Emergency boarding up
Emergency Boarding Up in Chester
Call with your postcode for a current arrival estimate.
- 24-hour emergency cover
- No call-out charge
- Price agreed before work starts
Window or Door Smashed? We Can Secure It
Safe Locksmiths Chester boards up smashed windows, forced doors and damaged openings across Chester, 24 hours a day, so a property stays secure until a permanent repair can be made. Boarding is a temporary measure, usually completed in one visit, and it stops the property being left open overnight. There is no call-out charge.
If the damage followed a break-in, wait until the police say work at the entry point may begin. If they cannot attend tonight, ring 101 (Cheshire Constabulary) and ask whether it may be secured now.
Emergency Boarding Up and What It Actually Is
When part of a building is broken open, boarding is what closes it. Boards are measured and cut to the window, door or shopfront, then fixed so the opening cannot be entered and wind and rain are largely shut out. In most cases this secures the damaged area while the right permanent repair is arranged.
The trade treats the job as two objectives with a clear priority:
- make the surroundings safe from broken glass
- then make the property secure and weather tight until it is repaired
Being clear about the limits avoids disappointment. Boarding is a temporary measure. It is not a repair, and it does not take the place of replacement glass or a new door.
Do not move loose glass, and do not attempt to cover a large or unstable opening on your own. When you get in touch, a description of the damage means we can gauge the likely work before anyone attends. For the wider checklist after a break-in, see what to do after a burglary.
How We Go About Boarding Up a Damaged Opening
No two damaged openings are identical, so each one is assessed before boarding is fitted. What has broken, how sound the surrounding structure is and where the fixing points are all shape the method.
Step 1: assessment. The technician examines the opening, its frame and any hazards that can be seen. That tells us whether boarding can be fitted safely and what the job is likely to involve, and it flags anything that could affect safe access or a correct fit.
Step 2: safety. Work on loose glass and unstable material takes place only when it is safe and appropriate to undertake it.
Step 3: measuring. Instead of selecting a standard board size, we take measurements of the actual damaged opening.
Step 4: fitting. The structure, access and extent of damage determine how the board is secured.
Step 5: final check. Once the boarding has been inspected in place, the technician explains to you what visibly needs to happen next; this might involve locksmith work, a door repair or replacement glazing.
With emergency boarding in place, safety in the area is improved and the opening is temporarily secured. Read on for who should handle the permanent repair.
Boarding Up Is Temporary. What Happens After?
Boarding buys you time. It does not finish the job. The work required for a permanent repair—to the locking system, the door or frame, or the glass itself—determines how to proceed after securing the opening.
If the damage is to a lock, a door, a frame or a mechanism, that is our work. We can repair or replace it, often on a return visit once the right parts have been sourced. If the damage is to glass or a sealed unit, that is a glazier's work and not ours. We will board the opening and leave it secure, and you will need a glazier to reglaze it. We would rather say that plainly than let you assume we cover everything.
Do not leave the board in place indefinitely. It is designed to hold for days or a few weeks, not months, and a board left up long term will eventually let weather in around its fixings.
Emergency Boarding Up: When You Need It
Emergency boarding is not just for burglaries. It applies whenever damage has left a home, a rented property or commercial premises exposed and the opening cannot be put right permanently straight away.
Accidental damage or storm
A strong gust, a falling object or an accidental impact can damage a window, a door or the frame around it. The board limits access and stops further weather getting in until the repair is complete.
A break-in has happened
After a forced door or a smashed window, the property is open to further access. Temporary boards can secure the opening during burglary repair arrangements, but fitting them must await police clearance.
A door which cannot be repaired in the same visit
Where a damaged door, frame or locking component cannot be repaired on the first visit, boarding may be used to secure the opening for now. A locking component that has failed may also need an emergency lock repair.
Empty property or between-tenancy property
Broken openings at empty homes and units can allow unauthorised access, and wind or rain may get in for days before anyone notices. While a permanent repair is being arranged by the landlord, letting agent or property manager, boards keep the property secure.
Vandalism or a smashed window
Even when nobody has entered, criminal damage can leave broken glass and an unsecured opening. Boarding covers it until a glazier fits the replacement glass.
Boarding Up: Will Your Insurance Cover It?
Insurance may well pay for boarding up. Many home, landlord and commercial policies cover temporary work needed to prevent further access or damage after an insured event, although cover, limits and claim conditions differ from policy to policy.
Before the work - Contact your insurer's emergency helpline before authorising work, where that is practical. - Take photographs or a short video of the damage if it is safe to do so. - Do not go near loose glass or an unstable opening just to get evidence.
For the claim - If the police have been told about the incident, keep the crime reference number to hand for your claim. - Keep all invoices and receipts, both for the boarding and for any later repairs. - Check your policy and speak to your insurer as soon as practical.
Sometimes a property cannot safely be left exposed while you wait for the insurer to respond. In that case, wait for police clearance after a break-in before arranging temporary security, document the damage and follow the claims instructions as soon as possible.
Locksmith pricing
Agreeing the Price Before Anyone Attends
Nobody should board your property without your say-so. It is worth saying because some boarding firms do exactly that: they attend after a reported incident, do work nobody asked for, then invoice for far more than it was worth and press hard for payment.
