Fire-Damaged contents cleaning workshop

Insurers and loss adjusters, restoration and building companies, and homeowners or business owners paying directly.

Price per item, per box or per job, usually agreed with the insurer. You can add pack-out, storage and return delivery as extra services.

• Careful handling and cataloguing of belongings
• Knowing fabrics and what can be saved
• Organised record keeping for insurance claims
• Sensitive customer service

• Council approval and zoning for the unit, plus rules on chemicals, waste and wastewater disposal, so check with your local council
• Public liability and goods-in-care insurance, since you hold customers' belongings
• Valuable or sentimental items can be damaged or lost, so photograph and log everything on arrival
• Insurer payment terms can be slow, so allow cash flow for rent and equipment
• Safe handling of chemicals, and check your state's workplace health and safety requirements
• Workers compensation insurance is needed once you hire, so check your state scheme

Startup costs are typically around $15,000 to $60,000, depending on the unit you rent, the cleaning and odour-treatment equipment you buy, and how much you fit out. Treat this as an estimate and allow cash flow for rent while insurers pay.

Monthly revenue is typically around $4,000 to $20,000, depending on how many jobs you take and how many hours you work, from about 25 hours a week. Insurer payment terms can be slow, so plan your cash flow.

Check council approval and zoning for the unit, plus rules on chemicals, waste and wastewater disposal. Check public liability and goods-in-care insurance, your state's workplace health and safety requirements, and workers compensation once you hire staff.