Burglary Repairs

When you call us after a break-in, we treat the job as the highest priority on the board and dispatch the nearest engineer immediately. The first hour on site is about making safe: boarding up any smashed glass, fitting temporary locks to any forced door, securing any window that has been levered open, and walking the property with you to identify every entry and exit point that needs immediate attention.

Temporary security is fitted before any permanent work. That means OSB or plywood boarding cut to size, screwed to internal frames so no fixings are visible from the street, with weather sealing where needed. A temporary cylinder or padbolt is fitted to any door that no longer locks. The property is then secure enough for you to leave it overnight while the insurer is contacted and permanent repairs scheduled.

Every burglary repair includes a written security report and a photographic record that we email to you the same day. The report itemises every point of entry, the damage observed, the immediate make-safe work completed, the permanent repairs proposed, and the British Standard / Kitemark of every replacement part. Photos cover damaged hardware, damaged frames or glass, the temporary security fitted, and the finished permanent repairs.

This is the documentation pack your insurer needs to settle the claim without delays or queries. Our pricing is itemised and VAT-receipted. We are familiar with the loss adjustment processes of every major UK home insurer (Aviva, Direct Line, LV=, Admiral, Hastings, NFU, AXA, Hiscox) and will speak to your loss adjuster directly if it helps move the claim forward.

Permanent repairs are normally scheduled within 24–48 hours of the make-safe visit. Common works include: replacement of damaged UPVC, composite or timber doors; replacement of damaged frames or sub-frames; replacement of all locks on the affected door (cylinder, multipoint mechanism, handle); installation of British Standard mortice deadlocks and TS007 3-star anti-snap cylinders to insurance standard; re-glazing of any smashed sealed units; and reinforcement of weak points with London bars, hinge bolts and sash jammers.

We work with trusted local glaziers and door manufacturers across Slough, Reading, Maidenhead, Oxford and the Heathrow corridor so we can normally have a like-for-like replacement door on order within 24 hours of the make-safe visit. Where the original door was sub-standard (for example a builder's-grade door with no anti-snap cylinder) we will replace it with a properly secure equivalent and itemise the upgrade for your insurer.

Burglary victims are statistically more likely to be targeted again within 12 months than households that have not previously been burgled. Burglars share information, return when they know stolen items have been replaced by insurance, and test how quickly weaknesses have been addressed. Every burglary repair job we attend includes a free top-to-bottom security review of every other entry point on the property — no upsell pressure, just honest advice.

Common recommendations after a burglary: TS007 3-star anti-snap cylinder upgrades on every street-facing door, London bars on inward-opening doors, hinge bolts on outward-opening doors, sash jammers on French and patio doors, key-locking window handles on all ground floor and accessible upper-floor windows, communal door cylinder upgrades in flats, garage side door deadbolts, and CCTV / smart lock recommendations if you want to layer in tech alongside physical security.

Boarding up the front of your home is genuinely unpleasant — it signals to the street and to the criminals who may come back that the property has been hit. Our boarding work is done as neatly as a temporary measure can be: OSB or plywood cut to exact size, fitted from the inside where possible, painted matte black or white to blend with the surroundings, sealed against weather, with internal locks fitted so the door still functions for you while you wait for the permanent repair.

Where the broken glass is part of a door, we can normally fit a temporary timber panel that allows the door to be used normally with a key. Where the broken glass is a window, we fit a temporary sealed panel that keeps the heat in and the weather out. None of this is left in place longer than necessary — the permanent repair is normally completed within 24–48 hours.

If the police have attended, they may have asked you not to touch certain areas while forensics are completed. We coordinate with the attending officer or the SOCO (scene of crime officer) so that our make-safe work does not disturb evidence. Where a door or lock is being replaced and the original may be needed as evidence, we bag and retain the original hardware for handover to the investigating officer.

If you have not yet reported the burglary, we strongly recommend you do so on 101 (or 999 if it is still in progress) before we start work. The crime reference number is what your insurer will ask for, and statistically reported burglaries are more likely to result in property recovery than unreported ones. We can attend while you are still on the phone to the police — there is no need to wait.

Emergency call-out and boarding-up: from £149. Replacement UPVC or composite door: from £700 supplied and fitted depending on style and brand. Replacement timber door: from £600 supplied and fitted. Full multipoint mechanism replacement: £249–£349 fitted. TS007 3-star anti-snap cylinder fitted to insurance standard: £119–£139 per door. 5-lever BS3621 mortice deadlock: £159–£189 fitted. Re-glazing of smashed sealed unit: from £180 fitted depending on size.

All work is itemised, VAT-receipted and supplied with a written 12-month guarantee on parts and labour. Insurance settlements are typically based on these published rates and we will speak to your loss adjuster directly if helpful.

We cover Slough (SL1, SL2, SL3), Reading (RG1–RG6, RG30, RG31), Oxford (OX1–OX4), Windsor (SL4), Maidenhead (SL6), Bracknell (RG12, RG42), Heathrow (TW6, UB7), Harrow (HA1–HA3), Uxbridge (UB8, UB10) and Staines (TW18, TW19), with the same fixed pricing 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Average attendance into our core West London, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire coverage area is 20–40 minutes. Engineers are positioned across Slough, Langley, Iver, Uxbridge, Hayes, Heathrow, Staines, Windsor, Maidenhead, Bracknell, Reading, Earley, Tilehurst, Oxford, Harrow and the M4/M40/M25 corridor so we are almost never further than 20 minutes from your door.

Burglary callouts are treated as our highest-priority emergency category. Typical attendance is under one hour in our core coverage area, day or night, weekend or bank holiday. There is no surcharge for evenings or weekends on emergency burglary work.