Moving preparations

Prior to moving from your home, you will need to do some preparations before the removalists arrive.

Home contents and soft furnishings

There is no practical way to certify that household contents in affected homes are not contaminated by asbestos fibres. Nevertheless, most household contents can be removed from most affected homes provided they are not taken from known contaminated areas.

Goods stored in subfloor and ceiling areas, and in cupboards where fibres have been detected should not be moved or recovered unless they have been decontaminated and moved from the contaminated area by a Class A licensed asbestos removalist. If you have engaged furniture removalists to help you move, this work must be done prior to their arrival and the clearance certificate of this work being carried out must be made available to them.

In general:

You must not pack any soft fabric goods from contaminated areas, as determined by a licensed asbestos assessor.
You must not ask the furniture removalist to enter, or pack items stored in, sub-floor or ceiling cavities.
Vacuum cleaners should be cleaned as per the manufacturer's instructions and packed by the owner. Mops, brooms, dustpans and brushes should be washed and packed in a plastic bag.
You should pack and seal all other soft furnishings, clothes and linen prior to them being lifted by the removalist company. The removalist will be able to provide you with cartons and plastic covers prior to removal. The removalist will move these cartons and place them where required in your new home but will not unpack any items that were packed by you.
All hard furnishings should be in a clean, dust-free condition.

Removalists should not pack any goods in a known contaminated area (as indicated in the Asbestos Management Plan) and may refuse to pack or move very dusty goods if they have any concerns.

It is essential that the above steps are taken prior to removal. Removalists may need to add to their costings time to wet wipe any dusty (uncontaminated) items. Good preparation by you will help to minimise costs.

Read the Contents and soft furnishings information sheet (261.7 KB) for full details.

Fixtures and fittings

Legally, under the buyback program, all fixtures and fittings that have been taken into account through the valuation process become the property of the Territory on surrender.

However, homeowners may be able to remove certain fixtures and fittings prior to surrender, for their own personal use.

Items left behind

If you surrender your property under the buyback program , items you no longer want, need or cannot take can be left securely inside the property when you vacate. Items you leave behind:

will be marked (by a paint or dye) to render them invaluable and reduce the incentive for people to illegally gain access to the property
will be disposed of as contaminated waste through the demolition program.

Gardens and trees

For many people, a garden is an extension of their home. Homeowners where safe and possible may take plants, shrubs and trees from their affected property prior to settlement or after settlement with a permit.

Private gardens and street trees are integral to the streetscape and surrounding neighbourhood. The ACT Government, as custodians of affected properties, will retain remaining trees where safe and possible.

Find a removalist

You can engage any furniture removal company to assist you in moving from your house.

Find a removalist on the AFRA website.

It is mandatory to disclose information about your house to a removalist company when making enquiries. You must provide your removalist with a copy of a compliant Asbestos Management Plan.

Removalists must undergo asbestos awareness training to work in a house affected by Mr Fluffy loose fill asbestos insulation.

More information

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