First check: are the fixing screws tight
Most handles are held to the door by two screws, usually accessed on the inside handle plate, sometimes hidden under a small cover cap. A quarter turn loose on either screw is enough to make a handle feel wobbly or sit crooked, and tightening them with a cross head screwdriver solves this outcome more often than people expect.
If tightening the screws stops the wobble but the handle still droops slightly rather than sitting level, that is a different problem, usually the spindle, and screws will not fix it.
Second check: the spindle
Inside the handle is a square metal bar, the spindle, that passes right through the door and connects the inside and outside handles to the gearbox. Spindles wear at the corners over years of use, especially on doors used several times a day, and a worn spindle lets the handle rock in its socket even though the screws are tight.
A worn spindle is a cheap part and a straightforward swap, and it is worth replacing on its own before assuming the whole handle set is failing, since spindles are sold separately from handle sets for exactly this reason.
Handle gone loose or drooping?
Tell us what you have already tried and we can usually say over the phone whether it sounds like a spindle, a screw or a gearbox before booking anyone out.
Why is my door handle drooping?
uPVC and composite door handles contain a spring that returns the lever to horizontal. After years of use, the spring weakens and the lever sags. A new handle set restores it, provided the gearbox inside the door is still sound.
If a new handle droops as well, the gearbox's own return spring has worn, and the gearbox is the part to replace.
What not to do
A few common reactions make the problem worse:
- Don't lift the handle to lock and then force it further if it resists
- Don't overtighten fixing screws, which can crack the handle backplate
- Don't leave a floppy handle until the door won't lock at all