Espagnolette (multipoint lock)

An espagnolette — most people just say multipoint lock — is the locking mechanism built into the edge of an aluminium, uPVC or timber window or door leaf. Turning the handle drives a small gearbox that slides long steel rods up and down the leaf; cams or mushroom pins on those rods pull into keeps (the metal catches fixed to the frame), so the leaf clamps shut at several points at once rather than at one flimsy latch — which is what makes a modern window both weather-tight and secure. Two failures are common in Dubai. The handle spins freely and the points won't throw: the gearbox teeth have stripped, usually after years of forcing an already-stiff mechanism. Or the handle goes stiff and hard to turn: dust and heat have dried out the cams, or the leaf has dropped on its hinges so the cams no longer line up with the keeps. The reassuring part is that the gearbox, rods and keeps are replaceable hardware matched to the window profile — a stiff or spinning handle almost never means a whole new window. Because the parts are profile- and brand-specific and the keeps often need realigning to a sagged leaf, it's work for Al Ghubaiba's aluminium and metalwork team rather than a generic handle from a hardware shop. A worn locking mechanism often travels with a perished door seal, so it's worth checking both while the leaf is open.