Emergency boarding up
Emergency Boarding Up in Runcorn
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
Eds Locksmiths Runcorn boards up smashed windows, forced doors and damaged openings across Runcorn, 24 hours a day, to make the property secure until a permanent repair can be done. Boarding is temporary: it keeps the opening closed overnight, and it is usually finished in one visit. There is no call-out charge.
If the damage came from a break-in, speak to the police first, as set out below.
What Is Emergency Boarding Up, Actually?
Boarding up means fixing cut boards over a broken or exposed opening so the building is closed again. It is the standard emergency answer when a window, door or shopfront has been damaged and cannot be put right on the spot, because it secures the opening temporarily while a lasting repair is arranged.
Each job sets out to achieve two things, and the order is deliberate:
- remove the immediate danger of broken glass to anyone nearby
- shut the opening, so access is restricted and exposure to the weather is reduced
Think of it as protection, not a cure. A board is not new glass, it is not a new door, and it should never be mistaken for the finished repair.
Please do not move loose glass or attempt to cover a large or unstable opening yourself, as handling it is where injuries tend to happen. The more detail you can give us about the damage, the better we can assess the likely work before attendance.
When Emergency Boarding Up Is Needed
People tend to link boarding up with burglary, yet it covers much more. If damage has left a home, a rental or a business exposed and permanent repair must wait, boarding can help; after a burglary, police permission comes first.
An empty or between-tenancy property
An empty property with a broken window or door can be entered without permission, and wind or rain can get in with nobody there to notice. Boarding holds it secure until the landlord, letting agent or property manager has permanent repairs in hand.
Following a break-in
A forced door or a broken window leaves an open route back in. We board that opening only after the police allow work, while permanent burglary repairs are assessed or arranged.
Damage from storm or accidental damage
Strong winds, falling objects and accidental knocks all damage windows, doors and their frames. A board restricts access and reduces further weather exposure until the repair is finished.
Is it vandalism or a smashed window?
Vandalism can leave an unsecured opening and broken glass even where nobody has entered. Until the damaged glass is replaced by a glazier, boards provide cover for the opening.
A door that cannot be repaired the same visit
Boarding provides temporary security for the opening if repairs to the damaged door, frame or locking component cannot be completed on the first visit. An emergency lock repair may also be required following the failure of a locking component.
Locksmith pricing
Before Anyone Attends: Agreeing the Price
Agreeing the price before anyone sets off is the single best protection you have. The reason is a practice that most pages about boarding never mention: companies arriving at a damaged property unasked, sometimes after a police or council report, boarding it without instruction and then demanding several times the job's worth.
Authorisation is yours to give. Nobody should be fitting boards to your property unless you have asked them to, and you should know the price before they travel. It is perfectly reasonable to ask what the board is, how it is fixed, and what will happen if you later want it removed.
So that you know where we stand: the price comes on the call, we will not attend unless you request it, and the figure does not move once we arrive. It changes only if the damage is materially different from what you told us, and you hear about that before we start any work.
What affects the cost?
Service required, time of attendance, lock and door type, labour and parts.
How a Damaged Opening Is Boarded Up
A competent boarding job is more than a sheet screwed over a hole. We assess each opening first, because the method depends on what is damaged, the state of the surrounding structure and which fixing points are available.
- Look over the opening, the frame around it and any hazards in view, to judge whether temporary boarding can go on safely and what the work will probably involve.
- Identify anything that might prevent safe access or stop the boarding sitting correctly.
- Attend to loose glass or unstable material only when doing so is both safe and appropriate.
- Measure the actual opening instead of working to a standard board size, then fit the boarding in a way that suits the structure, access and extent of damage.
- Check the fitted boarding, then explain the next step that is visible, such as locksmith work, door repair or new glazing.
The fixings deserve a mention, since boards held by ordinary screws on the outside can be taken off by anyone with a screwdriver.
Put simply, fitting emergency boarding improves safety around the damage while keeping the opening secure for the time being. Who should carry out the permanent repair is explained in the following section.
Is Boarding Up Covered by Your Insurance?
A home, landlord or commercial insurance policy may cover emergency boarding where an insured incident makes temporary work necessary to prevent further access or damage. Many policies include it, but none should be assumed to: coverage, limits and claim requirements vary, so check the policy and contact your insurer as soon as practical.
Talk to the insurer first, where you can. Their emergency helpline is the place to start before authorising work, if it is practical to reach them.
Record the damage safely. Take photographs or a short video before work begins, if it is safe to do so. You should not approach loose glass or an unstable opening in order to gather evidence.
