How often does a door lock itself from the other side?

[Bicoastal]

Me and my roommates live in an old brick building in Brooklyn. I live above ground, and my two roommates live on the second level, which is technically in the basement--down a flight of stairs, and through a door) Today, I shut it a little harder than usual (but didn't slam it), and suddenly it wouldn't open again. (Which sucked, because my roommates suddenly couldn't return to their rooms--and I was clearly at fault)

We had to get our super to come over and apply a screwdriver to the doorknob before it would open again. He showed us that it was in the "locked" position from the other side.

So either--

1) It was in the locked position when I somehow managed to close it, or

2) It was unlocked before I closed it, and then somehow the vibration made the bolt slam down, or

3) GHOSTS! :scared:

Anyone ever have anything like this happen to them?

[LynzM]

1. Weird.

Plenty of kinds of doors can be closed if already locked. Was it a regular door, or a deadbolt? Because the deadbolt would be a little strange, but a regular door, not so much.

[zingaro]

2. That is weird. Last week

my husband went out to the garage for some firewook. He didn't slam the door at all - I know because I was about twenty feet away doing laundry. After a few minutes, I heard the knob rattle and then he knocked.

We have one of those flippy latch things on that door and it had shut when he closed it - just a little bit, but it had moved far enough that he could not have opened the door from the other side at all.

We sort of pondered over how that might have happened and then let it go because it's so weird. We've had that on the door for five years and it's never malfunctioned before.

Sorry you got locked out. That sucks. And yep - it's weird.

[crim son]

3. Whenever you have no key or any way to get in the locked door,

it will lock itself from the inside just to freak you out. That's my experience, anyway. :P