Dropped Door Repair in London
Front, back and patio doors that catch, scrape the frame or will not lock properly realigned and repaired, usually in one visit and without replacing the door.
The details
If you have to lift, shove or slam your door to get it shut, or lean on it to turn the key, the door has almost certainly dropped. It is one of the most common faults we see on London homes, and one of the most fixable. In most cases we can realign the door on its hinges, adjust the locking keeps and renew any worn parts in a single visit, so the door closes with a light push and locks first time again, without the cost of a new door.
Doors drop for simple reasons. A uPVC or composite door is heavy, and every time it opens and closes the hinges carry that weight. Over years the hinges wear, the fixings loosen slightly in the frame, and the door settles a few millimetres lower on the handle side. On older doors the glass or panel can also slip inside the sash because the packers that hold it square have moved. A few millimetres is all it takes: the door starts scraping the threshold, the top corner rubs the frame, and the locking hooks no longer line up with the keeps they are supposed to drop into.
The signs are easy to spot once you know them. The door catches or scrapes along the bottom or the top corner as it swings. You have to lift the handle hard, or lift the whole door, before the key will turn. The door needs a firm slam to close. There is a visible gap at the top on the handle side, with a tighter gap at the bottom, and you may feel a draught or see daylight at one corner. In winter the problem often gets worse as the frame contracts. Left alone, a dropped door strains the gearbox in the multipoint lock, and that is when the handle goes floppy or the lock fails altogether, usually at the worst possible moment.
Our repair starts with a proper diagnosis rather than a guess. We check the hinges, the frame fixings, the glazing packers and the lock keeps to find out why the door has moved. Most modern flag hinges and butt hinges have built-in adjustment in three directions, so the door can be lifted, moved sideways and brought in or out against the seal until the gaps are even all the way round. Where the glass has slipped, we re-toe-and-heel the door, repositioning the packers so the sash is square and stays square. Worn hinges are replaced with matching heavy-duty units, and we adjust or reposition the keeps so each locking point engages cleanly without forcing the handle.
We work on uPVC, composite and aluminium doors from all the major systems, including front doors, back doors, French doors and sliding patio doors that have dropped on their rollers. Most visits take about an hour, with no mess, no redecoration and no need to be without a secure door at any point. If the lock gearbox has already been damaged by months of forcing, we can replace it at the same visit. And if the door or frame is genuinely beyond repair, we will tell you plainly and quote for a replacement instead, but that is the exception rather than the rule.
Every dropped door repair comes with a fixed price in writing before we start, a check of the seals and security once the door is realigned, and our written guarantee on parts and labour. We cover all of London seven days a week, 9am to 9pm, so you do not have to live with a door that fights you every time you come home.
Why customers choose us for this
Doors realigned on their hinges so they close with a light push
Locking points adjusted so the key turns first time, no lifting or slamming
Slipped glass and panels re-squared with new packers
Worn hinges and strained lock gearboxes replaced on the same visit
uPVC, composite, aluminium, French and sliding patio doors covered
Fixed written price, usually under an hour, written guarantee
Common questions
How do I know my door has dropped rather than the lock being broken?
If the door locks easily when you lift it or push it into the frame but not when it hangs naturally, it has dropped. Scraping at the bottom, rubbing at the top corner and uneven gaps around the edge are the other giveaways. A broken lock usually fails whatever position the door is in.
Can a dropped uPVC door be fixed without replacing it?
In the vast majority of cases yes. Modern hinges are adjustable, slipped glass can be re-packed and worn parts can be replaced, so the door itself is almost always worth keeping.
How long does a dropped door repair take?
Most are completed in about an hour. If the lock gearbox or hinges need replacing it may take a little longer, but we carry common parts and aim to finish in one visit.
Will the door drop again?
A properly realigned door with sound hinges and correct packing should stay put for years. We also check and tighten the frame fixings, which is often the underlying cause of repeat problems.
Do you repair sliding patio doors that drag or stick?
Yes. Patio doors usually drag because the rollers have worn or dropped. We replace the rollers and re-set the door height so it glides and locks properly again.
More examples of our work in the gallery.
Free survey, fixed written quote
Tell us about your dropped door repair job and we will arrange a free survey at a time that suits you. Every quote is written, fixed and pressure-free.
07399 331633Monday to Sunday, 9am–9pm
