What to Remember When Cleaning Out Your Office

Commercial Office clean-outs have become a large part of what we do at 123JUNK. It’s not uncommon for a company to call us to remove some old desks, filing cabinets, office chairs or conference tables.

We often find that the companies that hire us are unfamiliar with what needs to be taken care of, before they hire a Junk Removal Service. So we’ve attempted to make things a bit easier for our current and future clients by putting together a Commercial Junk Removal checklist.

Commercial Junk Removal Checklist:

•  Make sure the contractor has upfront pricing. You want a proposal that is capped or written up as “not to exceed,” so that there are no surprises once the work starts. Failure to do this may invite the contractor to look for up-sell opportunities, while on site.

•  Find out what the contractor’s coverage limits are on their insurance policy. It is frustrating and costly for all parties, when the contractor is sent away, due to inadequate insurance documentation.

•  Determine if the contractor has to name the building or the property management company as “additional insured” on their insurance policy. If so, allow 24-48 hours for the contractor to get it turned around, as it often requires their insurance agent to modify the insurance documentation.

• Determine if the building requires “after hours” services, or if it can be done during the standard 9-5 workday. Some buildings only allow weekend or evening services. This may impact the price.

• Reserve the Freight Elevator and Loading Dock (if required by the building). Our team has been sent home before, because this wasn’t taken care of prior to our arrival.

• Make sure that the contractor has the ability to lock the elevator, so that it’s not jumping from floor to floor while they are on site – failure to do this may void the contract and could be costly to the client.

• If the contractor does not have access to a loading dock, or one does not exist, than find out exactly where they can park and how far it is from the building. Sometimes, contractors will require the client to reserve street parking through the city, if there are no other parking options.

• Make sure the contractor is well aware of any long walks and/or special circumstances required to get from the building unit to wherever the truck is parked. Failure for the contractor to bring this to your attention during the initial walk through, could be a red flag and it may have impact on the final price.

• Find out what floor and wall protection is required by the contractor. Make sure the company has sufficient processes to perform the services and to meet the building or property manager’s requirements. Many buildings require masonite to be laid by the contractor and moving pads to be placed on thew walls, especially in high traffic areas.

• Some buildings only require a representitive from your company to be on site. Others may require a building engineer or supervisor to be on site for the entire appointment. If this is the case, the building or property management company may bill your company an hourly rate to pay for their time. This can be a hidden cost that is often overlooked.

• Have a clear understanding of what’s going, by the time the Junk Removal Service arrives. It is helpful to use sticky tabs or some other sorting system to separate the Junk from the items you will be keeping. The last thing you want is for the contractor to take something they were not supposed to, due to lack of clear communication.

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