How to Plan a House Clearance: A Step-by-Step Guide

Check who can make the decisions

If you are clearing a property after someone has died, make sure the person acting as executor or administrator is happy for the clearance to go ahead. Check the will for any specific gifts before anything leaves the house.

If the property is rented, check with the landlord when it needs to be empty by.

Set a realistic timescale

Work back from any key date, such as a tenancy ending, a house sale completing or a moving day. A typical family home can take several days to sort by hand, so leave plenty of time.

Search for important documents and valuables

Before anything is thrown away, go through every room for paperwork and personal items. Check inside books, drawers, coat pockets, lofts and sheds. People often keep cash and documents in unexpected places.

Sort everything into piles

Go room by room and sort items into groups. Coloured stickers or labels make it easy for everyone to see what is staying and what is going.

Get valuables looked at

If you think anything might be valuable, get it valued before it goes. An auction house or specialist dealer can give you a fair idea. If you are clearing an estate, values may also matter for the paperwork.

Donate what you can

Charity shops are always grateful for good quality items. Many larger charities will collect furniture.

Sofas, armchairs and mattresses need their fire safety label still attached. Without it, most charities can’t accept them.

Deal with tricky items properly

Some things can’t just go in a skip or a general waste bin. Fridges and freezers, TVs, electricals, paint, chemicals, gas bottles and car batteries all need to be disposed of the right way. If you suspect asbestos, for example in an old garage roof, don’t disturb it and get specialist advice.

Choose a licensed clearance company

This is the most important step. By law you have a duty of care to make sure your waste goes to someone licensed to take it. If you hand it to a “man with a van” who fly-tips it, you can be fined.

Always ask for the company’s waste carrier licence number and check it on the Environment Agency’s public register. Ask for a receipt or waste transfer note too.

Sort out the admin

Take final meter readings, let the utility companies and council know and set up Royal Mail redirection. After a death, the government’s Tell Us Once service lets you report it to most government departments in one go.

Give it a final clean

Once the house is empty, a deep clean gets it ready for sale, handover or the next chapter. Check the loft, garden and shed one last time.