Direct answer
A house clearance breaks down into three phases: before you post the job, where you sort items into keep, donate and remove, and walk the property to check access; the day itself, where the carrier needs clear access, confirmed instruction authority, and someone available to sign off what's been cleared; and after the clearance, where you check the property, record the final walkthrough and keep hold of any paperwork the carrier provides. Our house clearance cost guide covers the preparing-for-a-clearance basics - this page goes into the full step-by-step checklist for each phase.
Contents
Sorting into keep, donate and remove
The single biggest reason items go missing in a clearance is that this step gets skipped.
Before anything else, sort the property's contents into three working categories. This doesn't need to be formal - a sticky note or a sheet of paper per room is enough - but having three distinct categories, rather than a vague "clear it all" instruction, is what stops a wanted item ending up on the van by mistake.
- Keep - anything moving with you, going to another family member, or being stored elsewhere. Physically remove these items from the property first, or move them into one clearly marked room, rather than leaving them mixed in with everything else.
- Donate - usable furniture, clothing, books and household goods in good condition. Set these aside separately if you're arranging your own drop-off or collection with a charity, since most clearance jobs through houseclearance.co are quoted to clear a property rather than to run a separate donation errand on your behalf.
- Remove - everything else: items beyond reasonable reuse, general household waste, and anything you've decided isn't worth keeping or donating. This is what the clearance quote is actually priced against.
Anything not clearly sorted into one of these three categories by the time the crew arrives is at risk of being treated as "remove" by default, since that's usually the instruction a clearance job is booked under. If a category is genuinely unclear - a box of paperwork, for example, or items of uncertain value - set it aside and flag it specifically rather than leaving it in the general pile.
Before posting the job
A bit of groundwork before you post makes the whole job easier to quote and run.
Before you post a house clearance job, it helps to walk through the property with a checklist in hand rather than relying on memory. None of this needs to take long, but it's the difference between a quote that holds and one that shifts once the carrier actually sees the job.
- Walk through every room, including the loft, garden and any outbuildings, and note roughly what needs clearing in each one.
- Sort items into keep, donate and dispose, even roughly - this changes the volume a carrier needs to quote for.
- Write down access details: stairs, lift availability, parking restrictions, and how far items would need to be carried to a vehicle.
- Flag anything unusual separately rather than lumping it into a general "furniture" line - a piano, a shed full of tools, or a loft that hasn't been touched in years.
- Check whether any large appliances need WEEE-compliant removal, since these are handled differently from general household items.
- Decide on a preferred date, and note whether it's flexible or tied to a fixed deadline such as a completion date.
What to include in your job post
The more complete the post, the more accurate the quotes you get back.
Once you've done the walkthrough, the job post itself is where that information gets turned into something a carrier can actually quote against. A thin post - just an address and "needs clearing" - tends to produce quotes that move once the carrier sees the real scope.
- Postcode, so carriers covering that part of London can see the job.
- A rough sense of volume - number of rooms, or a general description of how much needs to go.
- Photos, if you can manage them - even a few quick shots of the busiest rooms help a carrier quote more accurately.
- Access details: stairs versus lift, ground floor versus upper floor, and any parking or loading restrictions.
- Your deadline or preferred date, flagged clearly if it's fixed rather than flexible.
Check the coverage map if you're not sure whether carriers are currently active in that part of London before posting.
Comparing quotes
The quote with the lowest headline number isn't always the one that covers everything you need.
Once quotes start coming back, it's worth comparing more than one and checking what each actually includes rather than just the number at the top. Our how to compare house clearance quotes guide covers this in detail, including what's usually included as standard and what's worth confirming directly with the carrier before you accept.
- Confirm what's included: labour, loading, and disposal or recycling, not just the vehicle.
- Check the carrier is licensed - you can run a waste carrier licence check before accepting.
- Ask how they handle sorting for reuse, donation or recycling versus general disposal.
