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Oregon Housing and Community Services

Before HARP Construction on Your Home

Before construction begins on your home, there are a few important steps to take. As part of your responsibilities as the homeowner, you must attend the initial inspection, agree to the scope of work, select a contractor, sign a program-approved construction agreement, and then sign the Homeowner Grant Agreement. It is important that you understand the details of each step.

Stay involved and work closely with your construction advisor, case lead, and contractor to make sure everything is in place before construction starts. Once you sign the Homeowner Grant Agreement with the Homeowner Assistance and Reconstruction Program (HARP), you can accept your grant award and move on to construction or repairs.

Starting the process: the initial inspection

As a homeowner, you must attend the initial inspection to review and approve the work. If you do not attend, HARP will not be able to move forward, which may delay your project. During the inspection, remember to explain clearly all the repairs you have already made to your home. This step is very important because it allows HARP to give you credit for any work that was already completed.

Watch the short video below for a quick overview of the initial inspection process.


Your construction advisor and other HARP staff—like inspectors, architects, and engineers—must be allowed access to your property for inspections and assessments. You will be notified ahead of time before any scheduled visits. All HARP staff who visit your property will carry visible ID badges to clearly identify themselves.​

To meet HARP and federal requirements, inspectors must inspect your entire home, including taking photos and measurements in all rooms. They may look inside closets, appliances, and cabinets but will not go through personal items like drawers or safes. Cover or move anything you do not want photographed.


After you are approved for the program, a HARP site inspector will contact you to schedule the initial inspection. You must attend this inspection. The initial inspection consists of the following: 
  • Damage Verification: ReOregon will assess the damage you reported to verify that your claim is valid and related to the 2020 Labor Day wildfires and straight-line winds. This inspection can be done in person or remotely. 
  • Scope of Work Inspection: The HARP site inspector will talk with you about the extent of your property damage, what repairs are done, and what you believe remains to be finished. It is important to understand that even if you point out issues to the site inspector, not all of them may be covered or eligible for repairs under HARP. During this inspection, your site inspector will create two important reports:
    • ​Work in Place (WIP), which verifies and logs all the work the homeowner has already done on the property before applying to HARP to give the homeowner credit for allowable expenses. 
    • Estimated Cost of Repair (ECR), which lists all outstanding repairs yet to be done and estimates how much they will cost. 
  • ​Housing Quality Standards Inspection: The site inspector may conduct this inspection to verify the safety and habitability of the structure. 
  • Environmental Inspection: This inspection checks for any hazardous materials on your property or in the materials used to build your home. HARP will perform the inspections listed below. If any problems are found, they will be included in the scope of work to make sure they are safely removed or fixed, as they can be harmful to you and your family:
    • ​Lead-based paint inspection will be performed if your home was built before 1978. 
    • Asbestos inspection will be conducted if your home was built before 2004. 
    • Soil sampling, which verifies if there are harmful chemicals in the soil, will be performed if you are located within the burn scar.
    • Radon inspection will be carried out on all homes. 
  • ​Architectural and Engineering: In some instances, additional visits may be necessary to perform assessments related to Survey, Elevation Certificate, Geotechnical Analysis, and other components that may be required to establish a complete scope of work.

After the initial inspection, your assigned case lead will notify you of next steps. 

The environmental inspection may have to be performed on a different day, depending on the availability of the environmental inspector.



Clearly explain all repairs you have already completed. This includes any work done by you, contractors, or anyone else. All repairs will be included in the Work in Place (WIP) report to help show if the money you used was spent correctly and reduce potential duplication of benefits. If you received previous disaster recovery assistance and do not report all past repairs, you may be required to pay part of the construction costs yourself. When reviewing your scope of work with HARP, please let us know right away if you think any past repairs were missed.​


 

Next steps after inspection: the scope of work and contractor selection

Once your home passes the initial inspection and HARP has a finalized award, your construction advisor and case lead will meet with you to go over the scope of work needed to fix or rebuild your home. They will also review your Work in Place report with you to confirm what repairs have already been completed. Your case lead will explain what HARP can pay for, what you might need to pay yourself (if anything), and how the construction process works. You are also responsible for selecting a contractor for your HARP project. The contractor must be HARP-eligible, and a HARP-provided construction agreement must be signed.

