A late relative's house, three siblings, and a van to the tip
Clearance work often comes after a bereavement. The client is an executor, sometimes a solicitor acting for one, sometimes a family scattered around the country. Some furniture goes to a grandson, some to a charity shop, some is sold, and the rest goes to a licensed waste site.
Weeks later, one sibling asks where the writing desk went. The solicitor wants a record of what was sold and for how much. The waste paperwork is in the van driver's glovebox. Your crew did an honest job, and you cannot prove it.
Why clearance paperwork is thin
Clearances are messy, emotional and fast. The team is focused on emptying the property on time, and recording where each thing goes feels like a luxury.
- Items are sorted in the house with no list of destinations.
- Family members decide on the day and change their minds.
- Waste transfer paperwork and receipts are kept separately.
- Items sent to sale have no link to what the client is told.
- Charity donations are not recorded item by item.
What a thin record costs
Disputes between family members can turn into questions about your firm, and without a record you are in the middle of an argument you cannot settle. Executors and solicitors increasingly expect a written account. Waste paperwork that cannot be found is a problem if anyone later asks how items were disposed of.
It also limits the work you can take. Solicitors and property managers prefer firms that give them a proper report.
How we log a clearance from the house
- Before clearance, the crew or surveyor photographs rooms and significant items on a tablet, and the client marks destinations on a shared list: keep for named family members, donate, sell, dispose.
- Changes are recorded with who asked for them and when, so a sibling's late request is traceable.
- On the day, each group of items is marked as it leaves the property, with the vehicle and destination.
- Donation receipts, sale records and waste transfer paperwork are photographed and attached to the job.
- Items sent to sale are tracked to the sale outcome, with figures entered by whoever handles the sale.
- The client receives a report: rooms before and after, each significant item and where it went, and the paperwork.
| Destination | Record kept |
|---|---|
| Family member | Name, item, delivery or collection sign-off |
| Charity | Items and the charity's receipt |
| Sale | Items, sale route and outcome |
| Disposal | Load, site and waste paperwork |
What paperwork your waste carrier and disposal sites require is for you to follow under the rules that apply to you. We make sure it is attached and findable.
What the executor receives
A clear report, with photos and paperwork, that answers most questions before they are asked. When a sibling rings about the writing desk, the office opens the job and reads out where it went and who asked for it.
The report also becomes a selling point. Solicitors, executors and letting agents who need a clearance often ask for something in writing, and being able to show a sample report with photos and paperwork is a straightforward way to win their next instruction.
Could you prove where it all went?
- Clearance jobs end with no written account for the client.
- Family decisions on the day are not recorded.
- Waste paperwork is kept in the van or a folder.
- Sale items are not tracked to an outcome.
- Solicitors and property managers ask for reports you cannot easily produce.