Resources
What to do in the first hour when a building is open.
Before anyone arrives
- Confirm the building is structurally safe to be near, particularly after vehicle impact or fire.
- Photograph the opening and the surrounding damage from several angles before it is covered.
- If it is freezing and the building will stay open, consider shutting off and draining the water supply.
- Move valuables away from the opening and out of sight from outside.
- Do not attempt to climb onto a damaged roof.
- Notify your insurer that damage has occurred, even before you know the full extent.
Information that speeds up a securing request
- Roughly how many openings there are and approximate sizes.
- Whether they are at ground level or above.
- Whether the surrounding structure is intact enough to fix to.
- Whether the building is occupied, vacant, or a business.
- Whether emergency services or police are still on site.
- Whether there is safe vehicle access and somewhere to park close by.
The freeze risk nobody plans for
The most expensive thing that happens to an open building in Minnesota is not theft or rain. It is the supply lines freezing. An unheated house drops below freezing far faster than most people expect, and a single burst line can put water through a building for hours before anyone notices.
If a building is going to be open overnight in winter and cannot be secured before dark, shutting off the water at the main and opening the taps to drain the system is usually the single highest-value thing you can do. It costs nothing and it removes the worst outcome from the table.
Mention the temperature and whether the heating is still working when you make the request. It genuinely affects how the job is prioritised.
General guidance for property owners, not legal or insurance advice. What your policy requires of you after a loss is between you and your carrier.
Property open right now?
Tell us what is open and where. A coordinator can review the request against the type of opening and what securing capacity looks like right now.