Watch the short video below for a quick explanation of what HARP covers. 

HARP covers the basic costs needed to repair, rebuild, or replace your home to make it safe, livable, and up to code. This includes standard materials, labor, and essential fixtures like flooring, countertops, and basic appliances. However, the program has set limits on what it can pay for. HARP is here to get your home back to a livable condition.

If you choose to upgrade to a higher grade fixture or a more expensive material, you will need to cover the extra cost and might face delays or added paperwork. For example, if you need a new countertop, HARP will make it clear before construction begins that they will only pay for a basic, budget-friendly laminate option. If you choose to have your contractor install a more expensive countertop, HARP will still only pay what a laminate countertop would cost at current market rates. You, as the homeowner, are responsible for paying the additional cost of the upgrade.​


When selecting a contractor, it is important to review their qualifications, discuss your project needs, and clarify costs, timelines, and expectations. Provide the contractor with the scope of work you get from your case lead, as that will help determine the contractor's quote. It is a good idea to get multiple quotes from contractors to compare pricing, services, and potential extra costs. Be sure to understand what is included in each estimate. You are responsible for following ReOregon’s contractor selection rules, so document your process and keep all estimates for your records. Choosing the right contractor is key to your project’s success.

You can use Oregon’s licensed contractor database to see all licensed contractors in the state. You can also reference the list of contactors who have expressed interest in working with ReOregon homeowners by visiting the HARP contractor list.​

Once you have selected a contractor, you will submit their quote to HARP. HARP will then make sure the contractor is licensed and insured and has all the necessary information, and that the price they gave you is reasonable based on program pricing standards.

After HARP approves your contractor’s pricing, you will schedule another meeting with your case lead to review all final award details: how much the project will cost, what HARP will pay for, what you may be responsible for, and next steps. If you need to pay a portion of the repair costs, you will be asked to provide proof of these funds before signing your Homeowner Grant Agreement.​


You and your selected contractor must complete a pre-construction meeting with HARP before you sign your Homeowner Grant Agreement with the program. 

Contact your case lead if you have any questions or concerns about the scope of work. Changes cannot be made after the construction agreement is signed without a contract change order, so all issues must be addressed before the pre-construction meeting.​


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During your pre-construction meeting, you and your contractor will receive the construction agreement from HARP to sign. This is a contract between you and your contractor and outlines what work will be done, when, how payment will happen, and how long the contractor has to complete the project. ​

Final signatures: the last documents before construction can begin

Once the construction agreement is signed by you and your contractor, HARP will provide you with the Homeowner Grant Agreement. This document explains the HARP funding amount and your responsibilities as part of receiving HARP funding.

ReOregon knows there are many steps after your initial inspection. Watch the short video below for a simple overview of what actions you need to do to prepare for construction.

Before construction can begin, you and your contractor must sign the Notice to Proceed (NTP) document. Once the NTP is signed, your contractor can officially start work. Your contractor will have 14 days to apply for the required permits. ​

Two important reminders 

Homeowner Responsibility

If you received disaster recovery funds from other sources (i.e., insurance, FEMA, etc.), HARP will take this into account to avoid duplicate funding for the same repairs. HARP will review the amount you received and compare it to the repairs completed, using the Estimated Cost of Repair (ECR) and Work in Place (WIP) reports.

If it appears that little or no repairs have been done, but you received funds for that purpose from other sources (i.e., insurance, FEMA, etc.), those funds are considered your Homeowner Responsibility. In that case, those funds must be used first and paid to the contractor. Only after that will HARP release the funding included in your grant award to the contractor.

Optional Relocation Assistance

Are you a HARP participant who needs support finding stable living arrangements while your home is being repaired or rebuilt? Learn more about the services and support we offer for Optional Relocation Assistance (ORA)