Keep the paperwork. Retain all invoices and receipts for the boarding and the permanent repairs, and if the incident has been reported to the police, retain the crime reference number for your claim as well.
Wait for police permission after a break-in. While the insurer responds, arrange temporary security only once that permission has been given following a break-in; document the damage and follow the claims instructions as soon as possible.
Boarding Up Is Temporary, So What Happens After?
Here is the honest part. Boarding holds the property safe while the real repair is arranged, and which trade carries out that repair depends on what was damaged: the locking system, the door or frame, or the glass.
Glass first, because it causes the most confusion. Broken glass and sealed units are a glazier's work, not ours. We board the opening and make it secure, and a glazier then reglazes it. Telling you that clearly saves a wasted call-out.
Locks, doors, frames and mechanisms are a different matter.
Either way, the board is a short-term measure. Expect it to hold for days or a few weeks, not for months, because over a longer period weather gets in around the fixings.
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 Runcorn
An open property cannot wait until morning, so we board up damaged doors, windows and shopfronts for homeowners, landlords, letting agents and businesses across Runcorn at any hour. Coverage reaches every postcode in WA7 and the parts of WA4 around Runcorn, most of which lie in Warrington, from Weston Point and Astmoor across Halton Brook and Murdishaw to Higher Runcorn, Westfield and Castlefields.
If it was a break-in, and anyone may still be inside, stay out and call 999. Otherwise report it to Cheshire Constabulary on 101 or online at https://www.cheshire.police.uk and get a crime reference before you claim. Boarding at the entry point should wait until the police say it may begin; if they cannot attend that night, ring 101 and ask whether the property may be secured now. See all areas we cover.
When You Call: What Happens
Calling us is straightforward. With as much detail as you can safely provide, we can assess the damage, describe the likely work and offer an up-to-date estimate of arrival.
Here is how that advice usually splits. We can assess a damaged lock, cylinder, handle or locking mechanism and say whether it should be repaired or replaced. To deal with a damaged door or frame, work by a locksmith, replacement components or assistance from a door-repair specialist may be necessary. Our burglary repair service can help clarify the appropriate course of action following a forced entry.
The opening should receive permanent repairs at the earliest practical opportunity. The temporary protection boarding gives the opening should not be relied on over the longer term in place of repairs to the window, door or locking system.
Describe
the damaged window, door or shopfront, roughly how big the opening is, and whether broken glass is present.
Quote
we give you the price and an honest arrival estimate before anyone sets off.
Advise
we explain what the permanent repair involves and whether it is our work or someone else's.
Emergency and planned locksmith services
Call Eds Locksmiths Runcorn Now
We are available 24 hours a day, there is no call-out charge, and the price is agreed before anyone travels. Describe what has been damaged and we will take it from there.
- Call 01928 611001
- Or use the contact page
01928 611001
Frequently Asked Questions
How quickly can you board up my property?
Boarding call-outs are taken 24 hours a day, including nights, weekends and bank holidays. You are given an honest estimate on the call, with no call-out charge.
Do you replace the glass as well?
Glass replacement is not part of our service, and it is better to say so up front. Our side of the job is boarding the opening so the property is secure, plus any repair or replacement of locks, doors, frames and mechanisms. A glazier fits the new glass or sealed unit, and we make clear which trade handles each part.
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?
Cover is possible for emergency boarding, subject to the policy wording and limits. Contact your insurer promptly after vandalism, storm damage or a break-in. Many household and business policies cover steps to secure the damaged property and prevent more loss. Check what your own policy includes.
Can I just board it up myself?
It is possible, especially for a small window. The weak points of a DIY job are the cut and the fixings; a board held by ordinary external screws can be taken off just as easily as it went on. Avoid handling broken glass or attempting work at height. If you have been broken into, boarding must await police approval; for a big opening, have it done properly.
Someone turned up and boarded my property without being asked. Do I have to pay?
That invoice deserves advice before payment. Work on a property needs the owner's authorisation, and you are entitled to a price before anyone sets out. When a company attends and bills without being instructed, take advice on it instead of paying it outright.
Do you board up shops and commercial premises?
Yes. Shopfronts, office doors, industrial units and vacant premises are boarded on the same basis as domestic work. Commercial openings tend to be larger and sometimes need more than one board or work at height, which affects the price, so it helps to describe the opening when you call and we can price it properly.
What do you use to board up with?
Fitting to the measured opening rather than a standard size makes the finished job more secure and more weather tight.
Still have a question or need urgent assistance? Call 01928 611001, tell us what has happened and receive a current arrival estimate.