Clearing the Lot: Details

Once you get the list of different coverages, you will now know how much they have to rebuild their home, how much they have to clear their lot of fire debris. You are able to get to work, helping your customer clear the lot and simultaneously working on their house.

We took over coordinating the clearing of the lot; meeting all the regulatory requirements, scheduling the testing, debris removal, billing the insurance company etc… There was total chaos in the beginning as to what were the legal requirements for cleaning a lot. Your rules will of course be different. 

In Oregon before we could begin cleaning the lot, in our area, we had to have the debris tested for asbestos, lead and a few other items. If the testing came back clean, then we could begin clearing each lot of fire debris. The local dump also created rules for what paperwork needed to accompany each load of debris. If the lot tested positive for asbestos or lead, we would have to hire a professional abatement company to come and remove the specific contaminant.  

In our area getting the debris tested was also an important early step to take so you know if you have to deal with any toxic materials. Once we started working with a customer, we would immediately get that property on my tester’s schedule to get the lot tested. We took on coordinating all the debris cleanup of each lot as part of being an advocate for our customers; I would encourage you to do so also. You will have to learn the steps required in your area and prepared for the rules to change many times during this process.