Philadelphia rowhouses are tough — brick walls, narrow lots, neighbors on both sides. But tough construction doesn’t mean invulnerable. Most home break-ins in Philly aren’t elaborate operations. They’re opportunistic. A soft door frame, a weak deadbolt, or an unlocked back door is all it takes.

I’ve been locking and securing Philadelphia homes since 2008. These are the five upgrades that actually matter — ranked by impact, starting with the one most homeowners skip.

1. Upgrade Your Deadbolts

Not all deadbolts are equal. The builder-grade lock on most Philadelphia rowhouses — the kind that comes standard when you move in — is typically an ANSI Grade 3 lock. Grade 3 is the lowest rating. It’s the lock that fails in a burglary study when hit twice with a foot.

What you actually want: ANSI Grade 1. Grade 1 deadbolts are tested to withstand 10 strikes of 75 foot-pounds of force. They’re what commercial buildings use. For residential use, they’re overkill in the best possible way.

Brands worth buying:

  • Schlage B60N — The gold standard for value. ANSI Grade 1, widely available, installs in any standard door prep. Around $45–$65 hardware only. This is what I recommend to most Philadelphia homeowners.
  • Medeco Maxum — High-security step up. Pick-resistant, bump-resistant, and uses patented key blanks so copies can’t be made at a hardware store. Hardware runs $80–$180.
  • Mul-T-Lock MT5+ — Israeli-made, top-tier pick resistance, used in commercial and high-value residential. $120–$200+ hardware.

One Philadelphia-specific note: double cylinder deadbolts — the kind that require a key on both sides — are common in rowhouses where the door has a glass panel nearby. They prevent a burglar from breaking the glass, reaching in, and turning a thumb-turn. But they’re also a fire hazard: if you need to get out fast and can’t find your keys, you’re trapped. Philadelphia Fire Code discourages them in primary exits. If you want that protection, consider a thumb-turn with a key-lockable feature instead.

South Philly Rowhouse Tip:

Many South Philly rowhouses have original front door frames that have been patched and re-patched over decades. The deadbolt is only as strong as the frame it’s mounted in. A Grade 1 deadbolt on a rotted frame is still a weak door. While we’re upgrading your lock, ask us to check your strike plate — most need longer screws to reach the stud.

2. Rekey After Any Key Change

This is the one most people skip — and it’s the cheapest, fastest security upgrade available. Every time a key to your home changes hands, your security is compromised until you rekey.

Think about who’s had a key to your home in the last few years: previous owners or tenants, real estate agents, contractors, cleaning services, housesitters, neighbors you no longer trust. Any of those people can still walk up and unlock your front door.

Rekeying costs $25–$75 per lock — a fraction of what it costs to replace hardware. A locksmith changes the internal pin configuration so every existing key is dead. You get new keys. The old ones are useless. Done in 15–20 minutes per lock.

The three times you should always rekey:

  1. When you move into a new home. You have no idea how many copies exist from the previous owners.
  2. When you lose a key. Don’t assume it’s just gone — assume it’s in someone’s pocket.
  3. After a breakup, tenant move-out, or contractor job. Anyone who had access and no longer should.

See our detailed guide: Rekeying vs. Changing Locks — Which Do You Need?

3. See Without Being Seen

A wide-angle door viewer (peephole) is a $15 hardware item that most Philadelphia homeowners ignore. The standard peephole installed in most rowhouses has a narrow viewing angle — maybe 90 degrees. You can see who’s directly in front of the door, but not someone standing off to the side.

Wide-angle peepholes (180 degrees) give you a full view of the stoop and the immediate area. Some models include a digital viewer with a screen — useful if your door is too thick for a standard peephole or if you have vision issues.

What to look for:

  • Minimum 160-degree viewing angle
  • Solid brass body (not plastic — plastic cracks in Philly winters)
  • Door thickness compatibility — measure first, standard is 1-3/8″ to 2″
Door viewer security note:

Standard peepholes can be used in reverse — a burglar can look through from the outside with a special lens and see if you’re home. Reverse peephole viewers are cheap and available online. If privacy matters, use a digital viewer with a one-way screen, or get in the habit of covering your peephole when you’re not actively using it.

4. Secure Every Entry Point

Most Philadelphia homeowners focus entirely on the front door and ignore the back. But the back door — typically the basement entry or the rear door opening to the yard — is where most opportunistic break-ins happen. It’s out of sight from the street.

Sliding glass doors

If your home has a sliding glass door (common in additions and rowhouse conversions), it needs two things:

  • A Charlie bar — a metal rod that drops into the track to prevent the door from sliding open even if the lock is defeated
  • A pin lock — a pin that goes through both frames to prevent lifting. Sliding doors can be lifted off their tracks; a pin lock stops that.

Basement doors and windows

Many Philadelphia rowhouses have basement doors that open directly to the street or alley. These often have old, worn hardware. At minimum: a Grade 1 deadbolt. If the door is hollow-core, consider replacing it — a solid-core door with a good deadbolt is what you want on any entry point.

Door frame reinforcement

The door frame is often the weakest point — not the lock. A door reinforcement kit (like a Door Armor or Door Jamb Armor product) wraps the frame in steel and replaces standard strike plates with heavy-gauge plates anchored with 3-inch screws. This single upgrade dramatically increases kick-in resistance. A properly reinforced door frame can withstand 1,000+ pounds of kick force. An unreinforced frame often fails under 100 pounds.

Want a full security assessment of your Philadelphia home?

We’ll check every entry point and tell you exactly what needs attention.
(215) 554-6109

5. Operational Security — Don’t Advertise Your Absence

The best locks in the world don’t help if you announce that nobody’s home. This is operational security — and it’s free.

Social media

Posting vacation photos in real time while you’re away is telling the world your house is empty. Post when you get back. It’s hard to discipline yourself, but it matters — neighborhood Facebook groups and Instagram are visible to more people than you think, and not all of them are your friends.

Mail and packages

A pile of mail and packages on a stoop signals nobody’s been home in days. Put your mail on hold (USPS Hold Mail is free), have a neighbor grab packages, or use package lockers. An overflowing mailbox is one of the clearest signals a house is empty.

Lights and timers

Smart plugs with schedules cost $15–$25 at any hardware store. Put a few lamps on randomized timers when you travel. Dark house, every night, for two weeks? That’s visible. Lights going on and off at varied times looks lived-in.

Spare keys

Don’t hide a key outside. Not under the mat, not in a fake rock, not on the door frame. Burglars know every hiding spot. If you need exterior key access, use a locked key box (combination) that mounts to the wall — the kind real estate agents use. Or get a smart lock with a keypad code so there’s no physical key to hide.

Physical security and operational security work together. A Grade 1 deadbolt on a reinforced frame slows down a burglar. Not broadcasting that you’re in Cancun for a week means a burglar never targets your home to begin with.