Emergency Boarding Up in Barnet
For emergency boarding up in Barnet, call us. A person answers the phone 24 hours a day, and we attend at any hour, including nights, weekends and bank holidays. If a window has been smashed, a door forced or a shopfront damaged, we’ll make the opening safe so you can lock up and deal with the rest when it’s daylight.
Have your postcode ready. We work out arrival time on the call from your postcode, so we don’t quote a standard time here.
What to do right now
Before you call, or while you’re on the phone, keep yourself and others safe.
- Stay clear of broken glass. Don’t try to pull loose shards out of a frame. Keep children and pets out of the room if you can.
- Don’t go back into a building that feels unsafe. That includes fire-damaged premises, rooms with a sagging ceiling, or anywhere you think an intruder might still be.
- Don’t climb onto a roof or lean out of an upper window to look at storm or skylight damage. We’ll look at the access with you on the call.
- If there’s been a break-in, call the police first. Keep the crime reference number they give you.
- Take photographs only if it’s safe. Wide shots of the damage and close-ups of the frame or lock are useful for us and for your insurer.
What to tell us on the call
The more we know at the start, the quicker we can agree the job. We’ll ask for:
- Your postcode and the address. This lets us work out when we can get to you.
- What’s damaged. For example, a window, a door, a shopfront, a skylight or several openings.
- Rough sizes. Approximate width and height is enough, or a description such as “a large patio door” or “two sash windows”.
- The floor it’s on and the access. Tell us if it’s an upper-floor flat, if a ladder is needed, or if the opening is reached from a back garden, side passage or flat roof.
- The condition of the frame or door. A door that’s been kicked in may have a split frame or a broken lock. Tell us whether it still closes at all.
- Safe photographs, if you have them. You can send them to info@boarding-up-barnet.co.uk.
We give you a free, clear quote on the call before any work starts. The quote depends on:
- how many openings there are and how big they are
- the height and access involved
- the materials and board thickness
- the fixing method, including security fixings
- whether a damaged door or frame needs securing first
- how much glass and debris needs making safe
Nothing goes ahead until you’ve agreed the quote.
What we can secure out of hours
Our emergency work covers the same openings we deal with during the day:
- Broken windows in houses, flats and commercial premises. Our window boarding service explains the options in more detail.
- Forced or damaged doors. We board doors and secure damaged doors, frames and locks after forced entry. See door boarding and securing.
- Shopfronts and commercial units, including shops, offices, restaurants and warehouses. This applies just as much to a High Street unit in Chipping Barnet as to a warehouse door.
- Roofs and skylights, where access can be arranged safely.
- Empty and void properties that have been broken into and need their windows and doors secured.
How the visit works
The van carries boarding stock and fixings. We discuss the openings and access with you on the call before agreeing the work.
On arrival, we make the area safe first. That means clearing loose glass and debris from the opening and the immediate area so the boarding can go on cleanly and nobody gets cut.
For most windows and doors we use exterior-grade plywood, typically 18mm. Smaller openings may be covered with OSB. We use security or anti-tamper fixings so the board can’t simply be unscrewed from outside. Where the frame allows, we fix the board without causing further damage, which helps when the glazier or joiner comes to do the permanent repair.
If a frame is badly damaged, for example split timber around a forced door or a rotten window surround, it may not hold fixings properly. In that case we’ll explain the options before we do anything, so you know what’s being fixed to what and why.
Boarding is a make-safe. It keeps the weather and intruders out and lets you lock up. The permanent glazing or door repair follows when you’re ready to arrange it.
After a break-in
If you’ve been burgled, the order of things matters:
- Report it to the police and keep the crime reference number.
- Contact your insurer to let them know.
- Photograph the damage if it’s safe to do so.
- Call us to make the property secure.
There’s more on what to do in the following days on our burglary repairs page.
Paperwork for your insurer
When the work is done, you receive:
- an itemised invoice
- time-stamped before and after photographs
- a written statement of the work done
This gives your insurer a clear record of what was damaged and what was done to secure it. The insurance claims guide explains how to use it. Your insurer decides what’s covered. We’re not loss adjusters or legal advisers, so check the details of your policy with them.
Fire and storm damage
After a fire, we can only secure the openings once the fire service has handed the site back. We don’t carry out smoke or odour remediation.
After a storm, don’t go up to inspect roof or skylight damage yourself. Tell us what you can see from the ground or from inside, and we’ll talk through access on the call.
Who you’re dealing with
Boarding Up Barnet is an independent local boarding-up service with over 10 years’ experience. We’re fully insured, and you can request a copy of the certificate. Our team is DBS-checked, which matters if you’re letting someone into your home late at night or a tenant is at the property on their own.
Common out-of-hours questions
Who can board up a broken window out of hours in Barnet? We can. Call us at any hour and a person will answer. We’ll take the details, give you a quote and work out arrival time from your postcode.
Can you board up tonight? We attend at any hour, including late at night. On the call we’ll tell you when we can reach you, based on your postcode.
Do I need to be there? Someone needs to give us access and agree the work. If you’re a landlord or agent and can’t attend, tell us on the call who will let us in.
Will the boarding damage my frame? Where the frame allows, we use a non-destructive fixing method. If the frame is already badly damaged, we’ll explain the options before starting.
Call now to get the opening made safe
Tell us your postcode, what’s broken, roughly how big it is and how we can reach it. Send safe photographs if you have them. We’ll talk through access and give you a free quote before any work starts.