Approved Document Q (Security): What Homeowners Need to Know

Part Q requires that easily accessible doors and windows in new dwellings meet the PAS 24:2022 enhanced security standard (or an equivalent such as SBD — Secured By Design). PAS 24 is a third-party tested performance standard that assesses resistance to physical attack.

Part Q applies to:

• All entrance doors (front, back and side doors accessible to an intruder)
• All windows and rooflights that are within 2 m of the ground or within 2 m of a flat roof, balcony or other accessible structure

PAS 24:2022 (Published Document from the British Standards Institution) is a test standard for the security of doorsets and windows. A door or window that carries a PAS 24 certificate from an accredited test house has been physically tested against a range of attack methods.

Secured by Design (SBD) is a police-led initiative that certifies products meeting enhanced security standards. An SBD-certified door or window will automatically meet the Part Q requirement.

Look for these markings when specifying windows and doors for a new dwelling: the supplier should be able to provide a test certificate confirming PAS 24 compliance. uPVC, timber and aluminium windows and doors are all available to PAS 24 standard from most mainstream suppliers.

A PAS 24 compliant door will typically feature:

• Multi-point locking: hooks, bolts and deadlocks at multiple points on the door leaf, engaging into the frame at several locations
• Anti-snap cylinder: a cylinder designed to break at a sacrificial point before the cam that operates the lock can be accessed (snap attacks are the most common lock-bypass technique)
• Reinforced door frame: the frame must resist being forced with a crowbar; steel reinforcement in the frame is standard
• Hinge-side security: anti-jemmy measures on the hinge side of the door

For windows: multi-point locking, laminated glazing (or toughened glass to resist breakage for reach-through attacks) and reinforced frame profiles are typical requirements.

Part Q applies to new dwellings. For extensions to existing dwellings, the position is:

• If your extension adds a new external door (e.g. a set of bifold doors or a new back door), Part Q requires that door to meet PAS 24.
• New accessible windows in the extension must also meet PAS 24.
• There is no obligation under Part Q to upgrade the existing doors and windows on the rest of the property.

In practice, most extension suppliers will specify PAS 24-compliant doors and windows as standard, so compliance is usually automatic. Always ask your supplier or contractor to confirm that doors and windows meet PAS 24 or equivalent.

For Full Plans submissions, building control will want to see the window and door specification (make/model) with evidence of PAS 24 compliance — either the test certificate from the manufacturer or confirmation from the supplier that the product is SBD-approved.

At the final inspection, the BCO will check that the installed products match the specification. In practice, for mainstream UPVC or aluminium windows and doors from reputable suppliers, PAS 24 compliance is routine.