Property Damage Boarding Up in Harlow: Burglary, Fire and Storm
Property damage boarding up in Harlow starts with getting broken openings made safe and covered to help protect the building from weather and entry. This page sets out what to do first after a break-in, a fire or storm damage, and which of our pages covers your situation in more detail. A person answers the phone 24 hours a day, so if an opening is damaged right now, call 01279 744 842 and we’ll talk it through.
If it’s late, urgent or out of hours, our 24-hour emergency boarding up page covers what happens on an urgent call.
The first steps, whatever caused the damage
The event changes some of the detail, but the opening few minutes look much the same.
- Keep people clear. Move children, pets and customers away from broken glass, splintered frames and anything overhead that looks loose. Don’t try to pull out hanging glass or prop up a damaged door.
- Don’t go anywhere unsafe. That means no climbing onto roofs, no leaning out of upper windows and no going back into a building that hasn’t been declared safe.
- Note what you can see from a safe spot. Which openings are affected, roughly how big they are, which floor they’re on and how you’d reach them.
- Take photographs only if it’s safe to do so. They help us understand the job and they’re useful for your insurer.
- Have the postcode ready. We work out the arrival time on the call from the postcode, so it’s the first thing we’ll ask.
After a burglary
Report the break-in to the police and keep the crime reference number. Contact your insurer as soon as you can, and photograph the damage if it’s safe. Try not to disturb more than you need to before the police have been, if they’re attending.
Break-ins usually leave a forced door, a damaged frame or lock, or a smashed window. We board the opening and, where a door or frame has been forced, secure that first so the boarding has something sound to fix to. If the frame is too badly damaged to take boards in the usual way, we’ll explain the options before starting.
Our burglary repairs page goes through the steps in order, including what to tell your insurer.
After a fire
The fire service must hand the site back before anyone else goes in. Once they have, we can secure the damaged openings: windows that have cracked or been broken out, doors forced for access, and other gaps that leave the building open to the weather or to people getting in.
We board up and make safe. Smoke and odour cleaning is a separate specialist job and outside what we do. Our fire damage boarding page explains what to expect once the site is handed back.
After storm damage
High winds and falling debris can break windows, skylights and roof openings, and loosen doors. Stay off the roof and away from anything that might still move. From the ground or indoors, tell us what you can see: a broken pane, a hole letting rain in, a skylight that’s cracked or missing.
Height and access matter a lot here, as upper floors, roofs and skylights need different preparation from a ground-floor window. Our storm damage page covers how we approach weather damage and what to have ready.
What to tell us on the call
The more we know, the clearer the quote. Useful details include:
- The postcode and the type of property (house, flat, shop, office, empty property).
- Which openings are damaged: windows, doors, shopfront, roof or skylight.
- Rough sizes and how many there are.
- Height and access, such as an upper floor or a roof light, and anything in the way.
- Whether a door, frame or lock has been damaged and needs securing first.
- Any glass or debris that needs making safe.
- Whether the property is in a residential permit parking area, so we can talk about where the van can stop.
Safe photographs sent by email help too. They let us check access and materials before we set off. The van carries boarding stock and fixings.
Materials and fixings
Most openings are boarded with exterior-grade plywood, typically 18mm, while OSB can suit smaller openings. Where security matters, we use security or anti-tamper fixings. If the frame allows, we can fix in a way that avoids extra damage to it. Not every job needs every method, so we’ll suggest what suits your opening rather than over-specifying.
What you receive
When the job’s done, you’ll have:
- Made-safe openings, boarded and fixed as agreed on the call.
- An itemised invoice for the work.
- Time-stamped before and after photographs.
- A written statement of the work carried out.
That paperwork is designed to help when you speak to your insurer. The insurer decides what’s covered, and we’re not loss adjusters or legal advisers. Our insurance claims guide explains how to use the documents.
Boarding is a make-safe that helps protect the property while you arrange permanent glazing or door repairs. If you run a shop, it’s worth knowing that Harlow Council’s Shopfront Design Guide applies to planning applications for shopfronts across the town, so a replacement front may need some thought before it’s ordered.
How the quote works
We give a free, clear quote on the call before any work starts. We don’t publish prices because every job is different. What shapes the quote:
- The number and size of openings
- Height and access, including upper floors, roofs, skylights and ladder work
- Materials and board thickness
- Fixing method, including security or anti-tamper fixings
- Whether a damaged door or frame needs securing first
- Debris or broken glass to make safe
Who we are
Boarding Up Harlow is an independent local boarding-up service with over 10 years’ experience. We’re fully insured, with the certificate available on request, and DBS-checked. We attend at any hour, including nights, weekends and bank holidays.
Talk to us about the damage
Tell us the postcode, the type and size of the damaged opening and how it can be reached, and send safe photographs if you can. We’ll discuss access, agree the work and give you a quote before anything starts.