Why this matters in this industry
Waste management and house clearance are industries with a recognised modern slavery and labour exploitation risk, largely because some of the work is informal, cash-based, and done by casual labour without proper checks on who's actually being employed and under what conditions. This risk isn't unique to house clearance, but it's real enough in this sector that we think it's worth addressing directly rather than publishing a generic statement that doesn't engage with the actual risk.
Our approach to connecting you with carriers
houseclearance.co is a carrier network connecting customers with independent waste carrier businesses - we don't employ clearance crews directly, and the labour practices of any given carrier are, legally, that carrier's own responsibility as a separate business. That said, we don't think that's a reason to say nothing. The main control we put in place is requiring every carrier on the platform to hold a valid waste carrier licence - see the Waste Carrier Licence page - which means they're registered with the Environment Agency (or the relevant devolved equivalent) as an identifiable, accountable business rather than an anonymous, unregistered operation. A carrier that won't or can't get properly licensed is excluded from quoting on jobs through the platform in the first place.
We recognise that a licence check is a floor, not a complete guarantee against labour exploitation further down a carrier's own supply chain or subcontracting arrangements. It's the control we currently have in place, and we're stating that plainly rather than implying a broader due-diligence programme that doesn't exist yet.
What we intend to build as the business grows
As houseclearance.co grows from its current early stage towards a live platform with onboarded carriers, we expect to expand this statement to cover things like carrier onboarding checks beyond licensing, a route for reporting concerns about a specific carrier's practices, and a more formal review process. We're not going to claim any of that is in place today when it isn't - this statement reflects a small, early-stage platform and will be revisited and expanded as the business grows.
This statement does not include turnover figures, formal board sign-off, or a signing director's name, because houseclearance.co has not yet reached the stage, structure, or scale where those would be accurate. Those details will be added if and when they apply.
Frequently asked questions
Does houseclearance.co employ the people who do the clearance?
No. Clearances are carried out by independent carrier businesses who quote on jobs through the carrier network, not by houseclearance.co staff.
How do you check carriers aren't exploiting workers?
The primary control today is requiring a valid waste carrier licence, which ties a carrier to a real, accountable, registered business. Beyond that, we don't currently claim a wider labour-practices audit programme - see above for what we expect to build as the platform grows.
How can I raise a concern about a carrier?
A dedicated reporting route is still being built. In the meantime, any concern about a specific carrier's conduct can be raised through the dispute process described in the Terms and Conditions.