Property managers handling an exposed building should first confirm safety and authority, document the damage, identify every opening, coordinate tenant access, and approve a written temporary scope. Board-up is only one part of the recovery plan.
Who has authority to approve the work?
Confirm who owns the property, who manages it, and who can authorize temporary work. For an HOA, apartment building, retail center, or managed commercial property, the person requesting service may not be the person with approval authority. Resolve that before work begins whenever conditions allow.
What should be documented?
Photograph each opening, label its location, and record the cause of damage if known. Keep police, fire, or incident report information when relevant. Save written estimates, invoices, receipts, and a log of communications. If insurance is involved, follow the insurer’s documentation instructions.
How should tenant and customer access be handled?
Identify doors that must remain operational, required exits, shared corridors, loading areas, and accessible routes. Tell occupants which entrances are closed and which remain available. A temporary panel should not create an unexpected life-safety or access problem.
What should the board-up scope include?
List each opening, the planned temporary protection, access assumptions, included cleanup, and exclusions. Clarify whether elevated work or special equipment is required. If the condition cannot be fully assessed until arrival, establish how additional work will be approved.
What should happen after the property is secured?
Create a permanent-repair list. That may involve glass, doors, locks, carpentry, roofing, electrical work, water mitigation, or restoration. Assign responsibility for inspecting the temporary panels and for removing them when permanent repairs start.
What records help later?
Keep before-and-after photographs, invoices, contractor contact information, access notes, and dates. Minnesota’s Department of Commerce recommends documenting damage and keeping receipts for temporary repairs after insured losses. See the state’s claim guidance for general principles.
How should vacant properties be handled differently?
A boarded vacant building still needs monitoring. Check doors, windows, utilities, signs of water entry, and signs of attempted access. Temporary plywood is not a substitute for property management or security planning.
For vacant buildings, see Vacant Property Board-Up. For commercial openings, see Commercial Storefront Securing.
Who published this guide?
Shoreview Emergency Board Up Pros publishes this checklist as educational information for property managers and owners coordinating temporary securing.