Emergency Board Up Service: What Happens When You Call

An emergency board up service makes a broken window, door or shopfront safe and secure until the glass can be replaced. The glazier clears loose glass, fixes timber boards across the opening and makes sure a door can still be locked or is fixed shut. Mark handles emergency callouts day or night across London, subject to availability, and you speak to him directly when you ring.

The phone call

When you ring, expect a few quick questions: where the property is, what has broken, roughly how big the opening is, and whether anyone is hurt or the building is open to the street. If you can, send a photo on WhatsApp. That lets Mark bring boards of the right size and decide whether the job is boarding, temporary glazing or both.

If the damage followed a break in, the police may want to see it first. Ask them before anything is moved, and keep your crime reference number for your insurer.

Making the glass safe

The first job on site is removing any glass that could fall. Cracked panes still in the frame are taped or taken out, and loose shards in the bottom of the frame are cleared so a board can sit flat. Broken glass is swept and bagged. Where a sealed unit is only cracked on one side, it can sometimes be left and taped rather than boarded.

Fixing the boards

Timber sheet is cut to cover the whole opening and fixed to the frame or surrounding structure so it cannot be pulled away easily. On ground floor windows and shopfronts the fixings go where they are hard to reach from outside. On upvc frames care is taken to fix in a way that keeps later reglazing straightforward.

Doors need extra thought. A door with a smashed glass panel may be boarded on the outside and inside, and the lock checked, so the door still secures. If the lock itself was forced, it may need replacing or the door fixed shut from inside until it can be repaired.

• Loose glass removed and bagged
• Boards cut to cover the full opening
• Fixings placed to resist removal from outside
• Door locks checked so the property can be secured
• Measurements taken for the permanent glass

What happens next

Boarding is a temporary measure. While on site Mark measures the opening and notes the glass type needed, whether that is toughened for a door, laminated for a shopfront, or a standard sealed unit. You then get a fixed price for the permanent repair. When the new glass is ready, the boards come off and the opening is reglazed.

For insurers and landlords

Most insurers expect you to take reasonable steps to secure a property after damage. Keep photos of the damage before and after boarding, the invoice for the emergency work and the quote for the permanent repair. Landlords and letting agents can arrange access directly so tenants are not left waiting.

Preparing while you wait

While help is on the way, a few simple steps make the visit quicker and safer. Switch on outside lights so the opening is easy to find. Move furniture, blinds and curtains away from the broken window so there is room to work. If the break is on a shopfront, lock any internal doors and move stock or cash out of sight of the opening.

Take photos of the damage from inside and outside before anything is moved, including any tool marks on the frame. If glass has fallen onto a pavement, keep people clear of it without handling large pieces yourself. Have the keys ready for any door that needs checking, and note anything that is not working, such as a lock that will not turn, so it can be looked at on the same visit.

Call Mark on 07535 916982 or request a callback.