Emergency boarding up
Emergency Boarding Up in Hucknall
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
Secure Locksmiths Hucknall boards up smashed windows, forced doors and damaged openings across Hucknall at any hour, so the property is secure until a permanent repair can be made. Boarding is a temporary measure: it closes the opening so the property is not left exposed overnight, and it is normally done in a single visit. There is no call-out charge.
Whether you search for emergency boarding up or a board up service, the point is to close the gap safely while glass, frames or doors are put right. If a break-in caused the damage, see burglary repairs and our emergency locksmith cover.
Emergency Boarding Up: What It Actually Is
Emergency board up work covers and secures an exposed opening with boards fitted to its exact size. The aim is straightforward: nobody can get in through it, the weather is largely kept out, and the property is held safe until the damage is repaired for good.
The two jobs, in order
- Deal with broken glass so the area is no longer a hazard.
- Close the opening, restricting further access and reducing exposure to wind and rain.
Most damaged windows, doors and shopfronts can be secured in this way while the right permanent work is arranged. What boarding cannot do is repair anything. It is a temporary measure, and it does not replace the glazing or the door that was damaged.
For your own safety, do not move loose glass or attempt to cover a large or unstable opening yourself. Give us as much detail about the damage as you can when you call, since it lets us assess what the job will involve ahead of the visit.
How We Board Up a Damaged Opening
Every opening is assessed before any boarding goes on. The right method depends on what has been damaged, the condition of the structure around it and where secure fixing points are available, so no two jobs are fitted quite the same way.
Assess the opening.
The technician looks at the opening, the surrounding frame and any visible hazards, which shows whether boarding can be fitted safely and what work is likely to be needed. Anything that could affect safe access or stop the board fitting properly is picked out at this stage.
Make it safe.
Loose glass or unstable material is dealt with only where it is safe and appropriate to do so.
Measure.
Measurements are taken from the damaged opening itself instead of assuming a standard board size will fit.
Check and explain.
After inspecting the boarding in place, the technician explains what visibly needs to happen next, whether locksmith work, a door repair or replacement glazing.
- Fixings matter, because a board held by ordinary screws from outside can simply be unscrewed.
We take a straightforward approach, using emergency boarding to improve safety around the damage and keep the opening temporarily secure. Who should carry out the permanent repair is covered in the next section.
Emergency Boarding Up: When You Need It
Not every boarding job follows a burglary. You may need one whenever damage has left a house, a rental property or a commercial building exposed and the opening cannot be permanently repaired straight away.
Accidental damage or storm
Windows, doors and the frames around them can be damaged by strong winds, falling objects or accidental impact. Temporary boarding restricts access and keeps further weather out until repairs are finished.
Empty property or between-tenancy property
At a vacant or between-tenancy property, a broken opening can allow unauthorised access and let wind or rain enter without being noticed. During arrangements for the permanent repair by the landlord, letting agent or property manager, the property remains secured by boards.
Vandalism or a smashed window
Criminal damage can leave an unsecured opening and broken glass even when nobody went inside. Until the glass is replaced by a glazier, the opening remains covered by boards.
A break-in has happened
A smashed window or forced door can leave a property open to further access. Boards fitted with police approval keep the opening secure throughout the assessment or arrangement of permanent burglary repairs.
A door which cannot be repaired in the same visit
Where a damaged door, frame or locking component cannot be repaired during the initial visit, temporary boarding may secure the opening. If a locking component fails, an emergency lock repair may also be required.
Once the glass is back in, our window locks page covers ways to make the window harder to force.
Boarding Up Is Temporary, So What Happens After?
Once the opening is secure, the question becomes who does the permanent repair, and the answer depends on whether it involves the locking system, the door or frame, or the glass itself.
We are straightforward about this because it stops you calling the wrong trade. We are not glaziers. If glass or a sealed unit is broken, we will board the opening and make it secure, and you will then need a glazier to reglaze it. If a lock, door, frame or mechanism is damaged, that is our work, and we can repair or replace it, often on a return visit once parts are sourced.
Do not treat the board as permanent. It is intended to hold for days or a few weeks, not months. Left in place long term, it will start to let weather in around its fixings.
For forced entry damage, our burglary repairs page has more detail.
Locksmith pricing
Before Anyone Attends, Agree the Price
Before anyone boards your property, you should have agreed to it and you should know the price. That sounds obvious, but in this trade it is not always what happens. Some operators attend damaged premises uninvited, occasionally prompted by a police or council report, fit boards that nobody requested and then invoice at a multiple of the job's real worth, pursuing payment aggressively.
