How do I know if a broken window needs someone tonight?

Ask three things. Can someone get in through the opening? Is weather coming in, or heat pouring out? Could loose glass fall where people walk? A yes to any is worth an urgent visit. A cracked pane in a closed window can usually wait, taped.

What's a safe temporary cover I can put up myself?

Heavy plastic sheeting taped or stapled inside the frame keeps out rain and cold for a night. For a larger or ground-floor opening, plywood screwed over the outside is more secure. Wear gloves, don't lean on cracked glass, and leave pieces still held in the frame for the pro.

Can a window be boarded up at night, or does it wait until morning?

It can, if a pro who takes after-hours calls is available for your area. If no one can come until morning, cover the opening from inside, close that room's door and keep the heat on. A board-up first thing can include measuring for the new glass.

I rent the basement unit and my window broke. What do I do first?

Get safe, take photos and tell your landlord in writing if you can. The landlord normally arranges the repair. If they ask you to, you can send the request and give their name as the contact. If it's your bedroom window, say so, so the temporary cover suits a room you sleep in.

Urgent glass

Emergency glass and board-up

A window broken by a branch, a ball or a break-in needs the opening made safe now and new glass fitted properly later. We're a free referral service, not a glass company. We connect you with an independent local glass pro who handles urgent calls, and pass your request on as soon as it arrives. Whether someone can come tonight depends on that pro and the hour, so we won't promise a time. Non-urgent? See our window services.

Make it safe first
Board-up now, proper glass next
Honest about availability

Get a free quote 905-216-6105

Tonight or tomorrow

Does it need someone tonight? A quick check

The opening isn't secure

Glass is gone from a window or door someone could reach through.

Weather is getting in

Rain, snow or freezing rain is blowing in.

Glass is hanging

Large cracked pieces are loose over a walkway or doorway.

It can probably wait

One cracked pane in a closed double-pane window can usually wait. Tape it and book broken window glass repair.

Make it safe

Staying safe until help arrives

Move children and pets to another room. Wear sturdy shoes and thick gloves, and after a storm keep away from downed wires.

Photograph the window inside and out, and whatever caused the break, before sweeping up. Clear loose glass with a broom and stiff cardboard, then vacuum. Leave glass still in the frame for the pro unless it's about to fall.

Board-up

What board-up involves and what happens next

The opening is secured
Loose glass comes out and plywood or a rigid panel is screwed over the opening.
Measurements are taken
The pro measures for the permanent glass on the same visit.
New glass is made
New sealed units and tempered panes are ordered to size; the board stays until they arrive.
The glass is fitted
The board comes off and the new glass goes in. A damaged frame may need repair or a new window.

Storm damage

Storms, freezing rain and wind damage in Brampton

Gusty days and freezing rain come most winters, and many people here remember the May 2022 windstorm that brought down trees and power across the city.

After a windstorm, stay clear of hanging branches, then photograph and cover the opening. Damage is often more than one break: a branch can crack a sealed unit or bend a sash without shattering anything. Check that whole side of the house and list every piece in one request.

When a storm hits a wide area, pros get many calls at once, so covering the opening yourself buys time.

Rented units

Landlords and rented units: fast fixes and tenant safety

In a two-unit house, the broken window may be in someone else's home. Tenants tell the landlord first; with their agreement, a tenant can send the request.

Owners: rental licensing now applies to one-to-four-unit rental properties everywhere in Brampton, and a tenant's safety comes first. Our property managers page covers repairs across several units.

If it's a basement bedroom window, say so. Plywood over a bedroom's only window blocks the way out as well as the light; the pro can suggest a clear rigid cover instead.

What affects the quote

What shapes the cost of an emergency visit

The urgent visit and the permanent glass are usually quoted separately.

Time of the call: evenings, nights and weekends
Size, number and height of openings to cover
Frame damage as well as glass
The new glass: single pane, sealed unit, tempered or laminated
Cleanup and disposal

Ask for the board-up and the permanent repair as separate lines on a written quote, so your insurer can see each.

Request urgent glass help

Free to request; each pro sets their own rates.

Insurance

Insurance photos and paperwork

Whether insurance pays for the board-up and the glass depends on your policy and the cause, so phone your insurer before booking the permanent glass and ask if they need to sign off on it. Keep before-cleanup photos, any police report number, the board-up invoice and the glass quote together.

For a shop or plaza unit, see storefront glass and our commercial glass pages.

Questions

Emergency glass questions

Explore your options

Local pros take urgent glass calls across Brampton, including in Snelgrove, Downtown Brampton, Bramalea, Heart Lake and Springdale.

Tell us what's broken

Say which window or door it is, roughly how big, and whether the opening is secure. Mention a rented unit or bedroom. It goes straight to a local pro who handles urgent calls.