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Generally, locks are a bit like caring for bike drivetrains. They just need to be clean, not too worn, and lubricated if necessary. What’s more complicated is sagging doors due to poor hanging or movement in the building. So check alignment of the latches/plates before you start pulling them apart. Latch springs also weaken over time.
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For a door latch or lock, Backset is an important measurement. That's the distance from the centre of the spindle to the edge of the door.... Internal doors with tubular latches and wooden internal/external with Yale latches or mortice locks will normally be 44 or 57mm.
Once you know your required Backset, try and find an identical sized faceplate for a simple swap. Or pick a larger faceplate and enlarge the rebate.
Old miss aligned screew holes can be filled with a bit of dowel, trimmed down then hammered in with some wood glue. Trim flush once the glue has dried and pilot drill new holes where required. Or use sausages 😁
Locks and latches are easier to replace whilst they still work (a bit). Once they fail completely and leave the door stuck shut, that's more of a pain as you need to get it open which can be 🤔😵
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rodabod
user69121
@CYOA
I guess eventually I'm going to have to take on all the dodgy internal doors/knobs in this house. They're pretty in their 'shabby' way but the fact that some knobs/spindles are loose and fall apart when I turn them, others have to be turned clockwise fully then turned anti-clockwise to full hide the latch and close it, others the latch gets caught behind the latch plate etc... They'll need some attention at some stage whether repair or replacement.
Is there a good resource (a book or website or something) for learning about this sort of stuff? Seems basic but there are a multitude of issues and I'd like to do it properly.