Entry hardware does not fail on a schedule you can see. A strike plate loosens a little at a time, a closer drifts out of adjustment, a keypad runs down its batteries, and one morning the door does not latch. The fix is cheap and the failure is expensive, so the real job is naming who checks what, not finding a better lock.

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The parts that wear

Five things on the side door need a regular look. The strike plate screws, which pull out of the frame and leave the latch riding loose. The deadbolt throw, which should slide fully and stop cleanly. The door closer, if there is one, which controls how hard the door shuts and can slow or speed as it ages. The threshold seal, which keeps water and cold out and can lift or split. The batteries in any keypad or electronic lock, along with the light fixture over the step.

Name one owner per part

An upkeep list with no owner is a list nobody reads. Give each part one name. The person who lives closest checks the batteries and the light. The person who handles repairs tightens the strike and checks the closer. Write the names on a card and put the card inside a kitchen cabinet door, where the person doing the check will see it. If the owner changes, the card changes the same day.

Keep a spare on hand

Keep a fresh set of batteries and a spare key or code card where the owner can reach it without a trip. Lubricate the cylinder with a dry graphite product, not oil, which gathers grit. Do not change a code or swap key sets during a check without telling the holders, and do not leave a holder's code active after that person stops being part of Dad's coverage.

What the check looks like

Each check takes a few minutes. Open and close the door from the outside, watch the latch catch, press on the frame, test the lock from both sides, and note anything that binds or rattles. Write what you found on the card, with what you did about it. The card is what tells the next owner what has already been fixed.

If you are starting from zero, the sequence on Start Here sets the order for the rest of the house.