myself, and a chain, restrictor or viewer is the kind of small door job that sits well on a list alongside them. Handyman Plus Van is a one-man service, insured and DBS checked, rated 4.9 on Google. 3-hour sessions cover Swindon, and full-day bookings typically reach about 30 minutes around Swindon. I'll do my best to get the list done in the time booked. Small bits from the van aren't charged. Bigger parts go on the invoice at cost, within a sensible limit on what I buy in on the day. No electrics, no gas, no full door replacements.

Book a session, see the changing locks service, or message me on WhatsApp on 07729 689420.