A commercial glass claim in Penrith usually happens fast and messy: break-in, storm, vandalism, forklift. You are trying to trade or reopen while chasing insurers. This is the order we recommend running the claim in, from a glazier who does hundreds of these a year.
The first hour, before anything else
- Make the site safe. Cordon off the glass if there is anyone around. Do not sweep up until the assessor sees it, if you can help it.
- Photograph everything. Wide shots showing the whole frontage, close-ups of the damage, ground shots showing scattered glass. Timestamped photos from your phone are enough.
- Call your insurer’s 24/7 line. Get a claim number before you call anyone else.
- Call a glazier to make-safe. A make-safe is boarding, plying, or first-aid glass fitted temporarily. It is not the full replacement. Our 24/7 emergency glass service covers this any time day or night.
Why make-safe is separate from replacement
Insurers expect you to reduce further loss. If you leave a shopfront open overnight and something else gets stolen, they can decline further claim. Make-safe stops the bleeding. Full replacement can wait for the proper quote, glass fabrication, and assessor sign-off.
The paperwork the insurer will ask for
- The claim number and the policy number.
- The quote for full replacement, itemised by panel with dimensions and glass grade.
- The invoice for the make-safe, separate from the replacement invoice.
- Photos of the damage before make-safe.
- Any incident report (police report for break-ins, tenant statement for accidents).
We provide items 2 and 3 as a matter of course. You provide items 1, 4 and 5.
Direct billing to your insurer
Most commercial policies allow us to direct-bill the insurer once the claim number is confirmed and the excess is confirmed. You pay only the excess (if any) and the insurer pays the rest to us. This means:
- You are not out of pocket for the full amount.
- You do not need to chase reimbursement.
- The insurer gets one clean invoice from a licensed glazier, which is what they want.
We have direct-bill arrangements with all major commercial insurers active in NSW.
Lead times on a claim job
- Make-safe: within 2 hours during business hours, 4 hours after hours.
- Full quote to insurer: same business day.
- Assessor sign-off: usually 1 to 3 business days after quote submission.
- Replacement install: 1 to 3 days after sign-off for standard panes, 5 to 10 days for custom laminates or IGUs.
The claim traps we see most often
- Sweeping up before the assessor arrives. Robs you of visual evidence. Take photos first.
- Getting the make-safe done by one glazier and the replacement by another. Insurers hate it, the paperwork is messy, and you often end up paying for something twice.
- Not getting a police event number for break-ins. Some policies require it. Do it in the first 24 hours.
- Under-declaring the actual glass spec. If the broken pane was laminated and the quote says toughened, the insurer will flag it and delay payout.
Real Penrith claim jobs
Roughly a quarter of our commercial work is insurance-driven. We handle everything from single-pane shopfront breakages up to full multi-panel restoration after vehicle impact or storm damage. See commercial glazing services for the full scope.
Something broken? Call us first
Get us on-site to make-safe and quote, so you have the paperwork before the insurer chases it.
