House clearance

[Beebo]

Does anyone know about house clearance?

A relative is moving into a care home, the house has years of accumulated stuff.

How does a house clearance work. Do they remove stuff at a reduced fee then presumably sell it if they can or just bin it?

How do they work out how much to charge?

We would remove some sentimental items but 95% will be left.

 

[midlife]

When we had to do this the charity shops would only take stuff they could sell at a good profit. The rest we took to the tip!

 

[ColinJ]

Couldn't you Freecycle the unwanted stuff?

Mind you, then the would-be recipients of the freebies probably start asking you to deliver...

 

[Beebo]

Couldn't you Freecycle the unwanted stuff?

Mind you, then the would-be recipients of the freebies probably start asking you to deliver...

No one lives locally.
The nearest relatives are 45 miles away.
So we want an easy option without having to visit multiple times and wait around for people.

 

[ColinJ]

No one lives locally.
The nearest relatives are 45 miles away.
So we want an easy option without having to visit multiple times and wait around for people.

I don't blame you.

I made my remark because my sister tried giving away fairly pricey stuff in good condition but people got quite shirty with her when she wouldn't deliver it to them. Cheeky buggers. Even if they didn't have a car and couldn't get a lift, they could have come round in a taxi!

 

[Oldhippy]

Emmaus great homeless charity, providing homes,education and employment for those whose life went sideways. Nationwide. They recycle, resell.

 

[fossyant]

Skip might be the option. We have the same with MIL's house, god knows what we will do. Can't get other relatives to help, and SIL has actually filled it with a load of her crap. Going to need a number of skips. Charities won't even accept good stuff these days - my sister tried to get rid of perfectly good stuff. Ended up on local facebook page for free, which worked for them.

 

[gbb]

Guy i used to work with did (maybe still does) do house clearance. He used to have a small shop the sellable stuff went in, older/more valuable stuff he sold on ebay (old, ornate walking sticks, jewellry etc), rest to the tip.

So i'd do a thorough sweep first then call the clearance guys in. I say a thorough sweep because there was a stage where we were finding hundreds of pounds in coat pockets, back of drawers, in old purses etc when mum went through a bad phase of health. £700 here, £300 there, etc etc. You dont want to be missing those possibilities ?

 

[gbb]

FB is a good option for odd items, even most items, uoud be surprised what you can get rid of....but its going to take managing, lots of takers, lots of no show'ers, lots of everything, maybe not suitable for OPs purposes.

 

[Electric_Andy]

Yes FB can be a frustrating and drawn out process. I would get quotes for a skip, either that or do multiple trips in the car if you're able. In the past I've chopped up larger items to get them in the car. Likewise for a skip so you can fit more in. But a skip is going to be £200+ but I'd say still less than getting a company in (but maybe I'm wrong,maybe get a quote for that too)

 

[presta]

We called a house clearance guy when my aunt died about 20 years ago. He took a handful of ornaments off the mantlepiece, and turned his nose up at the rest.

 

[Venod]

When the MIL moved into a home, we took some stuff to the charity shops, they took some furniture, what nobody wanted went in a skip, but she was only 3 mile away, not so convenient at 45 mile.

 

[fossyant]

There are companies that wil come in and completely clear the house for a fee. They may deduct some of the amount for iems that are saleable, but for ease, one of these might be the best. Go in with relatives and check for anything that may want to be kept, and cash stashes (MIL was bad for this) and once happy, ask a company to come in and clear it. I think that may be an option for us otherwise it would be back breaking.

 

[Bonefish Blues]

Contact the British Heart Foundation. They do it. They come out and provide a quote in exactly the same way as a removals company and then proceed to, well, clear the house as agreed*. I sorted it for my late father's home and it took a lot of stress away. IIRC last year it was about 900-odd for a 2-bed bungalow with conservatory & garage.

*Leaving anything that's specifically earmarked beforehand with them.

 

[Oldhippy]

Yes FB can be a frustrating and drawn out process. I would get quotes for a skip, either that or do multiple trips in the car if you're able. In the past I've chopped up larger items to get them in the car. Likewise for a skip so you can fit more in. But a skip is going to be £200+ but I'd say still less than getting a company in (but maybe I'm wrong,maybe get a quote for that too)

Emmaus will collect for free and pass on to those with little or recycle.