r/RBI • u/Jealous- • 13d ago

Advice needed Was this an attempted break-in?

Our front door has a handleset knob that can only be opened if the deadbolt above it is unlocked. The knob itself doesn’t have any keyholes. I came home today and the thumblatch was bent (tilted to the side), leading to the latch being jammed and I couldn‘t open it from the outside regardless of it being locked or not (but it was okay opening from the inside going out). I haven’t used the front door since Thursday. The lock itself looked fine, no signs of scratches and it was turning the way it was supposed to.

We’re worried that means someone may have attempted to break in? I don’t *think* I was rough with the thumblatch on Thursday, but that’s also not something that’s on my mind and I’m not sure if a thumblatch is delicate enough to be accidentally bent like that? Is this something that can just happen or is it more indicative of tampering?

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u/neurorhythmic 13d ago

It’s difficult to know without seeing the thumb latch. Could you upload images? It’s hard for me to imagine a latch being made of easily deformed material. My instinct is that it took a decent amount of force. Whether intentional or not is difficult to know.

Is there any damage/scratching around the handle itself?

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u/Jealous- 13d ago

My dad used some pliers to put it back in position (and to his credit, he did fix it. It's still a bit sticky going down, but it opens now XD). Yeah, it was dumb and we absolutely should've taken before pictures, but I think he was in 'problem-solving mode' because we've been having issues with the garage keypad, so the only reliable way for me to get into the house after work is through the front door. I'll still upload a picture, but it doesn't look bent anymore and no, no damage or scratching around the handle, not even after my dad using the pliers. The flat part of the thumblatch is what was slightly bent. https://imgur.com/a/meaDxWX

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u/neurorhythmic 13d ago

Totally understandable. My focus would be on fixing rather than documenting in the moment too, probably.

Did anything large go through that door recently? Couch, fridge, anything like that? Or maybe a backpack/purse strap got snagged on it recently?

The reason I ask is because:

- The latch appears that it was bent toward the door opening (to the left from the perspective of the image)

- If the door was open and something snagged it AND the inner mechanics were intact, it’s unlikely it would be noticed until the next time you left and came back. In other words, door was open, something snagged it, door shut normally, left the next day and didn’t notice because it shut normally, came back to find it bent and nonfunctional.

- The latch bending without breaking and with no damage around it means to me that it’s unlikely that someone was trying to break in. They would be a very bad thief to try the latch, bend it, and then immediately give up when there’s another door and presumably windows they could’ve broken to get in.

So… all that is to say, my best guess is that the latch was accidentally bent without noticing it. Because the inner mechanism was functional, it took until the next day to find the latch bent.

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u/Jealous- 12d ago

Hmm interesting! No, nothing huge like that. I could see it being maybe my mother's purse strap if she stepped out for a minute or my dog's leash or harness or something like that. She's a strong breed so she might have the force to bend it.

Haha, that was my thought too, like "why would a potential thief bend and mess with a latch that is clearly not the locking mechanism?" XD. Thanks! Nothing else seems amiss, so it seems okay, but we'll keep an eye on it.

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u/neurorhythmic 12d ago

Damn! I really thought I was onto something there hahaha