- Check the time window offered matches your access arrangements, especially if a keyholder needs to be present.
On the day
What to have ready once the crew is on site.
- Make sure someone who can grant access and answer questions about what's being kept is present, or at least contactable, for the start of the job.
- Confirm access arrangements with the carrier ahead of time - keys, entry codes, or parking suspension where needed.
- Point out anything flagged in advance as special - fragile items, things being kept, or anything needing careful handling.
- Let the crew work through the property room by room, loading items for disposal, reuse or recycling as agreed.
- Do a sign-off walkthrough at the end of the job to confirm everything agreed has actually been cleared.
A straightforward, ground-floor, single-visit clearance is generally quicker to carry out than a multi-floor property with no lift, simply because of the extra time spent moving items to the vehicle - worth bearing in mind if the time window matters to your day.
After the clearance: final checks
A few checks once the crew has left, and a short written record worth keeping.
- Walk through the property again to confirm everything agreed has been cleared, including lofts, outbuildings and any areas easy to overlook.
- Check nothing was accidentally removed that was meant to be kept - this is why the keep category above should have been physically separated beforehand rather than relying on memory during the final walkthrough.
- Ask what happens to the items removed - most carriers sort for reuse, donation or recycling where possible, with the remainder going for responsible disposal in line with standard waste regulations.
- Keep hold of any paperwork the carrier provides, such as a waste transfer note or equivalent record - see our waste transfer notes for house clearance guide for what this covers and why it's worth keeping on file, particularly for probate or end-of-tenancy situations.
- Make a short written note of the final walkthrough itself: the date, who did the walkthrough, and confirmation that the property matched what was agreed. This doesn't need to be formal, but a dated note is useful if a query comes up later - particularly for probate, end-of-tenancy or landlord jobs where more than one party has an interest in the outcome.
Which clearance scenario applies to you
A quick reference for how access and instruction authority typically differ by scenario - confirm specifics directly with the carrier whose quote you accept.
| Option or job scenario | What it includes | Main restriction | What to confirm before booking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner or tenant present on site | Full clearance with the occupier on hand to answer questions and sign off the result. | Still needs the keep/donate/remove sort finished beforehand to avoid slowing the crew down. | Arrival window and whether you need to be present for the whole job or just the start and end. |
| Keyholder-only access (nobody present) | Carrier lets themselves in via a keyholder, agent or lockbox and clears to pre-agreed instructions. | No one on site to make a judgement call on an unclear item, so sorting must be unambiguous in advance. | Exactly who holds the key, how it's returned, and what happens if something looks uncertain on the day. |
| Probate clearance (executor instructing) | Clearance instructed by the executor or administrator dealing with the estate. | Only the person with legal authority over the estate's contents should be giving removal instructions. | Proof of executor status the carrier may want to see, and how items of uncertain value are flagged rather than cleared. |
| End-of-tenancy clearance (landlord or agent instructing) | Clearance instructed by the landlord or managing agent, checked against the tenancy inventory. | Tenant's own belongings may need separate handling depending on the tenancy's legal position. | Whether the inventory or a general "clear and clean" standard is being used to judge the result. |
| Block or managed building access | Clearance where a concierge, managing agent or building rules govern lift use, loading bays or permitted hours. | Building access rules sit on top of the clearance itself and can restrict the time window available. | Booking any lift or loading-bay slot the building requires, separately from booking the clearance. |
Probate and end-of-tenancy checklists
The same core steps, with a couple of extra considerations.
The checklist above covers the core of most jobs, but two situations tend to need a bit more care layered on top.
Probate clearance
A probate clearance usually benefits from extra time built in for sorting personal possessions, paperwork and anything that needs to go to the executor or family members before the rest is cleared. It's worth confirming with the carrier how they handle anything found during the clearance that looks like it should be set aside rather than removed.
