Emergency board up in New York City after a fire

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What is a board-up?

A board-up is a temporary closure of an opening in a building. In general practice, broken windows and doorways are covered with sheets of plywood fixed to the frame or the wall around it, doors that no longer lock are secured, and holes in a roof are covered with heavy tarps or sheeting held down so wind cannot lift them. The aim is simple: keep weather out, keep people out, and keep what is left inside the building as it is until it can be inventoried, cleaned and repaired. It is not a repair, and it is meant to come off.

Why securing the building comes early

• Weather. Rain through a broken window or an opened roof adds water damage to fire damage, in your home and in any unit below. The EPA advises drying water-damaged areas within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold growth; keeping new water out is the first part of that.
• Security. A home that cannot be locked is a home whose remaining belongings are at risk, and a building that is open to the street is a danger to anyone who wanders in.
• Your insurer. NYC Emergency Management advises that, if you are insured, you contact your insurer for detailed instructions on protecting the property. Ask what they expect done to secure it, and keep their answer.
• The record. Once the openings are covered, what is inside stays as it was, which helps the inventory NYC Emergency Management advises you make before throwing anything away.

Who is responsible for board-up in New York

In an apartment building, the City Council’s Residential Fire Emergency Response Guide puts this on the building. The guide says building management should send workers to board up any broken windows, holes in the roof or other access points on the day of the fire, and that management hires the vendors for clean-up, remediation and rebuilding. That is the guide’s statement of the landlord’s role. If you are a tenant and openings in your unit or the building are still not secured, tell the super or managing agent in writing and keep a copy.

Building	Who generally arranges the board-up	What to do
Rental apartment building	Building management, per the Council’s guide	Tell the super or managing agent in writing which openings in your unit are still open.
Co-op or condo building	The building for common areas and the facade; ask about your unit	Ask the managing agent, and your own insurer what they expect of you.
Brownstone, townhouse or house	The owner	Ask your insurer for instructions, then have the openings secured.
Storefront or restaurant	The business and the landlord, by the lease	Check the lease, tell the landlord, and ask your insurer.

Before the boards go up

A board-up is easy to regret if it hides something you needed to record. Before anything is covered, and only if the fire department has said it is safe to be there, take a few minutes for these.

1. Check you may enter. The City Council’s guide says the fire department declares a building safe for city agencies once a fire is out, and DOB says no one can enter a building with a vacate order in effect. If there is an order on the door, do not go in.
2. Photograph each opening from inside and outside: every broken window, the door and frame, and the roof opening if you can see it safely from below.
3. Photograph the rooms behind the openings before they go dark. The City Council’s guide tells tenants to photograph everything.
4. Take what you need, if you are allowed in: medicine, documents, keys, phone chargers. Leave damaged items where they are for the inventory.
5. Leave utilities alone. NYC Emergency Management says not to attempt to reconnect utilities after a fire.

What a board-up usually covers

What follows is a general description of common practice, not a list of what any particular provider does. A provider who inspects will tell you what they propose for your building.

• Windows. Plywood over broken windows, fixed so it can be removed without more damage to the frame where possible. On upper floors of apartment buildings, work on the facade may need access equipment and the building’s permission.
• Doors. A door that was forced or burned may be boarded over or fitted with a temporary secure door so the unit can still be locked.
• Roof. Holes in the roof covered with tarps or sheeting, weighted or fastened so wind does not tear them off.
• Storefronts. Large glass fronts boarded across, often with a door left so the space can be reached.
• Fencing. Where a whole building is open or unsafe, temporary fencing can keep people away from it.

Light, air and access while it is boarded

A boarded home is dark and closed. That matters if water from firefighting is drying inside, because damp air needs to move. It also matters for the people who will need to get in: the insurer’s adjuster, the inspectors, and whoever does the cleanup and repairs. Ask how access will work, who holds the key to any temporary door, and how the drying will be handled behind the boards. The guide to fire and water damage restoration covers drying.

Is a broken window an emergency?

After a fire, a broken window is part of the damage to deal with early, for the reasons above: rain, security and your insurer’s instructions on protecting the property. It is not a reason to go back into a building that has not been cleared. If you are a tenant, the Council’s guide says it is the building’s job to send workers to board up. If you own the building, your insurer’s instructions come first.

Safety with the utilities off

Board-up often happens while the utilities are off. If anyone brings a generator to run tools or lights, the EPA’s advice is clear: portable generators go outside and at least 20 feet away from buildings, never inside a home, garage or shed, because their carbon monoxide can kill in minutes. The City Council’s guide tells tenants to call the gas and electric providers to suspend service, and the CDC advises that a smell of gas means turning off the main gas valve if you can, opening the windows and leaving at once.

After the board-up

With the building secured, the rest of the work can be planned: the inventory, fire damage cleanup NYC, drying, smoke and soot cleaning, and finally the repairs. The boards come off when the windows, doors and roof are properly replaced as part of fire damage repair, which in NYC may need DOB filings first. Keep the photos of each opening; they show what was done and why.

Asking for help

When you send the request, say which openings need securing, the borough, the building type and whether you can get back in. An independent local restoration provider can contact you, inspect and quote directly. Any price comes from the provider; ask for it in writing. This site gives none. Sending the form is free, and you never have to hire anyone.

Questions people ask