Mail Theft at Your Apartment Building? Start With the Front Door Latch

If mail keeps disappearing from your building, look at the front door before you look at the mailboxes.

On a lot of older apartment buildings in San Francisco, the mailboxes sit inside the entry, behind a locked door. That door is supposed to keep people out. But if there's a gap between the door and the frame, someone can slip a tool in, push the latch back and walk right in. No damage, no broken glass, nothing for the tenants to notice until the mail is gone.

The Castro building

We got the call from a building in the Castro after mail had been stolen several times. The front entry was a pair of doors with the mailboxes just inside. The weak spot was the latch, which could be reached from the outside.

Changing the lock wouldn't have fixed that. A new lock with the same exposed latch is just as easy to get past.

B&B Locksmith technician cutting steel for a custom latch guard at an apartment building entry in the Castro, San Francisco — Cutting and fitting the latch guard on site, Castro, San Francisco.

What we did

We built a custom latch guard and welded it to the door. We cut and fit the steel on site, so it matched this door and this frame, not a one-size kit. The guard covers the gap where the latch meets the frame, so there's nothing left to pry or slip a tool into.

A latch guard doesn't change how the door works, so tenants use it the same way as before.

Walkthrough of the finished latch guard.

Signs your entry door has the same problem

You can see the latch or daylight through the gap between the door and the frame
The door closes but doesn't always latch on its own
There are pry marks, scratches or bent metal near the lock
Mail or packages go missing with no sign of a break-in

If any of these sound familiar, the fix may be simpler than a whole new door or a camera system.

Other ways to tighten up a building entry

A latch guard is often the first step. Depending on the building, we also install door closers that pull the door shut every time, stronger strikes and frames, and keyless or card access so you're not handing out keys to every new tenant. See our gates and welding work for more.

Property managers: send us a photo

If you manage a building in San Francisco or the East Bay and mail theft keeps coming up, send us a photo of the entry door from the outside and the inside. We'll tell you what we'd do. B&B Locksmith & Security has been securing Bay Area buildings since 2011.

Call (415) 423-0182 or text (925) 266-3393.