What to do if…
interior doors suddenly start sticking and you suspect structural movement or swelling

What to do now

1. Make sure you have a safe way out. If the sticking door affects a main exit route, check that another exit opens freely. Keep keys easy to reach.

2. Do a short safety scan from a safe place. Look for:

   • a doorframe that now looks tilted, twisted, or out of square,
   • new or expanding cracks, especially diagonal or stepped cracks near doors and windows,
   • new gaps between skirting, architrave, ceilings, and walls,
   • a floor that feels newly sloped, dipped, or different underfoot,
   • signs of water, such as fresh staining, wet patches, dripping, bulging plaster, mould, or a musty smell.

3. If anything looks dangerous, move away from it.

   • Keep people and pets away from the affected room and from rooms below a suspect ceiling.
   • Call 999 if anyone is in immediate danger, if there is falling material, or if collapse seems possible.
   • If it looks serious but not immediately life-threatening, report it to the local council or local authority as a dangerous building or dangerous structure. In England and Wales, GOV.UK provides a local council reporting route. In Scotland, dangerous-building concerns are handled through local authority building standards. In Northern Ireland, your local council is usually the first point of contact.

4. If water or damp may be causing swelling, limit further damage only if it is safe.

   • If you can clearly identify a plumbing leak, turn off the water at the internal stop tap if you can do so safely.
   • Do not force a seized, corroded, or damaged stop tap.
   • Move small items away from wet areas if it is safe.
   • Ventilate gently and use normal heating; avoid intense heat aimed at one door or wall.

5. Record what changed before anything is altered.

   • Take clear photos or short videos of where the door rubs, the frame, nearby walls, cracks, damp marks, and the whole affected wall.
   • Note the date and time you first noticed it.
   • Write down recent triggers, such as heavy rain, a heatwave, plumbing work, a leak, nearby building work, or a heavy load recently placed above or near the area.
   • If there is a crack, photograph it with a ruler or coin beside it without widening or picking at it.

6. Contact the responsible person promptly.

   • Homeowner: contact your buildings insurer, describe it as a sudden change affecting doors and possible movement or damp, and ask what they want you to do before arranging repairs or inspections.
   • Renter: report it in writing to your landlord or letting agent straight away, include photos, and say whether there are damp signs, cracks, unsafe areas, or blocked escape routes.
   • Leaseholder: contact the managing agent or freeholder as well as your insurer if the affected structure, shared parts, or external walls may be involved.

7. Arrange assessment if it is not clearly a short-term humidity issue.

   • If several doors or windows are sticking, cracks are new or widening, floors feel different, or damp keeps returning, ask the insurer, landlord, freeholder, or managing agent what inspection they will arrange.
   • If you are arranging your own assessment, consider a RICS chartered surveyor or another suitably qualified building professional.