Emergency boarding up
Emergency Boarding Up in Lancing
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
L.M.N Locksmiths Lancing boards up smashed windows, forced doors and damaged openings across Lancing, 24 hours a day, so the property is secure until a permanent repair can be made. The boarding is temporary, it is usually done in one visit, and it means the property is not left open overnight.
There is no call-out charge. If the damage followed a break-in, wait until the police say work at the entry point may begin before anything is moved or boarded.
What Emergency Boarding Up Actually Is
A broken window, a forced door or a shattered shopfront leaves a building open. Boarding up temporarily closes the opening with measured boards to prevent entry and keep rain out; after a break-in, work must wait for police permission. It holds things together while the correct permanent repair is lined up.
Commercial contracts describe this work by its two objectives, and we follow the same order:
- first, the immediate safety of anyone near the broken glass
- then, the security of the property and protection from the weather
That framing is more useful than a vague promise to secure your property, because it tells you what the board is for. It is not a repair, and it will not replace the glass or the door.
Until the boarding is fitted, do not move loose glass or attempt to cover a large or unstable opening yourself. Describing what has been damaged when you ring gives us a fair idea of the work involved before we arrive.
If the damage came from a break-in, our guide on what to do after a burglary covers the other steps.
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.
How We Board Up a Damaged Opening
Boarding starts with a proper look, not with a saw. The method used depends on what has been damaged, how sound the surrounding structure is and what fixing points are available, so each opening is assessed before anything is fitted.
- Before any measuring, examine the opening, the frame and visible hazards to work out whether temporary boarding can be fitted safely and what work is likely to be required.
- Record any factors that may compromise safe access or stop the board fitting properly.
- Deal with loose glass or unstable material, only where it is safe and appropriate to do so.
- Measure the damaged opening, instead of relying on a standard board size, and fit the boarding with an approach that suits the structure, access and the extent of the damage.
- Inspect the boarding in place and describe what visibly needs to happen next, such as locksmith work, a door repair or replacement glazing.
The fixing method matters more than most people expect, since external ordinary screws let anyone take a board straight off.
Emergency boarding makes the damaged area safer and keeps the opening secure until the real repair is done. Who should carry out that permanent repair is explained next.
Will Your Insurance Cover Boarding Up?
Boarding up after a break-in, vandalism or storm damage is often covered, because securing the property counts as sensible action to limit further loss. Many home, landlord and commercial policies include it where temporary work is needed after an insured incident to prevent further access or damage. Even so, review your own policy wording and get in touch with your insurer as soon as practical, as cover, limits and claim requirements differ.
What to do 1. Where practical, call your insurer's emergency helpline before giving approval for the work. 2. If it is safe, capture photographs or a short video of the damage before work starts, but do not approach loose glass or an unstable opening for the sake of a photo. 3. Keep the crime reference number for your claim if the incident has been reported to the police. 4. File away all invoices and receipts for the temporary boarding and the repairs that follow.
When the property cannot safely remain exposed while you wait for a response, get police approval after a break-in before arranging temporary security, document the damage and follow the insurer's claims instructions as soon as possible.
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.
What Happens Once You Call
When you ring, the process runs like this. It is straightforward, and the more information you can safely give, the better we can understand the damage, explain the likely work and estimate when we can arrive.
Your description.
Let us know what is damaged, the approximate size of the opening and whether there is any broken glass. That detail makes the phone quote more accurate, because size and number of openings set the price.
Our quote.
A price, plus an honest arrival estimate.
The handover.
We tell you what the permanent repair will involve and which trade it falls to.
- Our purpose is to make the exposed opening secure for the time being.
We can evaluate locks, cylinders, handles and locking mechanisms to determine whether they need repairing or replacing. Resolving damage to doors and frames may involve a locksmith, replacement components or the services of a door-repair specialist. Where entry has been forced, deciding what to do next is something our burglary repair service can help with.
Boarding is a temporary protection. Arrange the permanent repair as soon as practical, and do not treat the board as a long-term substitute.
Locksmith pricing
Agree the Price Before Anyone Attends
There is a problem in this trade that rarely gets written about. Some boarding companies turn up at damaged properties without being asked, sometimes after the incident has been reported to the police or the council, carry out work nobody commissioned, then send an invoice worth several times what the job was worth and chase it hard. Nobody should be boarding your property without your authorisation. You should be given a price before anyone travels, and you are entitled to ask what the board is made of, how it will be fixed and what happens if you want it taken down.
Our position is simple. You get a price on the call.
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 Lancing
We board up damaged doors, windows and shopfronts for homeowners, landlords, letting agents and businesses across Lancing, because an open property cannot wait until morning.
Call-outs reach North Lancing, South Lancing and Lower Cokeham, the whole of BN15, the parts of BN43 around Lancing, and Sompting, which has its own page. The area is home to around 23,000 usual residents (Census 2021, ONS, output areas approximated to the built-up area). North Lancing is mostly houses, so the opening to be covered is usually a household's own window or door.
After a break-in, report it to Sussex Police on 101 or at https://www.sussex.police.uk. If anyone may still be inside, stay out and call 999. If the police cannot attend tonight, ring 101 and ask whether the property may be secured now.
See all areas we cover.
Emergency and planned locksmith services
Call L.M.N Locksmiths Lancing Now
Ring 01903 377061 at any hour. Calls are answered 24 hours a day, there is no call-out charge, and the price is agreed on the call before anyone travels.
- Phone: 01903 377061
01903 377061
Frequently Asked Questions
How quickly can you board up my property?
We take boarding call-outs 24 hours a day, including nights, weekends and bank holidays. Arrival depends on where you are in Lancing, the time of day and whether a technician is already on another job, and you are given an honest estimate on the call.
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?
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?
Possibly; many policies for homes and businesses cover boarding needed after damage. The reason may be a break-in, a storm or vandalism. Insurers commonly regard securing the property as a reasonable way to reduce further loss, although cover and limits differ. Read your wording and report the incident promptly.
Can I just board it up myself?
A small window, yes, with the right materials. The hard parts are cutting the board to the opening and fixing it so it cannot simply be unscrewed from outside, which ordinary screws allow. Avoid touching broken glass and avoid work at height. When the property has been broken into, wait for police clearance before boarding; get large openings done properly.
Someone turned up and boarded my property without being asked. Do I have to pay?
Seek advice first rather than paying straight away. You should never have work carried out on your property without authorising it, and you are entitled to a price before anyone travels. If a company has boarded and invoiced without instruction, advice is the sensible next step.
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?
Cutting to the opening rather than using a stock size is what makes the board secure and weather tight.
Still have a question or need urgent assistance? Call 01903 377061, tell us what has happened and receive a current arrival estimate.