Burglary Repairs in Harlow: Securing Your Property After a Break-In
After a burglary, the job that matters most is getting the property lockable again. Boarding Up Harlow handles the make-safe side of burglary repairs in Harlow: boarding broken windows, securing forced doors, frames and locks, and giving you paperwork to send to your insurer. A person answers the phone 24 hours a day, and we attend at any hour, including nights, weekends and bank holidays.
Call 01279 744 842 and tell us your postcode and what’s been damaged. We’ll work out an arrival time on the call and give you a free, clear quote before any work starts.
What to do first after a break-in
Before anyone fits a board, a few things are worth doing in this order:
- Report it to the police and keep the crime reference number. Your insurer will almost certainly ask for it.
- Contact your insurer to let them know what’s happened.
- Photograph the damage if it’s safe to do so. Take wide shots and close-ups of forced locks, split frames and broken glass. Don’t step over broken glass or lean through a smashed pane to get a picture.
- Keep people and pets away from broken glass and from any door that’s hanging off its hinges or won’t close properly.
You don’t need to clear up first. If glass needs making safe, we can deal with it as part of the visit.
What we secure after a burglary
Forced doors, frames and locks
A break-in can leave a back or side door damaged. Typical damage includes a split frame around the lock keep, a snapped or bent lock, a kicked-in panel or a door that no longer sits square in its frame. We secure the damaged door, frame and lock so the opening is closed and can’t be pushed open. Where the door can’t be made secure as it is, we board it. Our door boarding and forced-entry securing service explains the options in more detail.
Broken windows and glazed panels
We cut boards to fit smashed windows, patio door panels and glazed sections of doors, with the fixing approach agreed according to the frame and access. We normally use exterior-grade plywood, typically 18mm, for windows and larger openings, and OSB for smaller ones. You can read more on our window boarding page.
Shops, offices and other commercial premises
A break-in at a shop, office, restaurant or warehouse often means a broken shopfront pane or a forced rear door. We board the damaged openings so the premises can be left secure overnight and trade can resume once permanent repairs are arranged.
When the door frame is badly damaged
A split or partly torn-out frame changes the job. Boards and fixings need something solid to hold on to, and a frame that’s already broken may not give that. Where the frame allows, we use a non-destructive fixing method, so there’s less extra damage for whoever does the permanent repair. Where it doesn’t, we’ll explain the options before doing anything. That might mean securing the door and frame first, or boarding over the whole opening. You’ll know what we’re proposing and why before work begins.
What to tell us on the call
The more we know, the more accurate the quote and arrival time. Please have ready:
- Your postcode and the full address
- Which openings are damaged: doors, windows, glazed panels, shopfront
- Rough sizes, even if they’re estimates
- Which floor they’re on and whether we’ll need ladders to reach them
- Whether the door still closes or is hanging loose
- Parking and access, such as a rear alley, a locked side gate or a shared entrance
- Safe photographs, if you can take them without going near broken glass. You can send them by email.
How the quote is worked out
The quote is given on the call, free and clear, before any work starts. It depends on:
- how many openings need securing and how big they are
- height and access, for example upper-floor windows that need ladders
- the materials and board thickness needed
- the fixing method, including security or anti-tamper fixings
- whether a damaged door or frame needs securing first
- how much broken glass or debris needs making safe
What happens on the visit
Our van carries boarding stock and fixings. We take time-stamped photographs before we start. We then make loose glass safe, measure and cut the boards, and fix them using security or anti-tamper fixings where they’re needed. After the boards are fitted, we photograph the finished work.
Having someone arrive at your door straight after a break-in can feel uneasy. We have over 10 years’ experience, we’re fully insured (certificate on request) and we’re DBS-checked.
Paperwork for your insurer
Once the property is secure, you’ll receive:
- an itemised invoice for the make-safe work
- time-stamped before and after photographs
- a written statement of the work carried out
Together with your crime reference number, these give your insurer a clear record of the damage and what was done about it. Your insurer decides what’s covered. We’re not loss adjusters or legal advisers. Our guide to insurance claims after boarding up explains what each document is for.
After the make-safe
Boarding gives you a secure property while the permanent work is organised. New glazing, replacement doors and frames are then fitted by a glazier or joiner, usually arranged with your insurer, and the boards come off at that stage.
Ready when you are
If the break-in has only just happened and the property can’t be left as it is, see our 24-hour emergency boarding up in Harlow page, or ring us straight away.
Call 01279 744 842 with your postcode, the type and size of the damaged openings and any safe photos, and we’ll talk you through access and the quote. If it’s easier to write it down, email us.