Door slammed shut / Door opening – slammed shut

Door slammed shut (zugefallen) means: the door has only clicked into the lock. The thick bolt is not thrown – only the spring-loaded latch in the mortice lock holds the door.

The classic method uses a latch wire, a thin plastic shim or a needle in the gap between door and frame: the latch is pushed back without opening or damaging the euro profile cylinder. This often takes just a few minutes – as long as no additional bolt, rim lock or cross bar lock is engaged.

Door opening – slammed shut: 99 € during the day (Mon–Fri 8 am–6 pm), 149 € at night, at weekends and on public holidays. Travel within the service area is included. A new cylinder is not automatically part of it.

You pulled the door shut behind you but didn’t turn the key in the lock. You can press the handle from outside, but the door stays shut. On many doors you can see only the slanted latch in the narrow gap between door and frame. If you are not sure, just tell us that on the phone. We will ask a few questions, and on site we can see it straight away.

First ask whether anyone has a spare key: flatmates, family, neighbours or the property management. That is often the quickest way. Keep away from knives, screwdrivers or bank cards. They quickly damage the seal, paint or frame, and the door still won’t open. Don’t climb over a balcony or through a window either, it is dangerous.

The opening itself usually takes only a few minutes. How quickly we get to you depends on the place and the time. We tell you the expected arrival time on the phone. It takes longer if a rim lock or a cross bar lock is also locked, or if the gap is very narrow.

No, if the key was just inside the flat. When a door has slammed shut (zugefallen), we don’t work on the cylinder, so it stays intact. A new cylinder only makes sense if the key is lost or stolen. Then we can fit it on the same trip: 148 € during the day, 198 € at night, each plus material.

A fixed place for your keys right next to the door helps. Get into the habit of holding the key in your hand before you pull the door shut. A spare key with someone nearby saves time and money if it happens. Doors with a fixed knob on the outside slam shut especially easily.

The latch is a small bolt with a slanted side that a spring pushes outwards. When you pull the door shut, the slanted side slides along the strike plate in the frame and is briefly pushed into the lock. Once it passes the edge, it springs out again and holds the door shut. From the inside, you draw the latch back with the handle. From the outside, with many locks this only works with the key, which also takes the latch with it when you turn it further.

Many flat doors and front doors have a fixed knob or a pull handle on the outside that cannot be moved. On the inside there is a normal lever handle. Specialists call this a knob and lever set (Wechselgarnitur). The idea: nobody can simply walk in from outside, even if the door is not locked. The downside becomes clear when the key is inside. Then a gust of wind is enough, and you are stuck outside. Doors with a lever handle on both sides do not slam shut like this, but they can be opened from outside without a key.

A typical case: Saturday morning, the living-room window is open to air the room. You quickly take the rubbish down, and the draught pushes the flat door shut. The same happens in summer when the balcony door and the flat door are open at the same time. A door stop or a wedge helps as long as you are only outside briefly. Even safer is to put the key in your pocket every time you step outside, even for a minute. If you air your home often, you quickly get used to it.

A door that has only slammed shut is held by the latch alone. The bolt reaches deeper into the frame and is much more solid than the slanted latch. That is why the police advice centres recommend always locking the door when you leave your home, even for short trips to the bakery or down to the basement. After a break-in, some insurance companies ask whether the door was locked. What your policy says is best clarified directly with your insurance company.