What does after the fact mean?

Answer 1

A BATF or bid after the fact is a phrase used in the property preservation industry, and it is rather easily explained. A bid is an estimate for repairs, so a bid after the fact is when repairs are completed immediately upon discovering them and the bid to repair is submitted after the fact(after the work has been completed). It is a way to speed up repairs for a significant issue such as a roof leak, broken windows or standing water in a basement. The contractor arrives at the property to complete a specific task like trimming bushes. Upon arrival at the foreclosed or abandoned property and finds two broken windows, a roof leak and some damaged drywall on the interior. The contractor would then board up the broken windows(to secure the property) and tarp the roof but the drywall is left unrepaired. Now the contractor submits a bid to repair the roof, re-glaze the glass in the window and to repair the damaged drywall, but since the tarping and boarding was already completed the contractor would submit these as Bid After The Facts(a bid after the work has been completed) A Bid After The Fact would more correctly be thought of as an invoice rather than a bid because he is "invoicing" moreso than bidding.