Emergency board-up and tarping: why it protects your claim

The contractual reason

Homeowners and commercial property policies almost universally include a duty on the insured to protect the property from further damage after a loss. It is not optional and it is not a courtesy — failing to do it can reduce a settlement, because the carrier pays for the original loss and not for the avoidable escalation.

So the tarp on the roof is not just practical. It is evidence that you met an obligation, and the cost of it is generally recoverable as part of the claim.

What an open building takes

The next rain band. This is the big one after a storm. A roof opened on Tuesday takes everything that falls on Wednesday, and each cycle drives water further into insulation, ceilings and wall cavities. A single-room loss becomes a multi-room one over a week of weather.

Wind. A partially failed roof or a broken window lets wind into the structure, which can lift more material from inside and enlarge the opening substantially.

Animals. Racoons, squirrels, birds and rodents find an open building quickly. They nest, they contaminate insulation, and they are considerably harder to remove than to exclude.

People. Vacant damaged buildings attract theft and, occasionally, injury — and an injury on your property is a liability question on top of everything else.

Ongoing moisture. Even without rain, an open structure equalises with outdoor humidity, which on Long Island for much of the year means the building cannot dry.

What the work involves

Roof tarping. Reinforced tarp fastened over the damaged section and secured against wind, usually with battens rather than nails alone, and lapped so water runs off rather than under. A badly fitted tarp channels water into the building and is worse than none.

Window and door board-up. Plywood cut and fastened over openings, sealed at the edges to keep weather out.

Structural shoring where an element is compromised and at risk of further collapse.

Fencing or securing the perimeter where the building is unsafe or attracts access.

Temporary power and lighting in some cases, so the property can be worked on and monitored.

Do it yourself or call someone

Both are legitimate, and the deciding factor is height and safety.

Ground-level windows and doors are frequently a reasonable homeowner job with plywood and a drill. Roofs are not. A wet, storm-damaged, structurally uncertain roof is where people fall, and falls from roofs are the injuries that turn a property loss into a life-changing one.

If you do secure anything yourself: photograph the damage before you cover it, keep every receipt, and do not go up during or immediately after a storm.

Photograph before you cover

Once a tarp goes on, the damage underneath is invisible to an adjuster who may not attend for days.

Photograph the opening from outside and inside, wide and close. Photograph what is directly beneath it. Then photograph the tarp or boarding once fitted, which documents that you mitigated and when.

Keep receipts for materials and for any contractor. Emergency mitigation costs are generally recoverable, but on receipts rather than recollection.

After a regional storm, expectations change

Worth being straight about this. After a significant event every restoration company on Long Island is oversubscribed at the same time, and nobody can honestly promise a normal response window.

What we do prioritise is emergency securing, precisely because it is what stops a loss growing while you wait for the full crew. A tarp today and drying next week is a far better outcome than waiting for both.

The other thing that matters after a regional event: position in the queue is set by when you called. Calling early, before conditions deteriorate and before you know the full extent, is a rational decision rather than an overreaction.

Temporary means temporary

A tarp is a weeks-not-months solution. UV degrades the material, fastenings work loose, and wind eventually finds an edge. If reconstruction is delayed by insurance negotiation or contractor availability, the temporary work needs checking and frequently re-fitting.

An unmonitored tarp that has failed is doing nothing at all, and the owner usually finds out when the ceiling comes down.

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