Send photos, register your job

Photos that make the job clear

Three phone photos are plenty. Nobody's judging the framing; daylight and focus are all that count.

• The whole thing from a few steps back. The full length of the fence from the footpath, the shed from the paddock gate, the back of the house from the yard. That shows the size, the access, and what's nearby: the neighbour's garage, a clothesline, power lines over a shed.
• A close look at an edge. The bottom of a fence sheet where the mower has chipped it, a broken corner on the shed, the join between two eaves sheets. The edge shows thickness and texture, which tells a removalist a lot before any sample is taken.
• Any damage. Cracks, holes, chalky patches. Damage can change the licence class, the notice period and the price. (Burnt or blown down and you need someone today? WorkSafe's directory, not this form.)

Take them from where you'd normally stand. Don't climb a fibro roof, lift a sheet or scrape a surface to get a better look. Inside a bathroom or laundry, a wide shot plus a close-up of any spot where the sheet is exposed, such as a gap behind a lifted tile, will do. If you already have a lab report, photograph that too. None of this needs to be perfect; a removalist can always ask a follow-up question if they take the job.

What to put in the details box

Short is fine. Five things matter.

• What you think it is. "Fibro side fence", "super six roof on the garage", "eaves all round", "grey sheet behind the shower". A wrong guess costs nothing; a blank leaves your registration thinner.
• How much. Metres are easier than square metres: "30 metre fence, 1.8 high", "7 by 5 shed", "eaves on a three-bedroom brick veneer". A sheet count works for a pile.
• Where. The town, and the road if you're on acreage at Tyers, Glengarry or Traralgon South. If you're in Toongabbie, say which side of the township, because part of the locality sits in Wellington Shire and that changes which tip is involved.
• When it was built. Before 1990, between 1990 and 2003, or after, if you know. Latrobe City's fact sheet says a pre-1990 home probably contains asbestos, and building products from after the end-2003 ban shouldn't.
• When you need it. "Whenever suits" is a good answer. Say so if a builder is booked or a settlement date is set.

Mention whether it's still standing or already on the ground, and whether a ute can pull up next to it. Nothing more is needed from you. The licence class, the notice and the price are for whoever you eventually engage to work out.

Broken, burnt or blown down: the first hour

While you arrange the job:

• Keep children, pets and visitors away from the pieces and the ground around them.
• Don't sweep, don't use a household vacuum, and don't hit it with a pressure washer. Each one stirs up dust.
• Don't stack the pieces, drive over them, or put any of it in a bin, a skip or the trailer.
• If a storm or the creek did it, take photos of the lot before a single piece is shifted. Ask your insurer what they need.
• Don't get on a damaged roof to throw a tarp over it; rain coming in through damaged roofing is urgent too.

If the material is broken, burnt or blown down and you need someone today, don't register here: ring a licensed removalist directly from WorkSafe Victoria's directory. The state's full homeowner guidance is on asbestos.vic.gov.au, and the storm, flood and fire page explains what the clean-up involves.

Where your enquiry goes next

No removalist is confirmed for any town through this site yet, so your enquiry and photos go to no removalist: they stay with your registration, and the areas page shows which towns have a signed removalist. If you ticked the box, we send you one message when a licensed removalist covers your town; only if you then reply yes do they move to that one business, whose name and licence number appear in the footer from the day they sign.

Enquiring through this site costs nothing; ask any removalist you engage whether they charge to inspect or take a sample. If you'd like your enquiry deleted, email hello@vfxmagic.com.au and it will be. The privacy page has the detail.

Other numbers worth having

• Latrobe City Council: 1300 367 700. The council says its Health Services team can advise on removing asbestos from your property. In town, the Traralgon Service Centre is at 34 to 38 Kay Street.
• Wellington Shire, for the Wellington side of Toongabbie: 1300 366 244, which handles bookings at its Kilmany facility.
• Hyland Highway Landfill weighbridge: 0400 506 474, to book a homeowner's own load. Pay at council's Morwell headquarters first; see the disposal page.
• WorkSafe Victoria: 1800 136 089, for a contractor removing asbestos badly.
• EPA Victoria: 1300 372 842, for a large amount dumped on public land.
• GARDS, Moe: 0407 274 173, support for people worried about exposure or living with an asbestos disease.

None of these numbers belong to us; they're the council, state and support contacts worth having regardless of how your own enquiry is tracking.

Register your job