Clearing a parent's or relative's home is rarely just a practical job. This guide sets out the order most families and executors find easiest, so nothing important is lost along the way.
When to start
Do not clear the property before the estate's contents have been valued if probate is required — the valuation is based on what was there at the date of death. Executors usually arrange a valuation first, then clearance once grant of probate is issued or the estate is settled.
What to keep back
- Paperwork: deeds, policies, bank statements, share certificates and wills
- Photographs, letters and personal documents
- Jewellery, watches, coins and anything possibly of value
- Keys, and anything family members have asked for
It helps to walk each room with a box for keepsakes before the clearance date, and to mark anything staying with a sticker.
How a clearance day runs
We work room by room. Anything set aside stays untouched. Paperwork and photographs found during the clearance are put in a box for the family rather than loaded. Usable furniture and household goods go to reuse or local charities wherever possible, and everything else is recycled or disposed of correctly.
Working with solicitors and executors
We can deal directly with a solicitor or executor, work to a fixed date, invoice the estate and provide a waste transfer note and photographs of the cleared property.