Boarding Up FAQs

If you need emergency boarding up in South East London and you’re not sure what happens next, these boarding up FAQs will help. Below you’ll find clear answers about the process, timings, safety, insurance and what to expect when our team secures your property.

If your situation is urgent, please do not wait—Call 020 4538 1506 for 24/7 emergency boarding up and emergency securing across SE postcodes.

We cover all of South East London, including areas such as Greenwich, Lewisham, Woolwich, Deptford, Peckham, Camberwell, Abbey Wood, Catford and every SE postcode.

General boarding up questions

What is boarding up and when do I need it?

Boarding up is the process of covering and securing broken or vulnerable openings—usually windows, doors, shopfronts, roofs or skylights—with strong timber or steel so the property is safe and secure.

You’ll typically need boarding up if:

A window or door has been smashed in a burglary, accident or vandalism
Your shopfront glass has been broken
Storm or fire damage has left openings exposed
A property is vacant or empty and at risk of trespass or further damage

If you’d like a fuller explanation, our guide on what boarding up is goes into more detail about methods and materials.

What is the process for emergency boarding up?

For most emergency boarding up jobs in South East London, the process is:

Call us with a brief description of what’s happened and your SE postcode.
We ask a few quick safety questions (e.g. broken glass, exposed electrics, fire damage).
We arrive with materials and assess the damage.
We make safe first (clearing loose glass and hazards).
We measure, cut and fit plywood or OSB boarding using anti-tamper fixings so it can’t be easily removed from outside.
If needed, we fit temporary steel doors or steel security screens for higher-risk or vacant properties.
We take time-stamped photos and provide an itemised invoice to help with any insurance claim.

You can see more about the steps and options on our main boarding up services in South East London page.

What areas of South East London do you cover?

We cover all SE postcodes and nearby zones, including:

SE1 – Southwark, Bankside, Elephant and Castle, Bermondsey
SE2–SE28 – from Abbey Wood, Thamesmead and Woolwich through to Sidcup, Eltham, Lewisham, Catford and Sydenham
Central and riverside locations such as Greenwich, Deptford, Rotherhithe and South Bank

You can see a full list of neighbourhoods we serve on our areas we cover page.

Are you really available 24/7?

Yes. We offer 24 hour boarding up and 24/7 emergency securing across South East London.

We don’t promise exact arrival times, because traffic and job complexity can vary, but we always prioritise:

Late-night and early-morning emergencies
Unsafe situations (exposed glass, easy access, vulnerable occupants)

If you need an emergency board up near me anywhere in SE, please call 020 4538 1506 and we’ll dispatch a team as quickly as we can.

Are your technicians vetted and insured?

Yes. All our boarding up technicians:

Are DBS-checked
Work under our public liability insurance
Follow safe working practices and risk-assessed methods on site

We’ve been providing boarding up services in South East London for over 10 years, and we stand behind our workmanship with clear guarantees and friendly aftercare.

Cost, quotes and insurance

How much does it cost to board up a window in South East London?

There’s no single fixed price because the cost depends on several factors, including:

Size and number of windows or doors
Height and access (ground floor vs ladders or access towers)
Material type and thickness (e.g. 11–18mm plywood or OSB)
Whether temporary steel doors or security screens are required
Time of day/night and urgency
Location within South East London

For that reason we don’t publish fixed or indicative prices, but we do give clear, no-obligation quotes before starting work. You can read more about cost factors on our boarding up prices page.

What’s included in your boarding up prices?

A typical quote for emergency boarding up includes:

Labour for making-safe and installing the boarding
Materials – plywood/OSB, battens and anti-tamper fixings
Basic removal of loose and dangerous glass from the opening
Time-stamped photos of the damage and the finished work (for insurers)
An itemised invoice and short work description

If you need additional services, such as temporary steel doors or medium-term vacant property boarding, we’ll discuss and quote these clearly before going ahead.

Is boarding up covered by insurance?

For many home and commercial policies, emergency boarding up after an insured event—such as burglary, storm damage, fire or accidental impact—is covered, but it depends on your policy.

We recommend:

Calling your insurer as soon as the property is safe
Asking where to send our invoice and photos
Keeping your policy number and claim reference handy

We can’t give legal or policy advice, but we do provide insurance-ready paperwork and simple supporting details. See our dedicated page on insurance support for boarding up in South East London for a step-by-step outline.

What paperwork do you provide for insurance claims?

To support your insurance claim, we can provide:

Time-stamped photos before and after boarding up
An itemised invoice showing labour, materials and location
A brief statement of works (what we found and what we did)

If the police were involved (for example, after a break-in), please keep your police reference number too—your insurer will usually ask for it.

Materials, methods and security

What materials do you use for boarding up?

We mainly use:

Plywood or OSB (Oriented Strand Board) sheets
- Typically 11–18mm thickness depending on risk and span
Supporting timbers where needed for strength
Anti-tamper fixings that can’t easily be undone from outside

For higher-risk or medium-term security, we can also supply:

Temporary steel doors – lockable, robust access for residents or contractors
Steel security screens / Sitex-style screens – especially for vacant or void properties

You can learn more about our approach for different openings on our pages for window boarding in South East London and door boarding up.

What are anti-tamper fixings?

