Repairs
Window hinge, handle and lock repair
Windows that are stiff, that have dropped, that will not lock or that whistle in the wind are almost always a hardware or seal problem rather than a frame problem. Hinges, handles, locking mechanisms and gaskets are all replaceable parts, typically £60 to £200 per window fitted.
The frame usually outlives the moving parts. On a twenty-year-old window the hinges and handles are the components at the end of their life, not the profile.
Indicative guide, not a quote
per repair, parts and labour
£60 – £250
These figures come from published industry price guides, not official statistics, and several of those sources are installers or comparison sites with a commercial interest. They are a starting point for a conversation, not a quote. Your installer sets the actual price after measuring.
MyJobQuote door installation cost guides · checked 2026-10-09
The parts that wear out
- Friction hinges. The stays that carry the sash. They seize, they wear, and a heavy sash eventually drops on them.
- Espagnolette locks. The long strip with the cams. The gearbox fails the same way a door one does.
- Handles. The cheapest part to replace and the one people put up with for years.
- Gaskets. The rubber seals harden and shrink, which is where a draught on a sealed-looking window comes from.
- Trickle vents. Covers break and whistle; they are replaceable on their own.
Draughts are usually not the glass
A draught on a modern window is nearly always a compression problem: the gasket has hardened, or the sash is no longer pulling tight against it because the hinges have worn.
New gaskets and adjusted or replaced hinges will usually cure it, and that is a different order of cost from new windows.
Finding parts for an older system
The honest limit on repair is parts availability. Profile systems come and go, and some hardware for 1990s windows is no longer made.
A repairer who knows the trade can usually match a generic equivalent by measuring the backset and the spacing. Where nothing fits, replacement becomes the real answer, and at that point it is a genuine one.
Window hinge and handle repair: common questions
- Why is my window suddenly hard to open?
- Usually seized friction hinges. They can often be freed and lubricated, and replaced inexpensively when they cannot.
- My window is draughty but the glass looks fine. Why?
- Almost always a hardened or shrunken gasket, or a sash no longer compressing against it because the hinges have worn. Both are repairable.
- Can hardware be matched on an old window?
- Often yes, by measuring the fixing centres and fitting a generic equivalent. Where nothing is available, that is a genuine reason to replace the window.
Other repairs
- Glass only, not the window
Misted unit replacement
Misting means the sealed unit has failed, not the window.
£60 – £180
per repair, guide only
- Usually a hinge, not a door
Door lock and alignment repair
A door that needs lifting to lock has usually dropped on its hinges.
£60 – £250
per repair, guide only
- Same frame, new pane
Replacement glass
Cracked, broken or inappropriate glass can be replaced in the existing frame, including toughened, laminated and obscure glass to order..
£70 – £250
per repair, guide only
TrustedGlazing does not make, supply or fit windows and doors, and the prices above are published industry guides rather than our own. We match your enquiry to one vetted local installer, who quotes and contracts with you directly.