Broken window at home: make it safe, then get it replaced

A ball through the window, a slammed door, a break-in: broken glass always happens at the worst time. Here's what to do in the first hour, how the repair works, what it costs and, if you rent, who pays.

The first hour

1. 0–4 s Keep people and pets away. Leave cracked or unstable glass alone.
2. 4–8 s A glazier secures the opening temporarily.
3. 8–12 s Replacement glass is made to the measured size and fitted professionally.
4. 12–16 s New glass is fitted within the existing frame where the frame is suitable for reuse.

1. Keep everyone back. Children and pets first. Glass travels further than you think.
2. Shoes and gloves on. Pick up the large pieces by hand, carefully, and put them in a box rather than a bin bag, which they will cut through. Vacuum the small pieces.
3. Leave cracked glass in the frame alone. Tape across it if it's loose. Don't try to knock it out.
4. Take photos of the damage before you clean up, for your insurer or your landlord.
5. Cover the opening if it's open to the weather or lets someone in. Plastic sheet and tape will do for a small pane. For a door or a large window, call a glazier to board it up.

Make it safe, then make it right

Most broken glass is fixed in two steps. First the opening is made safe: boarded up or fitted with temporary glass. Then the permanent glass is cut to size and fitted, often a few days later. It also gives you time to talk to your insurer before the second step.

1. 

   1

   Step 1 of 3

   Keep back

   Keep people and pets away. Leave cracked or unstable glass alone.

2. 

   2

   Step 2 of 3

   Secure the opening

   A glazier covers the opening so the home is secure while the new glass is made.

3. 

   3

   Step 3 of 3

   New glass, made to measure

   The replacement glass is cut to the measured size and fitted into the existing frame where the frame is suitable.

Typical Melbourne prices are about $150 to $600 for an emergency board-up (often around $350) and about $300 to $800 for a standard single-glazed window supplied and fitted. Toughened glass costs more. We price each piece of glass once it's measured, and quote in writing before any work starts.

The right glass for the spot

New glass has to suit where it goes. Doors, the panels beside doors, low windows and bathrooms need safety glass: toughened glass, which breaks into small blunt pieces, or laminated glass, which holds together when it cracks. A replacement is also a good chance to upgrade, for example to laminated glass for security or double glazing for warmth. Our guide to laminated vs toughened glass explains the difference.

If the broken pane was half of a double-glazed unit, the whole unit is replaced. See our guide to fog between double-glazed panes for how that works.

If you rent: who pays?

In Victoria the rental provider is generally responsible for repairs, unless the renter or a guest caused the damage.

Urgent repairs include faults that make the home unsafe or insecure. No official list names broken glass in so many words, but a broken window or glass door that leaves the home open, unsafe or unable to lock is likely to count. If you rent:

1. Tell your rental provider or agent straight away, in writing, with photos.
2. If they don't act promptly, you can arrange the urgent repair yourself, up to $2,500 including GST.
3. Give them written notice of the repair and the cost within 7 days, and keep the invoice. They must pay you back for reasonable costs within 7 days of that notice.

Rental minimum standards also require openable external windows to have working latches. These are the rules as Consumer Affairs Victoria sets them out; check there for your situation.

Property managers: we quote and work with agents as well as owners.

Glass at a shop or office?

Commercial glass has its own rules on who pays. See our safety glass replacement page for shops and offices.

Call us for urgent broken glass

For urgent broken glass, call us on 0410 107 794, 24/7. For everything else, see our window and door repairs or ask for a glass replacement quote.