House Clearance: Your Questions Answered

A house clearance often comes at a hard time. You might be sorting a parent's home after a bereavement, handing back a rented property at the end of a tenancy, or clearing decades of life from a house before it goes on the market. These are the questions people ask us most before they book a house clearance. We are a small local crew based in Shaftesbury, and we work calmly and without pressure, setting aside anything that matters to you and dealing with the rest responsibly. When you are ready, tell us about the property and we will give you a fixed quote within the hour.

What is a house clearance and how is it different from a house move?

A house clearance means emptying a property of its entire contents so it can be left clean and empty, rather than moving one household from one address to another. We sort everything as we go: usable items for donation or reuse, materials for recycling, and only genuine rubbish for disposal. A house move is the opposite job, where we carefully pack and transport your belongings to a new home. If you are actually relocating rather than clearing, our house removals service is the one you want.

Do you handle probate and bereavement house clearances?

Yes. Probate and bereavement clearances are a large part of what we do, and we treat them with the care they deserve. We work to your timeline, never rushing you, and we set aside anything the family wants to keep or check before a single thing leaves the house. There is no pressure and no judgement, just a small crew helping you through a difficult job.

Can you do an end-of-tenancy or landlord clearance?

Yes. We clear rented properties so they are empty and ready for handover or re-let, whether that is the whole house or just the parts a departing tenant has left behind. We will agree a date that works around your handover, and we cover Shaftesbury and the surrounding towns across Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire. Tell us the property size and what needs clearing and we will build the quote around it.

What happens to the items you clear, do you donate or recycle them?

We sort as we work rather than sending everything to landfill. Usable furniture and household items go to reuse or donation wherever we can place them, recyclable materials are separated out, and only genuine waste is taken away and disposed of responsibly. If there are things you are not ready to part with, we can also arrange storage so you have time to decide. Nothing of value is thrown away without checking with you first.

How much does a house clearance cost?

Every clearance is priced on the actual job, so we do not publish a flat figure that would be wrong for most homes. The cost depends on the size of the property, the volume and type of contents, how much is reusable versus genuine waste, access such as stairs, parking and the distance to our vehicle, and whether you need the whole house cleared or just part of it. The fairest way to know is to let us look at what is involved. Send us the details and we will give you a fixed quote within the hour.

Do you clear the whole house, or just part of it?

Both. A full clearance leaves the property completely empty and ready to hand over or sell. A part clearance covers just what you need, perhaps a single room, a cleared loft, or a garage that has filled up over the years. Tell us what you want gone and what you would like left, and we will price it exactly to that.

Do you clear lofts, garages, sheds and gardens too?

Yes, by arrangement. Lofts, garages, sheds and overgrown gardens are all part of clearance work, and we factor the access and any heavy or awkward items into the quote so there are no surprises on the day. If there is a single heavy item that needs specialist handling, such as a piano, a safe or a full-size workshop machine, our specialist removals crew can deal with that too.

Is there anything you can't take, and do you need much notice?

There are a few things a standard clearance load cannot take. Certain chemicals, gas bottles and anything containing asbestos need specialist, regulated disposal rather than going in with the rest, and we will tell you honestly if we spot something like that. On notice, earlier is always easier for booking a date, but we can often help at short notice by arrangement. Whatever the timescale, tell us about the property and we will give you a fixed quote within the hour.