You are entitled to authorise the work yourself, to hear a price before anyone sets off, and to ask three questions: what is the board, how is it fixed, and what happens when you want it removed.
Here is how we work. We give you the price over the phone. We only attend when you ask us to. The price stays the same on arrival unless the damage is materially different from your description, and if it is, we tell you before any work starts.
What affects the cost?
Service required, time of attendance, lock and door type, labour and parts.
Does Your Insurance Cover Boarding Up?
Many policies will cover emergency boarding, but yours may differ. Home, landlord and commercial policies can include temporary work needed to prevent further access or damage after an insured incident, with limits and claim requirements that vary between insurers. The safe course is to read your policy and speak to your insurer as soon as practical.
Some practical points:
- Call your insurer's emergency helpline before you authorise work, if it is practical to do so.
- Photographs or a short video taken before work begins can support a claim, as long as it is safe to take them.
- Evidence is never a reason to approach loose glass or an unstable opening, so do not.
- Where the police have been informed, retain the crime reference number for your claim.
- Hold on to every invoice and receipt for the boarding and the permanent repair.
If the property cannot safely stay exposed while the insurer responds, wait until the police allow work after a break-in before arranging temporary security, document the damage and follow their claims instructions as soon as possible.
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 Hucknall
Damaged doors, windows and shopfronts are boarded up for homeowners, landlords, letting agents and businesses across Hucknall, because an open property cannot wait until morning.
Cover is every postcode in NG15, including Hazelgrove, Ruffs, Broomhill, Westville, Beauvale and Wighay, across a built-up area of around 35,800 usual residents (Census 2021, ONS). Hazelgrove, Ruffs, Westville, Beauvale and Wighay are mostly houses (Census 2021, ONS, output areas within 700 m of each place), so the opening is usually part of a household's own home.
If a break-in caused the damage, report it to Nottinghamshire Police on 101 or at https://www.nottinghamshire.police.uk and keep the crime reference; if someone may still be inside, call 999 instead. Give your postcode and say what is damaged, and you will hear whether we cover it, with a current arrival estimate. See all areas we cover.
When You Call, What Happens?
Four steps, and the first one is yours. Calling for emergency boarding up is straightforward, and anything you can safely tell us helps us understand the damage, explain the likely work and give you a current arrival estimate.
1. Tell us about the opening. What is damaged, its rough size, and whether there is broken glass.
2. Agree the price. We give you the price and an honest estimate of arrival time.
**3. Our part here is temporary security for the exposed opening.
4. Next steps are explained. A damaged lock, cylinder, handle or locking mechanism can be assessed by us for repair or replacement. If the door or frame is damaged, it may need locksmith work, new components or a door-repair specialist. To establish what to do next following a forced entry, our burglary repair service can provide help.
Make arrangements for a permanent repair at the earliest practical opportunity. The board protects the opening for now, but it is not a long-term substitute for repairing the window, door or locking system.
Emergency and planned locksmith services
Call Secure Locksmiths Hucknall Now
Boarding-up calls in Hucknall are answered 24 hours a day with no call-out charge, and the price is agreed before anyone travels. Say what is broken, how big the opening is and whether the property can be locked, and you will be told what can be done.
- Phone: 0115 735 1303
- Available: 24 hours a day, every day, bank holidays included
01157 351303
Frequently Asked Questions
How quickly can you board up my property?
Boarding-up call-outs are taken around the clock, nights, weekends and bank holidays included.
Do you replace the glass as well?
No. We board up the opening and make the property secure, and we repair or replace locks, doors, frames and locking mechanisms, but replacing glass or a sealed unit is a glazier's work. We will tell you clearly which parts of the job are ours and which need a glazier, so you are not left guessing about who to call next.
How long can boarding stay up?
It is meant for a short period, typically days or a few weeks rather than months. In that time it keeps the property secure and keeps the weather out while the proper repair is organised. Over a longer stretch, water starts to find its way in around the fixings, which is why boarding should not be treated as permanent.
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?
Get advice before you pay anything. Work carried out without your authorisation is not how it should happen, and you are entitled to know the price before anyone travels to you. Where a company has attended uninvited and sent an invoice, taking advice is wiser than paying straight away.
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?
Measuring each opening rather than using a standard board is what makes the difference between a secure, weather tight job and a sheet over a hole.
Still have a question or need urgent assistance? Call 01157 351303, tell us what has happened and receive a current arrival estimate.