Washington House Flippers Fined $116K Over Asbestos Removal Rules

January 22, 2025

Two Vancouver, Washington, business owners are facing a combined $116,000 in fines for ignoring rules to protect workers, neighbors, and the environment from exposure to hazardous asbestos at a home-flipping site.

The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries issued the citations after receiving a referral from the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA alleges the owner of NW Quality Flooring LLC falsified lab results in an effort to dump asbestos-containing construction debris from a house he was renovating.

Neither the owner of NW Quality Flooring nor his flipping partner, the owner of Russ Tile Work LLC, are reportedly certified asbestos abatement contractors. The two men performed all the remodeling work themselves on the 1977 home they co-own.

Before abatement work can begin, building materials such as drywall, ceiling texture, and flooring, must be tested for asbestos. The owner of NW Quality Flooring reportedly took a negative test result from a previous job, altered it to make it appear as if it was from the current remodel and provided it to the local waste disposal company. He reportedly falsified other documents as well and repeatedly lied to L&I inspectors.

L&I cited and fined NW Quality Flooring $108,200 for four willful serious violations. The agency fined the company $4,800 in 2022 for asbestos-related violations.

L&I cited and fined Russ Tile Work $8,100 for four serious violations. The owners of both companies are appealing. NW Quality Flooring ultimately hired a certified asbestos removal company to complete the cleanup.

Topics Washington

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