Grass Cut Requirements - 03/23/2015

Transcription

1 Grass Cut Requirements - 03/23/2015 Please follow the below guidelines effective for 2015 lawn cut season. This will ensure accuracy to the customer and prompt payment of your invoice. NFROnline.com Web Portal Recut work orders are required to be submitted via NFROnline.com Web Portal including: all photos, invoices, updates, and new bids. BATF/additional work completed on a recut must now be invoiced through the NFROnline.com Web Portal on the Recuts tab, in the area labeled Other Completed Work. Please do NOT send in a hard copy invoice for the BATF/additional work. ****Failure to follow these instructions will result in non-payment.**** All new recut orders should also be printed from the portal. Contractors should log into the portal on a regular basis to address still need items, overdue work, and print new orders. Please refer to the NFROnline Web Portal Quick Reference guide for instructions navigating the portal. There is also a new Portal instructional video on NFRonline available to download.

2 Recut Tab: Results Tab: Lawn Cut Requirements To ensure accuracy and quickest payment, please verify the lot size on your Initial Cuts with a reference source such as Zillow. Initial Cuts: If a property is located in an area where there is no growth due to saturation, snow, or temperatures, it is up to the contractor to know his/her area and determine if a cut is needed. Do not visit the property if a cut is not needed. Advise NFR of the situation ASAP, so we may update our clients in a timely manner. This will not adversely affect your scorecard. If the contractor goes to a property with the intent to cut, but is unable to cut because of the conditions, take good photos to validate. If you can see the lawn will be over-allowable, submit your bids immediately, so NFR can advise our clients.

3 If a property remains on the Recut system you will receive a workorder for each cut. DO NOT RECUT without a workorder from NFR. Lawncuts include: mowing the lawn, edge trimming (along driveways, walkways, fences etc.) sweeping of all paved areas (sidewalks, driveways, patios, etc) and incidental (minor) debris removal as it relates to the cut. The yard is to be left neat and trim and all clippings removed. Please remember, these are HUD Regulations and NFR s requirements. ** Neighboring properties are not to be affected by yard maintenance on our subject properties. ** When appropriate (and ONLY when directed on the work order request) Perimeter Cuts are to be completed on a 100x150 area and are to be completed in such a manner that the street view of the property is improved. Review your work order request carefully as NFR does NOT pay a service charge for limited growth when a trip is not required. If a trip is not required on your work order request, contractors must know their territory and NOT go out to the property if growth is limited in the area. Contractors need to update the portal that no cut was needed. This is for recuts only. Contractors are always required to go to the property on initial cuts. There are other situations when a service charge is acceptable, such as newly occupied, maintained by others, newly posted, or any other reason that was not foreseeable. o For visit required properties, if grass is showing limited growth and does not need to be cut, provide 2 photos (1 front and 1 rear) as evidence a service charge should be paid. HUD Regulations require maintenance to a maximum height of 2.You must provide good documented photos justifying the necessity and completion of the cut. The contractor is required to enter the property and report on all newly discovered damages, newly missing fixtures, and any violations each and every trip to the property, including recuts. **Previous bids do not need to be submitted. ** If the visit is to complete a recut, NFR does not require a completed PCR, BUT does hold the contractor responsible for reporting all new changes, damages, and property preservation issues. If the cut was not completed, please describe in detail what prevented the cut. An explanation is expected, as we need to provide specific detail to our customers. ** This information must be entered by the contractor through the rep portal. ** o If the property was found to be maintained by HOA, please provide the name and the contact information for that HOA. o If occupied, you must provide details documenting contact and, if possible, photos to justify. If determined occupied but no contact was made, how did you determine? If posted by the investor, newly posted for sale, etc. call from site for direction.

4 Debris can be moved to the side in order to complete the cut. There is no charge or allowable for this unless specifically directed on your order. Please bid to move excessive debris in the way and an option to remove. Be sure to note if there is a potential for violation due to debris on site. Please complete the lawn cut as best possible to avoid a violation by cutting around the debris. Debris removal is based upon loan type and applicable regulation. Review your order for direction on debris removal. All incidental debris (newspapers, flyers, bottles, etc.) is to be removed as part of the lawn cut. Photo Requirements All photos submitted for NFR Preservation work must be date and time stamped by the camera. When arriving at the property you should begin by taking all the before photos: It is suggested you stand at each outer corner of the property to ensure a good full yard view is visible. This will give you photos of the front, rear and sides of property photos total (before, during, and after) is typically sufficient. Larger yards may require additional photos to prove service. Take the required during photos when one half of the area has been cut. Leave the mower in the middle of the area and take a photo showing the cut grass on one side of the mower, the uncut on the other side, with a distinguishable landmark (i.e. the property) included in the photo. Example of a well documented during photo

5 Take the required after photos from the same locations as the before photos (return to each of the 4 corners of the property): o Make sure you review your photos before leaving the property. This will ensure you have good matching before and after photos in the same location of front, rear and sides to justify the cut was needed and completed correctly. o If you can t see that a re-cut was completed when reviewing your photos, the customer won t see it either. Example of a well documented before photo Example of a well documented matching after photo 1-2 photos are required if the property is found to be occupied or cut by others. o Include photos of the front of the house with house number, along with justification for not cutting. ***Exception Wells Fargo requires 10 photos for all services charges. You must provide 10 photos of the yard for Wells Fargo properties, in order to receive a service charge*** Please check your camera; it should always be set to Auto. This will avoid over or under exposure. Photo Practices to Avoid Do NOT take excessive photos (8-12 photos total is typically sufficient) Do NOT include close-up shots. No dusk or evening photos. o The customer will not accept these types of photos. There must be adequate lighting to clearly show the detail of a lawn cut. It is not an acceptable practice to return to the property after the fact to retake photos and/or finish the cut. o Submit all the photos that were taken on the date of the cut. o The date stamp on the photos must match exactly to the date the cut was completed.

6 Lawn cut pricing for the 2015 season will follow the HUD 2012 Grass Cut Cost Schedule. Conventional loans also follow HUD 2012 Grass Cut Cost Schedule with the exception of the Additional 10,000SqFt column as that is specific to HUD loans only. VA, FNMA and FMAC have their own requirements and pricing. All of which you can obtain from NFRonline.com The contractor is responsible for any violations and all applicable charges received as the result of contractor non-performance. Charge backs can be assessed for lack of quality as outlined in the above. Recut invoices and photos must be submitted within 5 days of date completed, as stated in the Service Level Agreement (SLA). DO NOT resubmit any previously submitted bids Please verify lot dimensions by utilizing one or more of the following to prevent possible charge backs. o Tax Assessor Site o Tax Office o NETRonline.com o Zillow o Trulia o BPO Please contact the NFR Recut Team or Preservation Coordinator listed on your work order request with any questions

7 *******Please go to NFRONLINE.com for industry links to regs or click the links below******** HUD Mortgagee Letter HUD/FHA Mortgagee Letter 10/18 FAQ S (Includes Grass Cut pricing) Letter FAQ (Updated ).pdf FNMA property-preservation-matrix FMAC exhibit57 effective 10/24/ pdf VA Regs Circular Maine State Housing Authority Expense Reimbursement