About Boarding Up Barnet, an Independent Boarding Up Company
Boarding Up Barnet is an independent boarding-up company serving Barnet and nearby areas. We make damaged and vulnerable properties safe: broken windows, forced doors, smashed shopfronts, damaged roofs and skylights, and empty buildings that need their openings secured. We’ve done this work for over 10 years. We’re fully insured, and the people who come out to you are DBS-checked.
We focus on securing openings. We don’t sell alarms, cameras, fencing or steel screens, and we don’t replace glass. We secure the opening properly, and the permanent repairs can then be arranged when you’re ready.
Who we work for
We offer boarding for people who need a property made safe and want a straight answer about what happens next:
- Householders after a break-in, storm damage or an accident with a window or door
- Shop owners and businesses, including shops, offices, restaurants and warehouses, with a damaged front, entrance or rear door
- Landlords and letting agents who need a rented property secured between tenants or after damage
- Owners of empty properties that need windows and doors boarded while they stand vacant
Barnet has a real mix of buildings. There are historic town-centre premises along Chipping Barnet’s High Street, and estates such as Dollis Valley with two- and three-storey houses alongside five-storey blocks of flats and maisonettes. A ground-floor shop door and an upper-floor flat window need different access and preparation, so we ask about the building before we quote.
How we work
A person answers the phone, day and night
Someone answers 24 hours a day, and we attend at any hour, including nights, weekends and bank holidays. If you’ve got broken glass or a door that won’t lock, tell us and we’ll talk it through with you.
You get the quote before any work starts
We give a free, clear quote on the call, before anything is done. There are no prices on this website because every job is different. The things that change the quote are:
- the number and size of openings
- height and access, such as upper floors, roofs, skylights or ladder work
- materials and board thickness
- the fixing method, including security or anti-tamper fixings
- whether a damaged door or frame needs securing first
- any broken glass or debris to make safe
Our pricing page explains these factors in more detail.
Arrival time comes from your postcode
We work out when we can reach you on the call, from your postcode. We don’t put a fixed arrival time on the website because it depends on where you are and the time of day you ring.
On site
The van carries boarding stock and fixings. For most windows and doors we use exterior-grade plywood, typically 18mm, and OSB can suit smaller openings. Where security matters, we use security or anti-tamper fixings. Where the frame is in good enough condition, we fix in a way that avoids extra damage to it. That makes life easier when the permanent repair is done.
Sometimes a frame is too badly damaged to take a fixing in the usual way, for example after a forced entry or a fire. In that case we stop and explain the options before going ahead, so you know what you’re agreeing to.
After a fire, we only secure openings once the fire service has handed the site back. Smoke and odour cleaning is outside what we do.
What you’re left with
When we finish, the agreed openings are made safe and you have paperwork you can pass on:
- an itemised invoice
- time-stamped before and after photographs
- a written statement of the work done
Insurers often ask for this kind of record. It’s your insurer who decides what’s covered, though. We’re not loss adjusters or legal advisers, and we won’t tell you what a claim will pay. Our guide to insurance claims after boarding up sets out what to keep and why.
After a break-in, report it to the police and keep the crime reference number. Then contact your insurer. Take photographs of the damage if it’s safe to do so.
Boarding is a make-safe, not the final fix. It gives you a secure property while you arrange glazing, a new door or roof repairs.
Insured and DBS-checked
We’re fully insured, and we’ll send a copy of the certificate if you ask. That’s often useful for letting agents, commercial landlords and businesses who need it on file before work starts. Everyone who attends is DBS-checked, which matters when we’re working inside someone’s home or in an occupied building.
We don’t claim memberships, accreditations or endorsements we don’t hold. If you need something specific confirmed for your records, ask on the call and we’ll tell you straight.
What we can help with
You can see the full list of work on our boarding-up services page. It covers window boarding, door boarding and securing forced doors, frames and locks, shopfront and commercial boarding, roof and skylight boarding, and securing vacant properties.
Where we work
We cover Barnet and the surrounding area, including New Barnet, East Barnet and Arkley. The areas we cover page has the details. We can also often help in Whetstone, Totteridge and Cockfosters, subject to confirming on the call. If you’re not sure we reach you, give us the address or postcode and we’ll tell you.
Talk to us
The quickest way to get a quote is to ring and tell us:
- the postcode
- what’s damaged, with the type and rough size of each opening
- which floor it’s on, and anything that affects access
If you can take photographs safely, they help us understand access and the state of the frame. Don’t go near broken glass or anything that looks unstable to get them.