House Clearance in Watford

Clearing a parent's house is rarely just a logistics job. There are papers to find, photographs nobody wants thrown away by accident, and furniture that means more to one sibling than another. We go at the family's pace, set aside anything that looks personal or important, and check before a box of papers goes anywhere.

If the estate is going through probate, the executors usually want the house emptied before it is sold. We can work to the estate agent's timetable, and the house can be cleared in one visit or over a couple of days if the family wants to go through things first.

When tenants leave things behind, the landlord cannot relet until it has gone. We clear what has been left, from a mattress to a whole house of furniture, and leave the rooms swept for the cleaners.

The same goes for a property being sold empty. Tell us the date it has to be clear by and we will plan backwards from it.

A surprising amount of a house clearance is still useful: dining tables, bookcases, kitchen equipment, bedding and books. Those go to reuse and charity routes first. Metal, cardboard and electricals are split out for recycling, and only what is left goes to a licensed site.

That matters for the cost as well as the conscience, because what goes to reuse does not carry a disposal charge. It also protects you, since fly-tipped waste traced back to a property can land a fine on the householder or the estate.

A clearance is priced by volume, measured in van loads, plus the access at the property. Half a van load starts from £140, and a full three-bed house with a loft and a garage is several loads. A few photos of each room are enough for us to give you a fixed figure.

Items that need their own route, like fridges and freezers, cost a little more and are shown in the quote, not added on the day.