How Much Does a House Clearance Cost?

Factors That Impact the Cost of a House Clearance

House clearances will vary considerably in terms of the nature of the property and the types of items you need to be cleared.

If items are recyclable or salvageable, you may be able to sell some of them at auction or to a salvage yard.

In other cases, if all items are unsuitable for reuse, your house clearance contractor will need to account for the costs of skip hire and waste disposal fees.

For example, if items constitute a health hazard, the disposal charges may be higher.

The other primary factors that will affect your house clearance costs are discussed below.

Quantity of Items to Clear

As we've explained, house clearance providers will quote per room, day or item, but if you have a large volume of appliances and furniture items to remove, it will cost more in disposal charges and labour hours.

Nature of House Clearance Contents

If a hoarder has lived in the property, there are unidentified items or anything that may require special handling, your house clearance provider will need to build this into their quote.

House Clearance Access

Most properties are relatively easy to access, but there are several scenarios where access may be restricted and command additional equipment or planning, for example:

• Homes with small entrance ways where larger items are difficult to manoeuvre.
• Properties with steep, narrow or numerous flights of stairs.
• Buildings where bigger appliances must be winched or craned from an upper-storey window.
• House clearances without space or access for a skip or removal vehicle.
• Dilapidated or derelict homes with overgrown gardens or disused pathways that require preparatory work before the house clearance can take place.

If you foresee any potential access difficulties, it is important to share these with your house clearance provider beforehand since they may be able to advise on the quickest or cheapest options to clear the property.

The Volume of Waste

Contractors will need to know how many van loads the clearance requires - they may also quote per kilogram or ton.

Some providers will use multiple vehicles for a large clearance project or may make return visits, which will cost more in fuel charges and waste disposal costs.

Location

House clearances in London and the southeast cost more than in other areas, as with any contracted work - labour costs, insurance and travel expenses are higher in this part of the country.

If you need to clear a property in a dense urban area with parking restrictions or want to clear a home in a remote location, this may also add to your total budget.

Quality of Your Clearance Provider

It is important to steer clear of house clearance contractors who quote a price that seems too good to be true or estimate a cost significantly lower than anybody else.

These quotations normally come from unregistered providers who do not have the appropriate waste transportation licences or accreditations to clear properties safely and responsibly.

In most cases, your waste items are dumped illegally, which can mean that you incur extra costs, penalties or fines. The charge for fly-tipping, even if you didn’t realise your contractor would do so, is up to £50,000.

The House Clearance Process

A full house clearance differs from a removal job or decluttering exercise and won't usually apply if you'd simply like to remove a few surplus items or old appliances.

House clearances include:

• Removing all items from the entire home.
• Clearing appliances or items in indoor and outdoor spaces.
• Disposal of all items of furniture.

There are many scenarios when you need to clear a property. Still, common situations include clearing a home following a bereavement, clearing an inherited house, a clearance after a tenant has vacated a rental residence, or clearing a property acquired at auction.

You can discuss your requirements with your selected contractor, but you may decide to remove certain items you wish to keep beforehand or instruct them to leave certain possessions in situ.

However, most house clearances involve a complete disposal service for all items remaining in the property.

House Clearances for Severely Cluttered Properties

Hoarding means that a person stores an excessive volume of items, often with no monetary value - hoarding can accumulate over many years and present a serious problem for the property owner when they wish to redecorate or sell the home.

Properties that have fallen into poor repair or where there is a long history of hoarding are more challenging to clear.

Still, you can contact an experienced clearance provider and request a confidentiality agreement if you are concerned about the privacy of the individual who lives or has previously lived in the home.

Contractors will often use extra health and safety equipment and protective clothing to tackle a large volume of hoarded items.

 

Clearances differ from straightforward decluttering because:

• The contractor will clear the entire property, including larger and bulkier appliances.
• Unwanted items can be recycled or sold at auction, and the profits are either passed to the owner or used to offset the clearance costs. Other items may be donated to charity.
• Homeowners can contract a clearance service for individual rooms (often attic spaces, garages or storage areas) or the entire property.

