1 in 4 Exterior Door Checks Reveal a Problem - Here’s What We’re Finding

Walk the exterior doors of almost any building and you’ll likely find an issue sooner than expected.

In many facilities, roughly one out of every four exterior door checks reveals a problem. Sometimes it's minor. Sometimes it’s a serious security or life safety issue.

But the surprising part isn’t the problems themselves.

It’s that most of them go unnoticed for weeks or months simply because no one is consistently checking.

Doors are used thousands of times every week. They’re exposed to weather, heavy traffic, deliveries, and daily shortcuts from staff trying to move quickly. Over time, small issues start to appear.

Without regular checks, those small issues become vulnerabilities.

The Most Common Issues Found During Door Walks

When facilities teams or administrators begin walking their exterior doors regularly, a few patterns appear almost immediately.

1. Propped Doors

This is the most common issue by far.

A door gets propped for convenience - maybe during arrival, deliveries, or ventilation - and then gets forgotten. Sometimes it's intentional. Sometimes it’s simply habit.

But the result is the same: a secure entry point becomes an open access point.

2. Doors That Don’t Fully Latch

From the outside, a door may appear closed. But when you pull on it, it opens.

This usually happens because of:

• Misaligned strike plates

• Worn latch hardware

• Door frames shifting over time

• Closers that no longer pull the door tight

  
  

A door that doesn’t latch might look secure but provides almost no security at all.

3. Failed Door Closers

Door closers take an enormous amount of abuse.

After years of heavy use, many start to fail slowly. The door may:

• Close too slowly

• Stop short of latching

• Drift open in windy conditions

  
  

These failures are rarely noticed unless someone is specifically checking.

4. Dogged Panic Hardware

Many panic bars have a dogging feature designed to hold the latch retracted.

When used incorrectly - or left engaged - the door will never latch, even when it closes.

To someone walking by, everything appears normal.

But the door is effectively unlocked.

5. Magnetic Hold-Open Devices Used Improperly

Magnetic hold-opens are designed to release during a fire alarm.

But in many buildings they’re used casually to keep doors open for airflow or convenience.

Over time, this turns a life-safety feature into a permanent open-door policy.

Why These Problems Go Unnoticed

The reality is simple: most buildings do not have a consistent door inspection routine.

Everyone assumes someone else is checking them.

• Administration assumes maintenance handles it.

• Maintenance assumes security handles it.

• Security assumes the doors are functioning properly.

  
  

Without a defined process, responsibility becomes unclear.

And the doors - despite being one of the most critical safety components of a building - receive no routine attention at all.

The Power of a Simple Door Walk

The good news is that most of these problems are easy to identify.

A basic exterior door check takes just a few seconds per door:

• Pull the door from the outside

• Confirm it latches securely

• Check that it closes fully

• Look for propping or hardware issues

  
  

That’s it.

Yet that simple process can uncover the exact issues that lead to many security failures.

Doors Are Used Constantly - But Rarely Audited

Think about how often exterior doors are used:

• Students arriving and leaving

• Staff entering throughout the day

• Deliveries and maintenance

• After-hours activities and events

  
  

Every use introduces wear. Every day creates opportunities for small failures. But unlike fire extinguishers, elevators, or alarm systems, doors are rarely part of a documented inspection routine.

Which is why those “1 in 4” issues tend to persist.

The Real Goal: Consistency

The goal of a door check isn’t perfection.

It’s consistency.

When doors are checked regularly:

• Issues are caught early

• Maintenance becomes predictable

• Staff become more aware of propping habits

• Security improves without expensive upgrades

  
  

In most buildings, the difference between vulnerable doors and reliable ones isn’t new hardware.

It’s simply regular attention.