Once you've booked a BAL report, the next step is a visit to your property. Here's what to expect, and a few simple things you can do beforehand to make it go smoothly.

What I look at on site

• Vegetation: the type of vegetation around your building site, such as forest, woodland, scrub or grassland, out to 150 metres.

• Distances: how far that vegetation is from where your building will go.

• Slope: whether the land under the vegetation runs uphill or downhill from your building, and how steeply. Fire moves faster uphill, so slope makes a big difference.

• Access and water: how a fire truck would reach your building, and where a firefighting water supply could go.

I'll also take photos in every direction, which go into your report.

How to get ready

• Mark out the building. Pegs or stakes at the corners of your planned building help me measure from the right spot.

• Have your paperwork handy. Your title documents, a site plan if you have one, and any earlier bushfire report or council approval for the lot.

• Let me know about access. Tell me about locked gates, dogs or stock in the paddock, or if the driveway needs 4WD.

• Hold off on clearing. Please don't clear vegetation before the assessment. I need to see the site as it is, and clearing may need council approval anyway.

What happens next After the visit, I prepare your BAL report and Bushfire Hazard Management Plan. Every report I prepare is reviewed by Tasmania Fire Service before it's issued, so please allow up to 6 weeks.

If you're planning to build in North East Tasmania, get in touch using the contact form at the bottom of my homepage.