Emergency boarding up
Emergency Boarding Up in Hastings
Call with your postcode for a current arrival estimate.
- 24-hour emergency cover
- No call-out charge
- Price agreed before work starts
Window or Door Smashed? We Can Secure It
B.T Locksmiths Hastings boards up smashed windows, forced doors and damaged openings across Hastings, 24 hours a day, so the property is secure until a permanent repair can be done. Boarding is temporary: it stops the opening being left exposed overnight, and it is usually finished in one visit. There is no call-out charge.
Whether you call it emergency boarding up or a board up service, the aim is the same, to close the gap safely while glass, frames or doors are sorted. If the damage followed a break-in, see burglary repairs and our emergency locksmith cover.
Emergency Boarding Up: What It Actually Is
Put simply, a board up service closes off a damaged window, door or shopfront with boards that are measured, cut and fixed over the gap. The result is an opening that cannot be entered and lets in far less wind and rain, which buys time while the right permanent repair is organised.
In the trade, the job is specified as two tasks in sequence:
- Make the area safe, dealing with the broken glass hazard before anything else.
- Make the property secure and as weather tight as possible until it can be repaired properly.
Boarding is temporary by design. It does not fix the window or the door, and it is no substitute for replacement glazing or a replacement door.
A word of caution while you wait: do not move loose glass or attempt to cover a large or unstable opening yourself. Telling us on the phone what has broken and roughly how big it is lets us judge the likely work before anyone sets off.
How We Go About Boarding Up a Damaged Opening
No two damaged openings are identical, so each one is assessed before boarding is fitted. What has broken, how sound the surrounding structure is and where the fixing points are all shape the method.
Step 1: assessment. The technician examines the opening, its frame and any hazards that can be seen. That tells us whether boarding can be fitted safely and what the job is likely to involve, and it flags anything that could affect safe access or a correct fit.
Step 2: safety. Work on loose glass and unstable material takes place only when it is safe and appropriate to undertake it.
Step 3: measuring. Instead of selecting a standard board size, we take measurements of the actual damaged opening.
Step 4: fitting. The structure, access and extent of damage determine how the board is secured.
Step 5: final check. Once the boarding has been inspected in place, the technician explains to you what visibly needs to happen next; this might involve locksmith work, a door repair or replacement glazing.
With emergency boarding in place, safety in the area is improved and the opening is temporarily secured. Read on for who should handle the permanent repair.
Boarding Up Is Temporary: What Happens After?
Think of boarding as time bought, not a job done. What comes after it depends on where the damage is: in the locking system, in the door or frame, or in the glass itself.
If the lock, door or frame is damaged
That falls to us. Locks, doors, frames and mechanisms can be repaired or replaced, often on a return visit once parts have been sourced.
If the glass is broken
That falls to a glazier. We board the opening and leave it secure, but replacing glass or a sealed unit is not our work, and you will need a glazier to reglaze it.
How long the board should stay
Days or a few weeks, rather than months. Weather will eventually get in around the fixings of a board left up long term, so it is worth arranging the permanent repair promptly.
When You Need Emergency Boarding Up
Damage that leaves a home, rental property or commercial premises exposed, where the opening cannot be permanently repaired immediately, is when boarding up is needed. Burglary damage is only part of the picture.
After a break-in
A forced door or smashed window means the property could be entered again. Once the police permit boarding, boards maintain the opening's security while permanent burglary repairs are assessed or arranged.
A smashed window or vandalism
Vandalism can leave broken glass and an unsecured gap behind even if nobody went inside. The opening is boarded until a glazier replaces the glass.
A door that cannot be repaired during the same visit
If a damaged door, frame or locking component cannot be fixed during the initial visit, boarding secures the opening temporarily. Failure of a locking component may also make an emergency lock repair necessary.
Storm damage or accidental damage
Windows, doors and surrounding frames can be damaged by strong winds, falling objects or accidental impact. Boarding restricts access and reduces further weather exposure until repairs are completed.
Empty or between-tenancy property
A broken opening at a vacant or between-tenancy property can allow unauthorised access and let in wind or rain unnoticed. Boarding secures it while the landlord, letting agent or property manager sorts out the permanent repair.
Does Your Insurance Cover Boarding Up?
Often, yes. Many policies treat emergency boarding as reasonable action to prevent further loss, and a home, landlord or commercial policy may cover it where temporary work is needed after an insured incident to prevent further access or damage. Never assume, though: coverage, limits and what a claim requires all vary from one policy to another. Read your wording and get in touch with your insurer as soon as practical.
Where practical, call the insurer's emergency helpline before authorising work. If it is safe, take photos or a short video of the damage before anything is touched, but do not approach loose glass or an unstable opening to obtain evidence. If you reported the incident to the police, hold on to the crime reference number, as the claim will ask for it. Keep all receipts and invoices for the boarding and the permanent repairs.
Where the property cannot safely remain open while you wait for a reply, boarding after a break-in must wait for police permission; document the damage and follow the insurer's claims instructions at the earliest opportunity.
Locksmith pricing
Before Anyone Attends: Agreeing the Price
Ask for the price before anyone travels, and do not let anyone board your property unless you have authorised it. Those two rules matter because of a practice that is rarely discussed: boarding operators attending properties uninvited, sometimes after an incident has been reported to the police or the council, carrying out work that nobody commissioned, then billing several times what it was worth and pressing hard for payment.