End-of-tenancy clearance
An end of tenancy clearance should be checked against the tenancy inventory, since "clean and clear" for a deposit return can mean something more specific than a general clearance. Confirm with the carrier whether they're clearing to a general standard or matching a specific inventory checklist.
If the property involved is a flat rather than a house, see flat clearance for access considerations specific to blocks and shared corridors that this checklist doesn't cover in detail. If there's genuinely no flexibility on timing at all, a same-day clearance service covers jobs that need turning around within a day rather than following the full lead-time checklist above.
How the process works, and related guides
For more on each stage of the process, and on specific cost scenarios.
This checklist covers what to do at each stage - for a broader walk through how job posting, matching and quoting work end to end, see how it works. Every carrier who quotes through houseclearance.co should hold a waste carrier licence, and you can see how other jobs were actually scoped and run in our case studies.
If you're trying to work out likely cost drivers rather than the checklist itself, see the main house clearance cost in London guide, or the scenario-specific versions for a flat clearance, an office clearance, or a probate house clearance.
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Post your house clearance for licensed carriers to quote on.
Frequently asked questions
The questions that come up most often when people are getting ready for a clearance.
What should I do before posting a house clearance job?
Walk through the property and note what needs clearing, sort items roughly into keep, donate and dispose, write down access details such as stairs, lift or parking restrictions, flag anything unusual like a piano or an uncleared loft, and settle on a preferred date before you post the job.
What details should I include in my job post?
Include the postcode, a rough idea of volume (number of rooms or a general sense of how much needs to go), photos if you can, access details such as stairs or parking restrictions, and your deadline or preferred date. The more complete the post, the more accurate the quotes you get back.
Should I get more than one quote?
Yes - comparing more than one quote and checking what each one actually includes is the main way to avoid surprises. Our how to compare house clearance quotes guide covers what to look at beyond the headline price.
Who needs to be present on the day of the clearance?
Someone who can grant the crew access and answer questions about what's being kept versus cleared normally needs to be present, or at least contactable, especially at the start and end of the job. Some jobs are run with keyholder access arranged in advance - confirm this directly with the carrier whose quote you accept.
What happens to items after a house clearance?
Items are generally sorted for reuse, donation or recycling where possible, with anything left over going for disposal in line with standard waste regulations. Ask the carrier how they handle sorting as part of comparing quotes if this matters to you.
Do I need any paperwork after the clearance?
A licensed carrier should be able to provide a waste transfer note or equivalent record showing the waste was passed to an authorised party, which is useful to keep on file, particularly for probate or end-of-tenancy situations.
Is the checklist different for a probate or end-of-tenancy clearance?
The core steps are the same, but probate clearances often add extra time for sorting personal possessions and documents, while end-of-tenancy clearances need to be checked against the tenancy inventory so the property is handed back in the expected condition.
Who has the authority to instruct the crew on what to clear?
It needs to be someone actually entitled to make that decision for the property - normally the owner or tenant, or for an estate, the executor or administrator dealing with probate. If you can't be present yourself, agree in advance, ideally in writing, who is standing in for you and what they're authorised to decide, rather than assuming a keyholder automatically has the authority to make keep-or-remove calls on your behalf.
Do house clearance people take everything?
Most licensed carriers will clear general household items, furniture and bulky waste, but a few categories are usually excluded or need separate arrangements - things like asbestos, gas cylinders, paint tins, chemicals and certain electricals with hazardous components. It's worth confirming exactly what's included when you get your quote.
How long does a house clearance take?
Smaller clearances, such as a flat or single room, are often completed within a few hours, while a full house clearance for a 3+ bedroom property can take a full day or more, depending on volume, access and how many people the carrier sends.
How much should you pay for house clearance?
Indicative costs on houseclearance.co range from around £150 for a small studio/1-bedroom clearance up to £1,400+ for a larger 3-bedroom house, though the final price is set by whichever licensed carrier quotes your specific job based on volume, access and disposal costs.
