Emergency board up: closing an open building before it loses more

How emergency board up works

1. Make it safe, then make it closed. Structural risk is assessed before anyone works at height or under a damaged roof, and utilities are isolated where the damage reached them. Only then are openings covered: plywood to doors and windows, and a tarp mechanically fastened over roof damage rather than weighted down, because a tarp that leaves in the next gust has done nothing.
2. Evidence it before, during and after. Photograph the opening before it is covered, the work in progress, and the finished cover, with a date. A tarp that is already on the roof is difficult to argue was ever needed, and this is the single most commonly disputed small line on a storm claim. Keep the invoice separate from any later repair contract.
3. Understand that it is temporary. A tarp is measured in weeks, not seasons, and plywood over a window is a deterrent rather than security. Both degrade, and a temporary cover that fails after a month produces a second loss the insurer may fairly read as a failure to mitigate. Ask how long the cover is rated for and diarise replacing it.
4. Keep the permanent repair separate. The firm that tarps a roof is often happy to repair it, and may well be the right choice, but the decisions should be made separately and at different speeds. Authorise the emergency work now because it stops the loss. Take the time you need over the permanent scope, which is not urgent once the building is closed.

Insurance, emergency mitigation and emergency tarping

Policies generally require the owner to take reasonable steps to prevent further damage, which is exactly what board up and tarping are, so this work is usually covered even where the rest of the claim is still being argued. Two cautions: keep the emergency invoice separate from the reinstatement contract, and read anything presented as an assignment of benefits before signing it in the dark.

Common questions

Do I need permission from my insurer before an emergency board up?

Normally no, and waiting can itself be a problem, because most policies oblige you to limit further damage. Tell them the same day, keep the invoice separate, and photograph the state of the building before the cover went on.

How long will an emergency roof tarp last?

Weeks rather than months, depending on the material, how it was fixed and the weather. Mechanically fastened tarps outlast weighted ones by a wide margin. Ask for the expected life in writing and plan the permanent repair or a replacement cover before it expires.

Is a fire board up about weather or about security?

Both, and insurers care about both, because an open building is a theft and vandalism exposure as well as a weather one. Plywood is a deterrent rather than real security, so on a vacant property in a poor location it is worth asking about monitoring as well.

Should the firm doing my roof tarping do the repair?

They might be the right firm, but decide it separately. The emergency work is urgent and the reinstatement is not, and signing both at the same moment is how people end up committed to a repair scope nobody has read.

Is an emergency boardup the same as a fire board up?

The work is the same and the reason differs. After a fire it is mostly about security and an insurable interest in an empty building; after a storm it is mostly about keeping weather out. Either way it is temporary and priced as mitigation.

Does an emergency window board up need glazing afterwards?

Yes, and it is a separate scope. Boarding is mitigation that stops weather and entry; reglazing is reinstatement, priced and settled with the rest of the repair rather than with the night's work.

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