Burglary Repairs in Epsom: Making Your Property Secure After a Break-In
After a burglary in Epsom, the first job is to close up the forced door or broken window so the property is secure again. Boarding Up Epsom answers the phone 24 hours a day, and we’ll board and secure your home, shop or office before permanent repairs are arranged. Call 01372 656234 and give us your postcode. We’ll work out when we can arrive and give you a free, clear quote before any work starts.
What to do first after a break-in
Your own safety comes before the damage. If you think someone may still be inside, stay out and call 999. Once it’s safe:
- Report it to the police and keep the crime reference number. Your insurer will ask for it.
- Follow any instructions the police give you about the scene before anything is cleared or boarded.
- Keep away from broken glass. Keep children and pets out of the room. Don’t try to pull loose shards from a frame.
- Photograph the damage if it’s safe, including the forced door, the lock, the frame and any broken panes.
- Contact your insurer to tell them what’s happened and ask what they need from you.
You don’t need to have done all of this before you ring us. Many people call us first because a door won’t close or a window is open to the street. We can talk you through the order on the phone.
How we make the property safe after a burglary
Burglary repairs usually begin with the opening the intruder used. That is often a back door, a patio door, a ground-floor window or a shop’s front glazing.
Forced doors, frames and locks
A door that has been kicked or levered often has a split frame, a damaged lock or hinges pulled loose. Boarding over a door that still swings, or one fixed into a frame that’s coming away, doesn’t secure anything. We look at the door and frame first. Where the frame is sound, we secure the door and board over it. Where the frame is too badly damaged, we explain the options on site before we fix anything. That way you agree the approach knowing why it’s needed. Our door boarding and forced-entry securing page covers this in more detail.
Broken windows and glazing
For smashed or cracked panes, we make the glass safe and board the opening. We normally use exterior-grade plywood, typically 18mm, and OSB for smaller openings. Security fixings make the boards harder to remove from outside. Where the frame allows, we use non-destructive fixings so the frame is in better condition for the glazier. See window boarding in Epsom for how we approach different window types.
Shops, offices and restaurants
A commercial break-in often means a damaged shopfront or a forced rear door. Many High Street, Waterloo Road and South Street premises sit in older terraces, and a number of buildings in the town centre conservation area are listed. If yours is one of them, tell us on the call. Where the frame allows, we’ll favour fixings that do less damage to it.
What to tell us on the call
The more we know, the more accurate your quote. Please have ready:
- Your postcode and the property type: house, flat, shop, office or other premises.
- Which openings are damaged and roughly how big they are.
- Whether the door or frame is damaged, not just the glass.
- Height and access: ground floor, upper floor, or anything that needs a ladder.
- How much glass or debris there is to make safe.
- Safe photographs, if you can take them without going near broken glass. You can email us the photos if that’s easier.
These details also set the price. The quote depends on the number and size of openings, height and access, materials and board thickness, fixing method, whether a door or frame needs securing first, and how much glass and debris needs clearing. You’ll have the figure before we start.
On the visit
We have over 10 years’ experience. We’re fully insured, with a certificate available on request, and DBS-checked, which matters when someone is working in your home straight after a break-in. The van carries boarding stock and fixings. On arrival we:
- Check the damaged openings and confirm the agreed work with you.
- Take time-stamped “before” photographs.
- Make loose glass and debris safe.
- Secure any damaged door or frame, then board the opening with the agreed fixings.
- Take “after” photographs once the work is done.
You’re left with secured openings and a property you can lock up. Boarding is the make-safe stage: it holds the property securely while your glazier or door fitter arranges the permanent repair.
Paperwork for your insurer
After the job you receive:
- An itemised invoice for the boarding and securing work
- Time-stamped before and after photographs
- A written statement of the work carried out
Together with your crime reference number, this gives your insurer a clear record of the damage and what was done to secure it. Your insurer decides what’s covered. We aren’t loss adjusters or legal advisers, but our guide to insurance claims after boarding up explains how the paperwork fits together.
When it’s the middle of the night
Break-ins are often found late in the evening or early in the morning. A person answers our phone 24 hours a day, and we attend at night, at weekends and on bank holidays. Arrival times are worked out on the call from your postcode, so we don’t publish them. If you need someone out of hours, our 24-hour emergency boarding up page explains what to expect.
We cover Epsom and nearby places including Stoneleigh, Langley Vale and Epsom Downs. We confirm coverage for your address on the call.
Get your property secure
If your door has been forced or a window broken, ring us with your postcode, the type and size of the damaged openings, and a note of any access issues. Have safe photos ready to send. We’ll discuss what’s needed and give you a free, clear quote before any work begins.