Property Damage Boarding Up in Epsom
When a window, door, shopfront or roof is damaged, the first job is to make the opening safe and secure. Permanent repairs come after that. This page covers property damage boarding up in Epsom for the three most common causes: a break-in, a fire and storm damage. Each has its own next steps. Find the one that matches what’s happened and you’ll know what to do first, what to tell us and what paperwork you’ll have afterwards.
A person answers our phone 24 hours a day. If the property is open to the weather or can’t be locked tonight, go straight to our 24-hour emergency boarding up page or call us.
What to do when a property opening is damaged
The first steps are the same whatever caused the damage:
- Keep people clear. Broken glass, a loose frame or a weakened door can fall or cut. Keep children, pets, customers and staff away from the area.
- Don’t take risks to tidy up. Leave large shards and anything hanging loose. We make glass and debris safe as part of the job.
- Stay off ladders and roofs. Don’t climb up to look at a skylight or roof opening. Tell us what you can see from the ground.
- Photograph the damage if it’s safe to do so. Your insurer will want a record of how things looked before any work started.
- Note the access. We’ll need to know whether it’s a ground-floor opening, an upper window, a rear door off a shared alley or a skylight. That information helps us bring the right materials.
Then call us. We’ll work out the arrival time from your postcode and give you a free, clear quote on the phone before any work starts.
Burglary and break-ins
After a break-in, the usual problem is a forced door, a damaged frame or lock, or a smashed window someone used to get in. Before you call us, do these things:
- Report it to the police and keep the crime reference number.
- Contact your insurer.
- Photograph the damage if it’s safe to do so.
Often the most urgent job is securing a damaged door so that the property can be locked again. If the frame is badly split, we’ll explain the options before fixing anything, because a frame that won’t hold screws needs a different approach from a clean opening. Broken glazing is boarded with exterior-grade plywood, typically 18mm, and security fixings.
Read more on our burglary repairs page, or see the method on our door boarding service.
Fire damage
After a fire, nobody should go back in until the fire service has handed the site back. We secure openings only once that’s happened. Fire often leaves windows blown out, doors burnt or forced by crews, and in some cases a damaged roof. Boarding those openings keeps out the weather and stops anyone getting into a building that may be unsafe.
Tell us on the call which openings are affected, how high they are and whether any part of the structure has been marked as unsafe. We work only on what can be reached safely. Smoke and odour cleaning is a separate specialist job and isn’t something we do.
See our fire damage page for what to expect.
Storm damage
Wind can break windows, snap a door from its hinges or lift and crack a skylight. Fallen branches can do the same. Stay away from any opening that’s moving or has glass hanging in it. Never climb onto the roof to check it.
Boarding a storm-damaged opening is mostly about keeping the rain and wind out and stopping the damage from spreading inside. Upper-floor windows and skylights take more planning because of access, so describe the position as well as you can and send photos taken from the ground. Our roof and skylight boarding covers those higher openings.
Our storm damage page goes through the steps in more detail.
What we need to know on the call
To give you a clear quote and the right materials, tell us:
- The postcode, so we can work out when we can get to you
- What’s damaged: window, door, shopfront glazing, skylight or roof opening
- Roughly how many openings, and how big they are
- Height and access: ground floor, upper floor, or roof level, and how we reach it
- Whether a door or frame needs securing before boarding
- Any glass or debris that needs making safe
- Safe photographs, if you can take them without going near the damage
If the building is in Epsom’s town centre conservation area, where many buildings on the High Street and its side streets are listed, please mention it. Where the frame allows, we can use non-destructive fixing so that the original joinery isn’t damaged more than it already has been.
What you receive
When we’ve finished, the damaged openings are boarded and secured, and you’ll have documentation for your insurer:
- An itemised invoice
- Time-stamped photographs from before and after the work
- A written statement of the work done
Your insurer decides what’s covered. We aren’t loss adjusters or legal advisers, but the paperwork gives them a clear record. Our insurance claims guide explains how to use it.
Boarding is the make-safe stage. It keeps the property secure and weatherproof while you arrange permanent glazing, doors or roof repairs.
Shops, offices and empty properties
The same steps apply to commercial premises. For a damaged shop window or glazed entrance, such as those on the older shop terraces along Waterloo Road and the High Street, see our shopfront boarding service. If a property is empty after damage and needs every ground-floor opening secured, vacant property security is the better fit.
Tell us what’s happened
Whatever the cause, the next step is the same. Give us the postcode, a description of the damaged openings and any photos you can take safely. We’ll talk through access, explain the options and give you a free quote before any work begins.