Windows, doors and glazing
What did the visit record about a night latch, about a rim lock, and about a mortice that does not throw?
The visit recorded a night latch and a rim lock as face-fixed hardware, and a mortice whose bolt does not throw. A night latch springs shut as the door closes. A rim lock is fixed on the face of the door. A mortice sits in the edge, and not throwing means the bolt was not seen to project. The survey has not stripped the locks, has not decided why the mortice stands idle, and has not carried out a locksmith's test of the set.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.
What is the fuller explanation?
The night latch holds the door on a spring. The rim lock is fixed on the face. The mortice bolt should shoot into a keep. If it does not throw, the key may turn without the bolt moving, the bolt may be seized, or it may have been left unshot. The visit records that it does not throw. It does not open the lock case, and it does not say the other locks have failed.
Tell the solicitor the three fittings were described and the mortice was not stripped. A locksmith can say why the bolt will not throw and whether the night latch and the rim lock are doing the holding. The home survey has not specified new locks. The lender has no security grading of the door. Do not replace every lock because one mortice did not shoot. The cause stays undecided.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Did you record the night latch and the rim lock as face hardware?
- Was the mortice noted as not throwing, without being opened?
- Have you left the reason for that idle bolt undecided?
What are the typical next steps?
- Record a mortice that does not throw, not a failed set of locks.
- Ask a locksmith why the bolt will not shoot.
- Tell the solicitor the locks were not stripped or graded.
Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.
Also asked about this
Does a working night latch make the mortice unnecessary in the report?
No. The night latch is a spring latch. The mortice is a separate bolt that was seen not to throw. One holding the door does not explain or repair the other. The survey recorded both. It did not decide the latch is enough, and it did not ignore the idle mortice.
If the key turns, why say the mortice does not throw?
Because the key turning is not the same as the bolt projecting into the keep. The visit recorded that the bolt does not throw. It did not claim the key is seized. The mechanism between key and bolt was not opened. That is why the cause stays off the page.