Home emergency playbook

Exterior door will not latch or close

Conservative first steps for homeowners before cleanup, repair, or contractor dispatch. When safety is uncertain, leave and call first.

Immediate steps

Check from inside whether the door slab is swollen, hinges are loose, weatherstrip is folded, or the strike is misaligned.
Lock a secondary deadbolt, use an interior security bar, or move occupants to another secured entry if the main latch fails.
Cover wind-driven rain gaps with towels or temporary plastic without blocking emergency exit.
Call a door installer or locksmith today if the door cannot secure, frame screws pulled out, or the lock binds hard.

Do not plane, kick, or force a swollen door until you know whether the frame moved.
Do not leave a ground-level exterior door unsecured overnight.
Do not block the only exit with furniture that occupants cannot move quickly.

Call 911 if anyone is injured, trapped, in medical distress, or if fire, shock, collapse, or active crime is present.
Call the utility emergency line before private repair when gas, electric service, public water, sewer main, or buried lines may be involved.
Call a qualified window and door professional after immediate life-safety and utility hazards are controlled.

Use long temporary screws into framing at hinges or strike only if the frame is not split.
Photograph gaps, rub marks, hinge movement, and water staining before adjustments.
Set a towel dam inside the threshold if rain is blowing through before repair.

Seal exposed door edges and maintain threshold drainage so slabs do not swell.
Tighten hinge screws and replace short strike screws with longer framing screws.
Monitor sticking doors alongside foundation or moisture changes.

Usually moderate for lock, latch, or jamb repair; high if door, frame, glass, or security systems need replacement.

A door that shifts from settling is usually maintenance, while storm impact or forced entry needs cause photos and repair invoices.