Cylinder or complete lock: two different jobs
The cylinder — called the barillet or canon in French — is the part you insert the key into. It is what carries the key's unique combination. It comes out after removing a single screw on the edge of the door, and can be replaced without touching the rest of the mechanism.
The lock is the whole mechanism: the case, the bolts, the rod linkage on a multipoint model, the faceplate visible on the edge of the door leaf. It is replaced when the mechanism itself is at fault.
In concrete terms: a lost key, a house move, a departing tenant, a copy in circulation? The cylinder is enough. A bolt that no longer extends, a bent rod linkage, a torn-off faceplate, a door that no longer locks properly? Then the lock itself needs attention.
The main types of lock
The type of lock determines which replacement parts you can choose. On a front door, it is rarely possible to switch from one family to another without altering the door or the frame.
- Mortice lock
The lock case sits inside the thickness of the door leaf, with only the faceplate visible. This is the most common fitting on modern front doors.
- Surface-mounted (rim) lock
The case is fixed to the inside face of the door. Common in older properties, and on doors too thin to be morticed.
- Multipoint lock
Three, five or seven locking points spread over the height of the door leaf. Locking at the top and bottom prevents the door being lifted off its hinges or prised away from the frame.
- Shielded multipoint lock
A variant of the multipoint lock whose rod linkage is protected by a cover. Neater in appearance, and the linkage cannot be reached from the inside.
Understanding A2P certification
A2P is a certification issued by the CNPP following break-in resistance tests carried out in a laboratory. It is expressed in stars, which correspond to a measured resistance time against defined tools and methods.
One star means five minutes of resistance, two stars ten minutes, three stars fifteen minutes. These times are not trivial: most break-in attempts are abandoned if they drag on, because the risk of being spotted grows with the time spent at the door.
Beware of a common misunderstanding: an A2P-certified cylinder fitted to an ordinary lock does not turn the whole assembly into an A2P lock. The certification applies to a specific product in a specific configuration. If your insurance policy requires a certain certification level, read carefully exactly what it demands — the lock, the cylinder, or both.
How to choose the right model
The choice is made in three steps. First, mechanical compatibility: the lock centres, the backset (the distance between the edge of the door and the centre of the cylinder), the cylinder length on either side, the direction of opening, the thickness of the door leaf. A cylinder that is too long protrudes and offers a grip for snapping; too short, and the key cannot work properly.
Next, the level of protection you are aiming for, in keeping with the rest of the door: there is no point fitting a top-of-the-range cylinder on a door whose frame is rotten or whose hinges are exposed. The security of any entrance is only ever as strong as its weakest link.
Finally, everyday convenience: a reversible key, a master key system if several doors need to open with the same key, an override (clutch) cylinder that can be opened from outside even when a key has been left in on the inside, or a thumbturn knob on the inside.
Co-owned buildings: what to check before changing anything
In a Bordeaux apartment building, the front door of your own flat is generally a private element: you are entitled to change its lock. But the building's co-ownership rules may require a uniform appearance for doors opening onto communal areas, or prohibit any alteration visible from the outside.
If your key also opens the entrance hall or the bicycle store, the replacement must preserve that arrangement: this is what is meant by a master key system, and it has to go through the managing agent (syndic) or the supplier who manages the building's keys.
As a tenant, you may replace a faulty lock, but you must return the property in its original state or hand a set of keys to the landlord at the end of the lease. Notify your landlord in writing.