Anti-tamper fixings are screw or bolt heads designed so they:

Can be driven in securely from the inside or by our technicians
Are very difficult to undo from the outside with basic tools

This makes it much harder for someone to simply unscrew the boards and gain access, giving you better security while you arrange permanent repairs.

Do you always use non-destructive securing methods?

Our first choice is always non-destructive securing wherever it’s safe and practical to do so. That usually means:

Fixing boards into existing frames or reveals
Using existing anchor points where possible
Avoiding unnecessary drilling into brickwork or door frames

However, in some situations (for example, when the frame is shattered or there is structural damage), we may need to fix into brick or blockwork to make the property genuinely safe. We’ll explain this on site before we proceed.

How secure is temporary boarding compared to glass?

Quality plywood or OSB, installed correctly with anti-tamper fixings, can be more resistant to forced entry than a standard glazed unit, especially if the glass has already failed.

For higher-risk situations—such as repeated vandalism, very exposed shopfronts or empty buildings—we may recommend:

Temporary steel doors instead of re-using a damaged door
Steel security screens for larger windows or vulnerable access points

You can read about longer-term options on our vacant property boarding in South East London page.

Timing, duration and follow-up repairs

How long does it take to board up a property?

It depends on the size and complexity of the job, but in many emergency cases:

A single smashed window can often be boarded in under an hour once we’re set up
A typical shopfront or multiple openings can take a few hours

Set-up time can increase if:

Access is high or awkward
There is widespread broken glass to remove safely
The damage affects several rooms or elevations

Our priority is to make your property safe and secure as efficiently as possible, without cutting corners.

How quickly can you come out?

We provide fast boarding up services across South East London, 24/7. Response times vary with:

Your exact location and traffic
How many urgent jobs are active
The complexity of your situation

We don’t quote guaranteed ETAs, but when you call we’ll give you a realistic expectation and keep you updated. For urgent help, please call 020 4538 1506.

How long can I leave my property boarded up?

Timber boarding is designed as a temporary solution, but in practice many people leave it in place for days or weeks while:

Replacement doors or glass are manufactured
Insurers arrange permanent repairs
Builders or glaziers schedule follow-up works

For long-term vacant or void buildings, we often recommend upgrading from timber to steel security screens and temporary steel doors for better durability and security. Discuss your timeframe with us and we’ll advise on the best option.

Do you also replace glass or doors?

We are first and foremost a boarding up and emergency securing service. Our core work is to:

Make the property safe
Secure openings quickly and reliably

In some cases we can coordinate with partner glaziers (“board & glaze” solutions) or work alongside your chosen contractors. If you already have an emergency glazier attending, we can still provide boarding if there is a delay on glass replacement.

Property and situation-specific questions

Can you secure my home after a break-in?

Yes. We regularly provide post-burglary boarding up for homes and flats across South East London. This can include:

Boarding or bracing damaged doors and frames
Boarding smashed windows
Fitting a temporary secure door where a door is beyond repair
Taking photos and providing paperwork for insurers

See our dedicated page on post-burglary boarding up in South East London for advice on what to do after a break-in.

What should I do if my shop window is smashed?

If your shopfront glass has been smashed:

Keep staff and customers away from the broken area.
If there’s a crime in progress or you feel unsafe, call the police first.
Take quick photos if safe to do so.
Call us for shopfront boarding in South East London to secure the front and protect stock.

We can work out-of-hours to minimise disruption to trade. Learn more on our shopfront boarding service and vandalism repair pages.

Can you help with storm, fire or flood damage?

Yes. We provide emergency boarding up for a wide range of situations, including:

Storm damage boarding – blown-out windows, damaged doors and roof & skylight boarding with temporary weatherproofing
Fire damage boarding – securing windows, doors and other access points once the fire service has confirmed the property is safe to enter
Flood damage securing – boarding broken windows and doors, while taking care around swollen frames and electrics

For situation-specific guidance, see:

Do you clear up broken glass?

We always remove loose and dangerous glass from the opening we are securing and from immediate walking areas needed to work safely.

Extensive glass clean-up (across large areas, soft furnishings, carpets, etc.) may need a specialist cleaning company, but we’ll make sure:

The immediate area around the damaged opening is safe to walk
No loose shards remain in the frame before we board up

Safety and access questions

Is it safe to stay in the property after boarding up?

In many cases, yes—once openings are securely boarded and hazards are removed, it’s often safe to stay, provided:

There is no ongoing fire or structural risk
Electrics and gas are safe (especially after flood or fire)
You feel comfortable with the level of security

If there is any doubt about structural safety or utilities, you should follow advice from the emergency services, your insurer, or a qualified electrician/builder.

Do I need to be on site when you arrive?

If possible, it’s best for someone responsible for the property to be present to:

Show us the damage and discuss options
Confirm which doors/windows we are authorised to board
Receive and check our paperwork

For vacant properties or landlord instructions, we can often work with keyholders, agents or site managers. Our team are DBS-checked and used to liaising with managing agents and facilities teams.

What if there is no power or lighting?

We carry our own battery lighting and tools, so we can still work safely even if:

The power has been cut off after a fire or flood
The property is vacant and has no active supply

We’ll assess safety carefully before we start—if any situation is unsafe to work in, we will explain and agree the next steps with you.

Still have questions?

If your question isn’t covered in these boarding up FAQs, our team are happy to help with clear, practical advice tailored to your situation.

Need help now? Call 020 4538 1506 or Email us.

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