Emergency boarding up
Runcorn Emergency Boarding Up
If a window, door or shopfront is open to the street right now, call rather than book: an exposed opening should not wait until morning. Runcorn Locksmith takes boarding calls at any hour, every day of the year.
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 Tonight
Runcorn Locksmith boards up smashed windows, forced doors and other damaged openings across Runcorn, day and night, so the property is secure until a permanent repair can be made. Boarding is a stopgap, not the fix, and that is its value: it closes the gap tonight.
A board up is quick, normally finished in a single visit, and it means the building is not left open overnight. There is no call-out charge. If the damage came from a break-in, our burglary repairs page covers the lock and door side, and for anything else urgent see our emergency locksmith service.
What Emergency Boarding Up Actually Is
Emergency boarding up means closing off a broken or open part of a building, usually a window, door or shopfront, with boards cut and fixed in place so nobody can get through and the weather stays out. In most cases a damaged opening can be made secure this way while the right permanent repair is organised. The work has two aims, in this order:
- Safety first: deal with the broken glass so nobody is hurt.
- Then security and weather: cover the opening, restrict further access and cut down exposure to wind and rain until the proper repair is done.
What it is not: a repair. It does not replace new glass or a new door. In the meantime, do not move loose glass or attempt to cover a large or unstable opening yourself. If the damage followed a break-in, read what to do after a burglary before anything is touched, then call us.
When You Need Emergency Boarding Up
Most people link boarding with burglary, but it is not limited to burglary damage. You may need it whenever damage leaves a home, a rented property or business premises exposed and the opening cannot be put right straight away.
After a break-in
A forced door or smashed window can leave the property open to someone getting in again, and a building broken into once can be targeted twice. Boarding secures the gap while permanent burglary repairs are assessed. Where the police ask, we work around the entry point. Report the break-in to Cheshire Constabulary on 101 or at https://www.cheshire.police.uk first.
Vandalism or a smashed window
Criminal damage may leave broken glass and an unsecured opening even though nobody got inside. Boarding closes it and makes the area safe until a glazier can replace the pane. Ground-floor windows, side doors and outbuildings are the usual targets. For the locking side,.
Storm or accidental damage
High winds, a falling branch, a ball through the glass or a door blown back on its hinges can all damage windows, doors and frames. Nothing criminal has happened, but the property is still open. Boarding keeps out passers-by and the weather until the repair is done.
A door that cannot be repaired the same visit
When a door, frame or locking part is too badly damaged to fix on the first visit, or a part must be ordered, boarding may secure the opening in the meantime. A failed locking part may also need an urgent lock repair; split frames on forced uPVC door locks are a common case.
Empty or between-tenancy property
A broken opening at a vacant property lets people in and lets wind or rain in unnoticed. Landlords, letting agents and property managers use an emergency board up on a vacant property to keep it secure until the permanent repair is booked. Call us to arrange it.
How We Board Up a Damaged Opening
Every opening is assessed before any board goes up, because the right method depends on what is broken, the state of the surrounding structure and where fixings can go. The technician looks over the opening, the frame and any visible hazards, and flags anything that could make access unsafe or stop a board fitting properly. Being specific about method is what separates proper work from a sheet screwed over a hole.
Make it safe.
Loose or broken glass is cleared first, so nobody is cut, and unstable material is handled only where that is safe and appropriate.
Measure.
The opening is measured as it is, not matched to a standard size.
Cut to fit.
Boards are cut to the measured opening so there are no gaps at the edges.
Fix securely.
Boards are fixed so they cannot simply be unscrewed from outside. A board held on with ordinary exterior screws can come off in a minute, which defeats the point.
Check before leaving.
The finished board is tested to make sure it is secure and weather tight.
[CLIENT TO CONFIRM: board material and thickness, whether anti-tamper or internal fixings are standard, and whether steel screens can be supplied.] Call us to talk through your opening.
Boarding Up Is Temporary. What Happens After?
Boarding buys you time; it does not finish the job. Once the opening is secure, the next step depends on where the permanent repair sits: the locking system, the door or frame, or the glass itself.
If it is a lock, a door, a frame or a mechanism, that is our work. We can repair it or carry out a lock replacement, often on a return visit once parts are in, whether that is a forced door after burglary repairs or a damaged mechanism on uPVC door locks. If it is the glass or a sealed unit, that is a glazier's job, not ours. We will board it up and make it secure, and you will need a glazier to reglaze it.
A board is meant to last days or a few weeks, not months. Left up for a long time, weather eventually gets in around the fixings, so book the permanent repair promptly.