If you need to clear a property following a bereavement or for a home inherited through the probate system, you may wish to hire a specialist in this area who will ensure the clearance is completed with sensitivity.

Creating a House Clearance Timeline

The specific time required to clear a property will vary depending on the size of the home, location, layout and volume of items to be removed.

Most projects take one full day, although this may be longer if the property is large or has full storage spaces such as lofts and garages.

We've run through the steps below to understand your expected clearance time scale better.

Preparing for a House Clearance

It is important to prepare for your property clearance before your contractor arrives - this can take several days, so you may need to set some time aside in the week beforehand.

Any items you wish to keep should be separated, removed, or labelled so there is no confusion about what you'd like disposed of.

Ideally, you should also remove valuable items to ensure they aren't cleared with other waste items.

If there are valuable or sentimental items you cannot remove (such as a large item of furniture or piano), you will need to clarify with your contractor.

You may also be able to create a list of items you would like to donate to charity and others that you believe are suitable for sale at auction or through a reclamation yard.

Attending the Clearance

Most contractors prefer the homeowner to be present during the house clearance, so they can consult if they encounter anything they believe may not be intended for disposal.

Although you can provide access at the start of the day and then leave, it is beneficial to be available, or remain on site if you can, because smaller items such as jewellery are often uncovered as furniture is removed.

Remaining on site is useful since you can ensure that all rubbish, furniture and appliances have been cleared and create a running tally of goods being reserved for resale, so there are no disagreements about the expected value of those items.

Selling Clearance Items

The easiest way to organise the sale of cleared items tends to be through a local auction house that will be familiar with house clearance sales.

It is up to you whether you would like to attend the auction or leave this for the professionals to deal with - you will receive around 75% to 80% of the sale value.

Alternatively, your house clearance provider may be able to handle the resale of anything of value and deduct the proceeds from the house clearance cost. However, you will typically achieve a lower value than if you organise the sale yourself.

Most electrical appliances are less suited to auction but can be donated to charity.

Costs Included in a House Clearance Quotation

The highest costs for a house clearance provider are staffing, legal waste disposal and recycling, but it can be useful to understand what services are included within the price.

Although prices vary, as we have seen, the breakdown below sets out the average costs for each element within a house clearance service.

Waste Recycling Costs

Companies must dispose of waste at an approved, licenced facility and hold a waste carrier's licence or subcontract to a suitably accredited waste disposal firm.

Recycling plants charge up to £200 per ton to dispose of cleared items responsibly, with average prices of:

• £180 per van (based on a Luton van with a 1.5-ton capacity)
• £60 per mattress
• £80 per fridge or freezer
• £40 per TV
• £50 for ten small electrical appliances

House Clearance Insurances and Licences

A professional clearance company must be registered with the Environment Agency and hold professional and public indemnity insurance.

Insurance for house clearance providers costs from £1,000 a year, and the charge included within your quote for this element of the service will be from £5 and upward.

Transport Costs

Most house clearance teams use Luton vans - they are long-wheelbase vehicles. They have a larger capacity than a standard transit van yet are small enough to access most residential properties and tight roads.

These vehicles cost around £26,000 plus running costs, tax, repairs and insurance, and your house clearance contractor will charge around £60 per job.

Fuel charges will also apply, at an average of £20, but this could be much higher if you require multiple vehicles or return journeys.

House Clearance Labour

Unless your clearance is particularly small, you'll normally have three crew members arrive on the day.

House clearance companies tend to use minimum teams of three to comply with health and safety and insurance requirements and ensure there are enough pairs of hands to handle large, valuable or heavy items.

The average labour cost starts at £216 - again, that varies depending on how many days or hours of work are required and any specific requirements such as extremely heavy items that need more labourers or commercial moving equipment.

These pricing factors mean that the average for all UK property clearances sits at just under £800.

Please ask your contractor for an itemised estimate if you are unsure what is or isn't included in your quote or how the cost breaks down into different parts of the house clearance service.

Still wondering "How much does a house clearance cost?" Depending on the depth of demolitions you plan to undertake the costs can vary. Learn more about small costs that will increase house clearance costs like the demolition of a general wall, larger cost increases like the cost to demolish an extension and other building demolition costs and services