Year round grass cuts are required in Arizona, California, Nevada, Hawaii and Florida.

HUD Regulations state that if the grass grows to six inches or more, the contractor is required to bid grass cuts which are outside of the grass cut season.

"ATTACHMENT 5, Debris Removal Service Requirements and Cost Schedule" states
"Mortgagees should remove all exterior debris, including abandoned vehicles, in accordance with applicable local laws. Items of personal property that are securely affixed and in good condition, such as a swing set or dog-house/kennel should not be removed if they add value to the property. However, if personal property is in disrepair or determined to be a health and safety hazard, it should be removed."

However, HUD guidelines do not specify when to remove the debris - only that it must be removed. The M&M along with the servicing company makes the determination of when to remove exterior debris.

Your work order for an initial secure should have specific instructions concerning debris. Most of our work orders for an initial secure state "DO NOT remove any debris or hazards. Please submit a bid to remove all debris/hazardous items".

As is the norm, HUD gives a broad outline of requirements which are further refined by the M&M and servicing company and passed down to the contractors in the field.

The allowable fees per cubic yard are listed in Attachment 5. You will find a list of allowable fees for all states by using Cubic Yard's search feature for "Debris Removal Service Schedule".

Contractors may bid debris removal if the allowable is not sufficient. Contractors may have their own fee schedule for removal of one cubic yard of rose petals and another fee for removal of one cubic yard of pig manure.

Payment schedules vary from company to company. Some companies pay weekly, some pay every two weeks, and most pay monthly. One company I know of pays quarterly (every three months).

The first cut of the grass cutting season is the initial cut and there can only be one per year. Every cut after the inital cut is a regular grass cut and is normally done every two weeks.

Attachment 5 states: “Mortgagees should remove all exterior debris, including abandoned vehicles, in accordance with applicable local laws. Items of personal property that are securely affixed and in good condition, such as a swing set or dog-house/kennel should not be removed if they add value to the property. However, if personal property is in disrepair or determined to be a health and safety hazard, it should be removed.
This puts no limit on the amount of debris that can be removed, however the “Debris Removal Service Schedule” at the end of attachment 5 states that a maximum of 12 cubic yards is authorized for removal from a one-unit property without a bid. The answer you are looking for is "12 cubic yards".

Attachment 5 Debris Removal Service Requirements and Cost Schedule, at paragraph VI, states:

Mortgagees should obtain prior written approval from the M&M contractor for any debris removal expense that exceeds the cost per cubic yard or the total allowable number of yards indicated in the schedule.

I think this is pretty self-explantory but let's look at Mississippi as an example. The HUD Debris Removal Service Schedule allows $55 per cubic yard and a total allowable fee of $660 which is for 12 cubic yards.

Now, jumping back to the first paragraph of the attachment, we find: A Mortgagee may expend up to the amount listed in this attachment for debris removal without prior written approval from the M&M contractor.

So it appears that the mortgagee can remove (in Mississippi) up to 12 cubic yards if each cubic yard is no costlier than $55 per cubic yard and the total debris removal fee is not over $660.

Also, it appears that if you bid only one cubic yard at $100 it must be approved. If you bid 13 cubic yards at $715 it must be approved.

Remember also that the specs were addressed to the M&M. The contractor is not the mortgagee nor the M&M. If it's not on your work order, don't do it. Most Initial Secure Orders specify that debris be bid but the order can contain wording such as "if debris can be removed within allowables, proceed with debris removal".