Protect yourself with a few simple expectations. Any work should be authorised by you. A price should be given before anyone travels. You can ask what material the board is, how it is being fixed, and what removal involves if you want it gone.
We hold ourselves to the same standard. The price is given on the call, we attend only at your request, and what we quote is what you pay on arrival. The one exception is damage that proves materially different from how it was described, and even then the change is explained before any work begins.
For more on spotting a trustworthy firm, see how to choose a locksmith.
What affects the cost?
Service required, time of attendance, lock and door type, labour and parts.
Locksmith pricing
Emergency Boarding Up Across Chester
We board up damaged doors, windows and shopfronts for homeowners, landlords, letting agents and businesses across Chester, since an open property cannot wait for morning.
The call-out area includes Hoole, Newtown, Upton, Boughton Heath, Newton and Abbot's Mead, and every postcode in CH1, CH2, CH4 and CH3, along with the parts of CH70 and CH88 around Chester. Upton and Boughton Heath are mostly houses, so a job is typically a single door or window of a family home, while Newtown has a high share of flats. If your street is not named, ring and ask, or see all areas we cover.
What affects the cost?
Service required, time of attendance, lock and door type, labour and parts.
When You Call: What Happens
Getting emergency boarding arranged is simple. What helps most is detail: give us as much as you safely can, and we can understand the damage, explain what the work is likely to be and give you an up-to-date arrival estimate.
You describe it.
Which window, door or shopfront, how big the opening roughly is, and whether there is broken glass.
We price it.
You hear the price and an honest arrival estimate on the call.
We point you to the repair.
If a lock, cylinder, handle or locking mechanism has been damaged, we can assess whether to repair or replace it. Putting a damaged door or frame right may involve locksmith work, fitting replacement parts or using a door-repair specialist. Our burglary repair service can help establish the next course of action if entry to the property was forced.
- That temporary security is our role at this stage.
Please arrange the permanent repair as soon as practical. A board protects the opening temporarily and is not a long-term substitute for fixing the window, door or locking system.
Locksmith pricing
How Much Does Emergency Boarding Up Cost?
There is no single price for emergency boarding, because the job is shaped by the opening and the work needed to make it secure. A small, accessible window does not involve the same work as a big doorway, a shopfront or a property with several broken openings, and the price reflects that.
What affects the cost 1. The type of opening and how big it is 2. The number of openings to be boarded 3. How much damage the frame or surrounding structure has sustained 4. Access, including how safely the opening can be reached 5. Residential or commercial premises 6. When attendance is needed
You get the price on the call, worked out from the information you give us, and you hear it before anyone sets off. No separate call-out charge is added. You pay for the work carried out, any parts needed, and VAT. Rates outside Monday to Friday, 7am to 6pm, are higher, but the call-out itself is never charged.
Should the damage prove materially different from your description, we explain any change in the work or the price before any work starts.
What affects the cost?
Service required, time of attendance, lock and door type, labour and parts.
Emergency and planned locksmith services
Call Safe Locksmiths Chester Now
Ring 01244 557061 at any hour. We answer 24 hours a day, there is no call-out charge, and the price is agreed before anyone travels. To write instead, contact us.
01244 557061
Frequently Asked Questions
How quickly can you board up my property?
We attend boarding call-outs 24 hours a day, including nights, weekends and bank holidays. If the damage followed a break-in, check with the police before work begins.
Do you replace the glass as well?
No. New glass and sealed units are fitted by a glazier. Being clear about that boundary saves you a wasted call, and we will tell you on the day which work needs which trade.
How long can boarding stay up?
The honest answer is days or a few weeks. Boarding is a temporary way to keep a property secure and weather tight until a permanent repair is in place. It is not designed to stay for months, because weather eventually gets in around the fixings, and it never replaces repairing the opening properly.
Will my insurance pay for it?
Possibly; many policies for homes and businesses cover boarding needed after damage. The reason may be a break-in, a storm or vandalism. Insurers commonly regard securing the property as a reasonable way to reduce further loss, although cover and limits differ. Read your wording and report the incident promptly.
Can I just board it up myself?
In many cases you can, particularly a small window. Getting the board to fit and choosing the fixings are where it goes wrong: ordinary screws from outside make the board easy to remove, which defeats the purpose. Leave broken glass alone and keep off ladders. Have large openings boarded properly; after a break-in, wait for the police to permit work.
Someone turned up and boarded my property without being asked. Do I have to pay?
Take advice before paying. Nobody should carry out work on your property without your authorisation, and you are entitled to a price before anyone travels. If a company attended and invoiced without being instructed, that is worth taking advice on rather than simply settling the bill.
Do you board up shops and commercial premises?
We do, and on the same terms as domestic boarding. Shopfronts, office doors, industrial units and premises standing empty are all covered. Commercial openings tend to be larger, and some need more than one board or working at height, which has a bearing on price. Describe the opening when you call and we can give you an accurate figure.
What do you use to board up with?
Cutting to the opening rather than using a stock size is what makes the board secure and weather tight.
Still have a question or need urgent assistance? Call 01244 557061, tell us what has happened and receive a current arrival estimate.