House clearance in Surrey: what to check before you call

A house clearance in Surrey is quoted from what the firm can see and what you tell them. The more accurate both are, the closer the quote will be to the final bill. Before you make the first call there are checks you can do yourself, some of which protect you legally and some of which simply stop you paying a crew to remove things you wanted to keep.

Check you have the right to clear the property

This sounds obvious until a bereavement is involved. If the owner has died, the contents belong to the estate, and the executor or administrator is the person with authority to dispose of them. A probate house clearance arranged by one family member without the agreement of the others, or before anyone has confirmed who the executor is, causes disputes that outlast the clearance. GOV.UK sets out the probate process plainly; if a grant of probate is needed for the sale, the contents can usually be cleared earlier, but agree it in writing with everyone who has an interest.

Who pays for house clearance after death is usually the estate, with the invoice kept as an estate expense. For a rented property, check the tenancy agreement and talk to the landlord or agent before removing anything that might be theirs.

Walk the house with a notebook

1. Documents. Wills, deeds, share certificates, insurance policies, bank papers, passports and anything with an account number. Remove them from the property.
2. Valuables. Jewellery, watches, cash, medals, coins and stamps. If anything may be worth real money, get it valued before the clearance rather than relying on the firm. House clearance auctions in Surrey and local auction houses will give an opinion on furniture and collectables.
3. Keep items. Decide what stays and label it clearly. Family photographs are the most common thing lost in a clearance because nobody thought to mention the box in the loft.
4. Hazards. Note fridges and freezers, paint and solvents, gas bottles, garden chemicals, old fire extinguishers, mattresses and anything that may contain asbestos. These are quoted separately and some firms will not take them.
5. Outbuildings. Sheds, garages, greenhouses and the garden itself. Most underestimates come from here.

What is different in Surrey

Surrey’s housing is dominated by detached and semi-detached family homes with large gardens, and that changes the shape of a clearance. There is usually a driveway, so parking is rarely a problem and a skip needs no permit, but the volume is routinely bigger than a London flat of the same number of bedrooms: double garages, workshops, summerhouses and long gardens all have contents. Garden clearance is often a separate line on the quote and worth asking about in advance.

In rural parts of the county, homes may be on a septic tank or private drainage rather than mains sewers. Never let anyone pour paint, solvents, oils or cleaning chemicals down the drains during a clearance; they go to a household waste site as hazardous waste. Surrey County Council runs the community recycling centres, which have rules on van and trailer access and on certain waste types, while the district and borough councils, from Guildford and Waverley to Woking and Elmbridge, handle bulky waste collections and skip permits. A house clearance in Woking, Surrey, for example, is booked through the same private firms, but any council service is Woking Borough Council’s, not the county’s.

Information to have ready when you call

• Property type and number of bedrooms, plus loft, garage, shed and garden.
• Roughly how full each room is: lightly furnished, normally furnished or packed.
• Photographs or a video of every space, including outbuildings.
• What stays, and whether any items need to be moved rather than removed.
• Access: steps, stairs, narrow doorways, parking distance from the door.
• Any hazards from your list.
• Your deadline, and how flexible it is.
• Whether you need the property swept out or left broom clean for a sale or inventory.

With this, a firm can give you a written quote rather than a guess, and you can compare house clearance prices from two or three companies on exactly the same basis.

Questions to ask before you book a house clearance in Surrey

Ask for the firm’s Environment Agency waste carrier registration number and check it on the public register. Ask for proof of public liability insurance. Ask where the waste goes and whether reusable items are offered to charity. Ask whether the quote is fixed or an estimate subject to weight, and what happens if the crew finds more than expected in the loft. Ask whether you need to be present. The answers tell you more about the firm than its website does.

When to call a professional

Some jobs in an empty house are not for a clearance crew. A gas cooker, hob or gas fire must be disconnected by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Storage heaters, electric showers and any hard-wired appliance should be disconnected by a competent electrician, and any work on circuits is notifiable under Part P of the Building Regulations. Suspected asbestos in a home built before 2000, which includes a large share of Surrey’s 1930s and post-war stock, should be left alone and assessed by a specialist. Garages and sheds in the county often have asbestos cement roofs. Your duty of care for waste means only a registered carrier should take anything away, and keeping the waste transfer note is your evidence that you met it.

Once you have the list and the photographs, describe the property and what needs clearing to The Household Daily’s help desk and we will help you take the next step.

Guidance is general and refers to the authority that sets each rule. Costs are indicative ranges; always get written quotes. Trade availability and credentials are confirmed when you enquire.