You are also entitled to know what you are paying for. Ask what the board is, how it will be fixed, and what happens if you want it removed.
That is how we prefer to be dealt with, so it is how we deal with you. The price is given on the call. We only attend at your request.
Our guide on how to choose a locksmith covers other checks worth making.
What affects the cost?
Service required, time of attendance, lock and door type, labour and parts.
Locksmith pricing
What Emergency Boarding Up Costs
Cost follows the opening and the work required to secure it. Securing a small, reachable window is a quick job; securing a large doorway, a shopfront or a property with several damaged openings involves a great deal more. Six factors decide where your job falls:
- the size of the opening and what type it is
- the number of openings to board
- the extent of damage to the frame or surrounding structure
- how easy and how safe the opening is to access
- whether the property is residential or commercial
- the time attendance is required
Our pricing is clear. You do not pay a separate call-out charge, and the price is explained from the information you give us before anyone attends. You pay for the work carried out, any parts needed, and VAT. Rates outside Monday to Friday, 7am to 6pm, are higher, but the call-out itself is never charged.
If arrival reveals damage that differs materially from the description supplied, we explain any adjustment to the work or price before beginning any work.
What affects the cost?
Service required, time of attendance, lock and door type, labour and parts.
Emergency Boarding Up Across Hastings
We board up damaged doors, windows and shopfronts for homeowners, landlords, letting agents and businesses across Hastings, because an open property cannot wait until morning.
Cover is every postcode in TN34, TN38, TN37 and TN35, and the parts of TN33 around Hastings, including Old Town, West Hill, St Leonards Green, Hollington, Bohemia and Broomgrove, for a built-up area of around 91,800 usual residents (Census 2021, ONS). Around St Leonards Green, West Hill and Old Town there is a high share of flats (Census 2021, ONS, output areas within 700 m), so the opening may belong to a shared entrance or to a landlord, and it helps to say so on the call.
If the damage came from a break-in, report it to Sussex Police on 101 or at https://www.sussex.police.uk and keep the crime reference; if someone could still be inside, call 999 instead. Give your postcode and what has been damaged, and you will have confirmation of coverage and a current arrival estimate. See all areas we cover.
When You Call, What Happens?
There is nothing complicated about calling for emergency boarding. The more you can safely tell us, the better we understand the damage, the more accurately we can explain the likely work, and the more realistic the arrival estimate we give you.
- Tell us which opening is damaged, how large it is roughly, and whether broken glass is present.
- We quote a price and give you an honest estimate of when we can arrive.
- The job at this point is temporary security for the exposed opening.
- We tell you what the permanent repair involves and who should do it.
On that last step: damage to a lock, cylinder, handle or locking mechanism is something we can assess for repair or replacement. A damaged door or frame might call for locksmith work, new components or a door-repair specialist. Following a forced entry, our burglary repair service can help work out the next step. Glass is not ours to replace; a glazier will measure and install it.
Book the permanent work as soon as practical, because boarding is a temporary protection and not a long-term substitute for repairing the window, door or locks.
Emergency and planned locksmith services
Call B.T Locksmiths Hastings Now
Boarding-up calls in Hastings are answered 24 hours a day, there is no call-out charge, and the price is agreed before anyone travels. Describe the opening, its size and whether the property can be locked, and we will tell you what can be done.
- Phone: 01424 571056
- Available: 24 hours a day, every day, bank holidays included
01424 571056
Frequently Asked Questions
How quickly can you board up my property?
Boarding-up call-outs are taken 24 hours a day, including nights, weekends and bank holidays.
Do you replace the glass as well?
We board it but we do not reglaze it. Once the opening is secure, a glazier will need to replace the glass or sealed unit. If the damage also reaches the lock, door, frame or locking mechanism, we can repair or replace those. Either way, you will hear exactly which jobs belong to us and which to a glazier.
How long can boarding stay up?
A few weeks at most is the sensible expectation, and often only days. The board keeps the opening secure and weather tight in the meantime. It is not designed to stay for months: over time, weather gets in around the fixings, and the opening will still need a permanent repair.
Will my insurance pay for it?
It may be covered, depending on your policy and its limits. Many home and business policies include emergency boarding following a break-in, vandalism or storm damage. Securing the opening can help prevent further loss. Tell your insurer promptly and check the wording for your cover.
Can I just board it up myself?
Yes, a small window is a manageable job with the right materials. Two things usually go wrong: the board is not cut to fit, or it is fixed with ordinary screws from the outside, which anyone can remove in a minute. Stay away from broken glass and from work at height. Leave forced entry or large openings to a professional; after forced entry, police permission must come before boarding.
Someone turned up and boarded my property without being asked. Do I have to pay?
Not automatically. Nobody should be boarding your property unless you have authorised the work, and you are entitled to hear a price before anyone travels. If a company turned up and invoiced without instruction, take advice rather than just paying. For the record, we only attend at your request and always give you the price on the call first.
Do you board up shops and commercial premises?
Yes, commercial premises are boarded just like homes. That includes shopfronts, office doors, industrial units and vacant premises. A commercial opening is usually larger and can need more than one board or access at height, both of which affect the price. Describing the opening when you call means the price you hear is accurate.
What do you use to board up with?
A fitted board is far more secure and weather tight than one of a standard size pushed over the gap.
Still have a question or need urgent assistance? Call 01424 571056, tell us what has happened and receive a current arrival estimate.