Commercial Service
Foreclosure & REO Property Cleanouts
Overview
What foreclosure cleanouts covers
Foreclosure cleanouts — often called trash-outs — are their own category of work. A property that has gone through foreclosure has usually been vacant for months, was frequently left in a hurry, and may contain everything the former occupants could not take: furniture, appliances, food, personal belongings, sometimes vehicles and yard debris.
These jobs are governed more by process than by volume. Asset managers, servicers and field service companies work to defined property preservation standards, with documentation requirements and turnaround windows attached to each work order. What matters as much as clearing the property is producing the record that it was cleared, when, and in what condition it was found.
Junk Koala handles the removal side of that work: full property clear-outs, debris removal, garage and yard clearing, and documentation of the job as it happens. The legal question of when personal property may be disposed of is set by state law and the servicer's own procedures, and that determination sits with the client rather than the crew.
Who this is for
- Asset managers handling REO inventory
- Mortgage servicers and their property preservation teams
- Field service companies coordinating work orders
- Banks and credit unions holding foreclosed property
- Investors buying at auction or from an REO portfolio
- Attorneys and trustees managing distressed property
What's included
What a trash-out involves
Interior clear-out
- Abandoned furniture throughout the property
- Appliances, including non-working units
- Clothing, personal effects and boxes
- Food waste and spoiled contents
- Carpet, flooring and damaged fixtures
- General trash and debris
Exterior and outbuildings
- Garage and shed contents
- Yard debris and overgrowth
- Abandoned tires and auto parts
- Broken outdoor furniture and play equipment
- Construction debris left on site
- Illegally dumped material
Our approach
How Junk Koala handles REO work
Condition documented on arrival
The property is photographed before work begins, so the record shows the condition it was found in — not just the condition it was left in.
Scope confirmed against the work order
Property preservation work orders are specific. The scope is confirmed against the order before the crew starts, so what is delivered matches what was authorized.
Personal property handled per your instructions
When personal property may be disposed of is a legal determination set by state law and the servicer's procedures. The crew follows the client's written instruction rather than making that call independently.
Completion documented
After photographs and an itemized record are produced so the work can be closed out and submitted without a second visit.
Turnaround against the work order window
Preservation work runs to defined completion windows. Jobs are scheduled against that deadline rather than a general availability date.
Cost & preparation
What moves the price, and how to get ready
What affects the price
- Property size and how much material is inside it
- Whether outbuildings, the garage and the yard are included
- Condition — properties with spoiled food, biological waste or extensive damage require more time and different handling
- Items with separate facility fees, particularly appliances, mattresses, tires and televisions
- Documentation requirements attached to the work order
- Turnaround window, since compressed preservation deadlines affect scheduling
- Volume of exterior debris and overgrowth
How to prepare
- Provide the work order scope in writing, including what is authorized for disposal and what is not.
- Confirm the legal position on personal property. State law generally governs notice and storage obligations, and that determination is the client's to make.
- Give access details up front — lockbox codes, whether the property is secured, and any known hazards.
- Flag known conditions in advance: hoarding, biological waste, pest infestation, mold or squatter occupation all change the scope and the handling requirements materially.
- Specify the documentation format required so the record is produced correctly the first time.
FAQ
Foreclosure Cleanouts questions
Do you provide before and after documentation?
Yes. Condition photographs on arrival and completion photographs with an itemized record are standard on REO work, since property preservation clients generally require them to close out a work order.
What happens to personal belongings left in the property?
That is determined by state law and by the servicer's procedures, not by the crew. Provide written instruction on what is authorized for disposal. Where property must be inventoried or stored first, that has to be established before the removal is scheduled.
Can you handle a hoarding situation or a biohazard property?
Heavy hoarding conditions can be scoped, but flag them explicitly at quote stage — they require more crew, more time and different protective equipment. Genuine biohazard conditions, including sewage, mold remediation or a death scene, require licensed remediation specialists and are outside junk removal.
How fast can a property be cleared?
Same-day and next-day service is available, so the pacing is set by the property and its condition rather than by the calendar. Preservation work orders carry completion windows, so give the deadline when the job is requested and it will be scheduled against it.
Do you work directly with field service companies?
Yes. Work coming through a field service company or national preservation vendor is handled the same way, coordinated centrally with local crews executing in each market. Provide the work order and documentation requirements at the outset.
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Unit turns cleared fast so the apartment can be made rent-ready.
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