Your Job – Probate & Estate Clearance

This page is for executors, family representatives and solicitors, including those organising the work from a distance. It explains how the job runs once you have accepted our quote. For a general description of the service, see our Probate & Estate Clearance page.

What we agree before work starts

• Who can give instructions. One named person, or a named firm, whose instructions we follow. That keeps the job clear when several people are involved.
• Who has the keys. Who holds them, how we collect them and how they are handed back.
• What is included. Which rooms and areas we are clearing.
• What must stay. Furniture, items or whole rooms that are not part of the clearance.

Items that are not ours to clear

If family members are collecting things, or items are waiting for a valuation or a decision, ask for these to be clearly identified before we arrive. A note or label on the item, or a list agreed with us and the room it is in, is enough. Anything that is not marked and not on the list is treated as part of the clearance, so it is much easier to settle this beforehand than to try to retrieve something afterwards.

A house, loft, garage, cellar and outbuildings

An estate clearance can involve all of these, and each can have different access and different contents. A loft may mean a narrow hatch and boxes carried down by hand. A cellar may have steep steps. A garage or shed may hold tools, paint and other items that need separate handling. Tell us about every area at the quote stage, and we will look at each one at the survey. See also Loft Clearance and Garage & Outbuilding Clearance.

Paperwork, photographs, keys and valuables

During the clearance we set aside paperwork, photographs, keys, jewellery and other valuables as we find them. Before we start, we agree who receives anything we set aside, and how: collected by a named relative, passed to the solicitor, or kept safe until you tell us what to do. If we are unsure about something, we hold it back and ask the person giving instructions. See also Valuables & Personal Items.

Sale or handover deadlines

A property may be due for sale or handover. If so, agree the deadline with us at the start, so that we can plan the days around it. Also agree whether fitted items, carpets or appliances are part of the job, since the answer changes both the work and the quote.

Photographs and paperwork on completion

Where agreed, we can provide completion photographs and paperwork once the work is finished. If you need these for a solicitor, an estate agent or the family, tell us when you accept the quote so that we plan for it.

What can hold the job up

• Missing keys. If we cannot get in, we cannot start. A late or lost key can mean the work is rearranged.
• Rooms we could not inspect. A locked room, a loft with no safe access or a cellar full to the door may only show its true size once we are working.
• Instructions that change once work has started. A different person giving instructions, items moved from "keep" to "clear" or a new deadline all affect the time and the price.
• Items still waiting for a decision. If a valuation or a family decision is not settled, we leave those items in place until it is.

What you can tell us beforehand

• Who gives instructions, and how to reach them
• Who holds the keys and when we can get in
• Which areas are included, and anything that must stay
• Items to be collected, valued or decided on, and where they are
• The sale or handover date, and whether fitted items, carpets or appliances are included
• Whether you need completion photographs or paperwork

Living away, or acting for others

If you are not near the property, our guide to arranging a house clearance as an executor explains the steps in more detail. Solicitors can find more on our Solicitors & Executors page. If the property belonged to someone who has recently died, see also Your Job – Bereavement House Clearance.

Ready to go ahead?

Arrange a free survey or call us on 0151 733 3355. You can also go back to Your Job to see the other services.