Locksmith pricing
Agree the Price Before Anyone Attends
There is a problem in this trade that rarely gets mentioned. Some boarding firms turn up at damaged properties uninvited, sometimes following a police or council report, carry out work nobody asked for, then send an invoice for many times what the job was worth and chase it hard. Nobody should board your property without your say-so. You should hear a price before anyone sets off, and you are entitled to ask what the board is, how it will be fixed and what happens when you want it taken down.
Our position is simple. We price the job on the call, we only come out when you ask us to, and the figure does not change on arrival unless the damage proves materially different from what you described. For more on this, see how to choose a trustworthy locksmith.
What affects the cost?
Service required, time of attendance, lock and door type, labour and parts.
Will Your Insurance Cover Boarding Up?
Many home, landlord and business policies cover emergency boarding when temporary work is needed to stop further access or damage after an insured event such as forced entry, vandalism or a storm. Cover, limits and claim conditions vary, so read your policy and contact your insurer as soon as you reasonably can, using their emergency helpline before you authorise work where that is practical. If it is safe, photograph or video the damage before work starts, but do not approach loose glass or an unstable opening to obtain evidence. If the incident has been reported to the police, retain the crime reference number for your claim, and keep every invoice and receipt for the boarding and later repairs. If the property cannot safely remain exposed while you wait for a response, arrange the temporary security needed, document the damage and follow the insurer's claims instructions as soon as possible. We provide an itemised invoice describing the damage, the work done and the materials used. [CLIENT TO CONFIRM: itemised invoicing as standard.] More on claims after a break-in is on our burglary repairs page and in what to do after a burglary.
Locksmith pricing
What Does Emergency Boarding Up Cost?
We do not publish a set boarding price, because the cost of emergency boarding up depends on the opening and what it takes to secure it. One small window that is easy to reach is a very different job from a wide doorway, a shopfront or several broken openings, so a single small window is the cheapest job and large or multiple openings cost the most. What decides the emergency board up cost:
- the size and type of opening
- how many openings need boarding
- how much the frame or surrounding structure is damaged
- how easily and safely the opening can be reached, including any work at height
- whether the property is domestic or commercial, and the time of day you call
There is no call-out charge at any hour, which matters here because separate call-out fees are common in boarding work. You get the price on the call, and if something on site changes it, you are told before work begins. Normal working hours are Monday to Friday, 7am to 6pm. 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. [CLIENT TO CONFIRM: whether a VAT-inclusive starting price for boarding up can be published.]
Call 01928 611001
What affects the cost?
Service required, time of attendance, lock and door type, labour and parts.
What Happens When You Call
Arranging an emergency board up takes one phone call.
- Tell us what is damaged, roughly how big the opening is and whether there is broken glass, because boarding is priced on the size and number of openings.
- We give you a price and an honest estimate of when we can get there. [PROVIDER PACK: arrival ranges for Runcorn]
- A technician [CLIENT TO CONFIRM: DBS checks for technicians] makes the area safe, measures and fits the boarding, and checks it is secure before leaving.
- We explain what the permanent repair involves: locksmith work, a part replacement or a door-repair specialist for a damaged door or frame, or a glazier to measure and fit new glass, and we ask you to arrange it soon, as boarding is no long-term substitute.
You can also contact us online.
Emergency Boarding Up Across Runcorn
We board up damaged doors, windows and shopfronts for homeowners, landlords, letting agents and businesses across Runcorn.
An open property cannot sit until morning, so we cover the whole of WA7, from Higher Runcorn and Halton Lea across to Grange, Dukesfield, Halton Brook and The Brow. [CLIENT TO CONFIRM: genuine coverage areas] With around 61,600 usual residents in the town (Census 2021, ONS, built-up area), the calls vary: Higher Runcorn, Grange, Halton Brook and The Brow are mostly houses, while around Dukesfield there is much private renting, so tenants there should tell their landlord or letting agent as well as calling us. Until we arrive, keep people and pets clear of broken or loose glass and do not try to remove it yourself. There is no call-out charge, you hear the price before we set off, and we work nights, weekends and bank holidays.
Emergency and planned locksmith services
Call Runcorn Locksmith Now
We answer 24 hours a day with no call-out charge, and the price is agreed before anyone travels. Tell us whether the damage affects a window, door or shopfront, approximately how large the opening is and whether loose or broken glass is present; a technician will check the opening and its hazards, fit suitable boarding where the structure and access allow, and explain the next step before leaving.
01928 611001 · [CLIENT TO CONFIRM: WhatsApp availability] · contact us
01928 611001
Frequently Asked Questions
Still have a question or need urgent assistance? Call 01928 611001, tell us what has happened and receive a current arrival estimate.