Need To Do Something. But what?

pulliptears

OP, most new doors are like that now, its actually a safety feature to stop you from locking yourself out.

Shelldean

xsunnysuex wrote: »

She lives in XXXXXXXX, Surrey.

Good old London borough of Sutton :rotfl:Doesn't help you I know but they really are the most insensistive Barstewards.
funny thing is when you said Surrey I wondered if it was our Council

Tom Brake is our MP

website HERE in case you need it

tenmah

I am the Adaptations Coordinator at my local council. We have come across this issue a couple of times, but there isn't much that can be done, unfortunately. As Pulliptears says this is how most new doors are made to close.

The only solution we have come up, and it isn't the most elegant, is to put a tube on the handle to give additional leverage to move the handle up. As I say not the most elegant and will still need some input from your mum to move the handle.

Sorry I can't help more, but would be very interested if anyone knows of anything that can be done?

P.S Contacting your local councillor is not always the answer. If there isn't anything that be done, it doesn't matter who makes the enquiry. Having a councillor contact me makes no difference. If it can be done, it would be done!

shaun_from_Africa

What sort of handle is on the outside of the door?

Is it a very short handle with a square or rectangular bit on the end? (these are called pad or paddle handles), and due to being so short need a lot of effort to lift them.

If this is the type that's fitted, contact the council again and ask them if they will replace it with a lever type handle.
If they won't do this, you can buy these from most UPVC door manufacturers.

MothballsWallet

Actually, OP, my house doors are similar - once you close them, you need to lift the handle to engage the multi-point locking system and then you can turn the key to actually lock it. My parents' house is the same, and I had my house double glazed and the doors replaced in 2005.

DCFC79

OP get onto your local councillor, if anything like the ones round here they are quite good at gettings things done

kazzah60

forget the council
get the local newspaper involved- theres nothing like a journalist asking awkward questions like
" why has this poor lady been denied the courtesy of a visit from the council to sort this out?"
to get things moving.

local councils hate this sort of publicity as it usually gets everyone on the bandwagon with their own complaints - bet you one call from the journalist for a comment, will have someone from the council hot footing it to the ladys house ASAP:)

hollydays

kazzah60 wrote: »

forget the council
get the local newspaper involved- theres nothing like a journalist asking awkward questions like
" why has this poor lady been denied the courtesy of a visit from the council to sort this out?"
to get things moving.

local councils hate this sort of publicity as it usually gets everyone on the bandwagon with their own complaints - bet you one call from the journalist for a comment, will have someone from the council hot footing it to the ladys house ASAP:)

I know where you are coming from,but advertising certain doors are not easy to close isnt great for personal safety.

pinkteapot

OP, couple of things from a safety point of view:

1) If it were me, I'd remove the location from this thread, just to be on the safe side.

2) Double check that the door can't be opened from the outside. We have the same kind of door but, unlike everyone else's we know, you can literally walk in from outside unless the door has been locked with a key from the inside (even if the handle has been lifted up from the inside). Now our friends know that they just walk in when they come round. We have to remember to physically lock our door at night. I've never known another door do this, so your mum's is probably fine, but get her or someone else to check.

shaun_from_Africa

Pink, the new door I recently had fitted is exactly the same as yours.
You have to lift the handle on the inside then turn the key to lock it.

Well, not actually a key as I opted to have a thumb turn on the inside.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Thumb-turn-Euro-Cylinder-Door-lock-UPVC-40/40-Nickel_W0QQitemZ190468039233QQcmdZViewItem?rvr_id=216134618214&rvr_id=216134618214&cguid=949e605812e0a0aa1751c581ff354f0e#ht_500wt_922

I thought that this was better, especially after hearing about a recent fire in Coventry in which 2 people were killed because they couldn't find the front door key to get out.