Emergency Boarding Up in Harlow, 24 Hours a Day
If a window has been smashed, a door forced or a shopfront broken, our emergency boarding up service in Harlow can secure the opening at any hour, including nights, weekends and bank holidays. A person answers the phone 24 hours a day. They’ll take your postcode, work out when we can reach you and give you a free, clear quote before any work starts.
Call 01279 744 842 or Email us with your postcode and a photo of the damage if you can take one safely.
First, keep everyone clear
Before you do anything else, make the area safe for people, not the property.
- Stay away from broken glass. Keep children and pets out of the room or off the path. Don’t try to pull loose shards out of a frame.
- Don’t go upstairs or onto a roof to look at damage. If something is hanging or cracked overhead, keep below it clear and leave it for us to look at.
- After a break-in, don’t touch more than you need to. Report it to the police and keep the crime reference number. Contact your insurer when you can.
- After a fire, wait for the fire service to hand the property back before anyone goes near the openings.
- If you’re not sure the building is safe to enter, stay outside and call us from there.
What to tell us on the call
The more we know on the phone, the better we can plan the visit and price it properly. Have these ready if you can:
- Your postcode and address. This is how we work out when we can get to you.
- What’s damaged. A window, a door, a shopfront, a skylight or several openings.
- Rough sizes. A guess is fine, such as “a standard bedroom window” or “a full-height shop pane”.
- Height and access. Ground floor, upper floor, roof, or anything that needs a ladder.
- The state of any door or frame. Whether it still closes, whether the lock has been forced, whether the frame is split.
- Photos, but only if it’s safe to take them. Send them by email and we’ll talk them through with you.
- Where the van can stop. If you’re in a residential permit area, let us know so we can talk about parking near the property.
What we can secure out of hours
Emergency boarding covers the openings that leave a property exposed:
- Broken windows, from a single cracked pane to several smashed frames. Our window boarding service explains the options in more detail.
- Forced or damaged doors, including securing a door, frame or lock that’s been broken during a forced entry.
- Shopfronts and commercial premises such as shops, offices, restaurants and warehouses. See shopfront boarding for how we approach larger glazed fronts.
- Roofs and skylights, where the opening can be reached safely.
- Empty properties that need windows and doors boarded so they can’t be entered.
Your quote, agreed before any work starts
You’ll get the quote on the call, free and clear, before we lift a board. We don’t publish prices because every opening is different. What affects the cost:
- How many openings there are and how big they are
- Height and access, such as upper floors, roofs, skylights or ladder work
- The materials and board thickness needed
- The fixing method, including security or anti-tamper fixings
- Whether a damaged door or frame has to be secured first
- Any debris or broken glass that needs making safe
If something on site turns out different from what we discussed, we’ll talk it through with you before going further.
What happens when we arrive
The van carries boarding stock and fixings. We confirm the openings and access with you before agreeing the work.
For most openings we use exterior-grade plywood, typically 18mm thick. Smaller openings may suit OSB. Where the frame is sound, we fix non-destructively where we can, so the frame is in better shape for the permanent repair. Where security matters more, such as a ground-floor window after a break-in or a shopfront left overnight, we can use anti-tamper fixings that are harder to remove from outside.
If a frame is badly damaged, we won’t just screw a board over it and hope. A split or loose frame may not hold fixings properly, so we’ll explain the options first and agree the approach with you.
We’ll also clear and make safe any broken glass and debris that’s part of the agreed work.
Boarding is a make-safe. It keeps the weather and intruders out so you can arrange glazing or a new door properly, in your own time, once the property is secure.
Paperwork for your insurer
Once the openings are secure, you’ll receive:
- An itemised invoice
- Time-stamped before and after photographs
- A written statement of the work done
These give your insurer a clear record of what was damaged and what was done to secure it. Your insurer decides what’s covered. We’re not loss adjusters or legal advisers, but our guide to insurance claims after boarding up sets out what the documents are for.
If you’ve been burgled, our page on what to do after a break-in covers the next steps once the property is secure.
Who you’ll be dealing with
Boarding Up Harlow is an independent local boarding-up service with over 10 years’ experience. We’re fully insured, and the certificate is available on request. We’re DBS-checked, which matters when we’re working at your home late at night or securing a property while you’re not there.
We cover Harlow, including Old Harlow, Church Langley and Great Parndon. Nearby places such as Bush Fair, Staple Tye, Potter Street and Roydon are served subject to confirming on the call.
Common questions
Can you board up tonight?
Yes. We attend at any hour, including through the night. When we can reach you depends on your postcode and what we’re already working on, so we’ll tell you on the call rather than give a figure here.
Who can board up a broken window out of hours in Harlow?
We can. Call at any time and a person will answer, take the details and give you a quote. If it’s a single window, a photo and rough measurements help us bring the right board.
Should I tape up or cover the window myself?
Keep clear of broken glass and leave the opening for us to make safe. Don’t touch a shattered pane or climb to cover it.
What if the door won’t close or lock?
Tell us on the call. We can secure a forced door, frame or lock as part of the job, and that’s one of the things that affects the quote.
Call us now
Give us your postcode, tell us what’s broken and send safe photos if you can. We’ll work out when we can reach you and agree a free, clear quote before anything starts.