renting and a jammed door

rantingmum

Hi,

We rent from a large HA.

We live in a terraced house.
Our back door has been getting stiffer, so last Monday I raised a repair request online. This was acknowledged and they'd be in touch with my appointment in five working days.
They emailed on Tuesday with an appointment in just over two weeks.

I wasn't bothered by the wait at this point as the door was still working.

But this morning the dog asked to go out, and the back door won't open.

So I called the repairs team, and the earliest they can come is my original appointment. Which now 12 days away.

Nothing at all sooner.

She did suggest I call after hours as an emergency,but all they will do is release the door, they apparently won't secure it!!!

So I get no back door, or an open house. Neither of which I feel is acceptable.


I have an older dog, who goes often, the only other exit is the front door, next to the kitchen (so heaven help us if there's a fire) we're also having scaffolding put up, but the area they need is full of rubbish (my boys were going to deal with it this weekend) so no doubt I'll be moaned at by the scaffolders. And last but not least I want to dry my washing.

I raised a complaint, but that's not going to get the door open is it?

Apart from paying myself is there anything else I could do?

Pixie5740

Have you tried putting some WD40 on the hinges?

Pixie5740

rantingmum

It's the handle/lock not the hinges, the key turns but the handle won't depress.

Handle jammed at horizontal iyswim?

Pixie5740

If it's been gradually getting stiffer and stiffer then it just needs some lubrication. Oh er.

rantingmum

Son reckons the ratchet have gone?? Don't ask me, I haven't a clue.

Plus I can't lubricate it as I can't open the damm thing

The lock is old and probably needs replacement.
We've been here almost 20 years and it wasn't new then

rantingmum

Stiffer and stiffer is possibly not best way to describe it, you'd have to jiggle the key to get it unlock sometimes, others it would work fine. Hence reason I requested a repair I was hoping to get it done before it got to this stage.
But it deteriorated faster, than it was preve

castle96

so it's wooden ?? Needs a little shaving off the edge probably.
Ok so you can't open it by pulling the handle, but if you can get access to the outside, a wallop top and bottom, same time should shift

Guest101

Suggest you call the HA back and remind them of their duty of care in regards to fire regulations and maintaining alternate means of escape.

- I fully admit my knowledge on the duty of care the HA has is very limited, but i suspect so is the person who answers the phone. Sounding confident might do the trick

Elsewhere

It's worth trying to lubricate it by putting some oil on the key and then jiggling it in the lock - leave a couple of hours for the oil to creep through the mechanism and then try it. Preferably mineral oil like 3-in-1 but cooking oil would do It might work and won't do any harm if it doesn't.

Gigervamp

If I was you, I'd get a screwdriver out and take apart the handle to see if I could fix it. It could be that the spring inside the mechanism has come off or something.