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There are many reasons you may need to find someone for a house clearance; Downsizing, moving into sheltered accommodation or the passing of a relative or friend.

Who should you get to clear a house?

Clearing a family home can be a very stressful and upsetting experience.  The property in many cases is the one you were brought up in and holds so many memories.

How you decide who clears the property for you can have a major influence on how smoothly this whole process goes.

Many people will get a few quotes and decide on price.  In many areas of our lives this is the best way to ensure best value but that isn't necessarily true unless a few extra checks are carried out in addition.  In many of today's clearances there are a lot of items that cannot be sold and will require safe disposal.  This doesn't mean they are not still functional and clean, just not suited to today's buyers.  With landfill taxes on the rise and more items being considered contaminated waste or recyclable, ensuring these items are sorted before disposal is very important.

Get the wrong "man and a van" in and your relative's possessions could end up tipped at a roadside. 

Always check how the non-saleable items will be disposed of and get an idea of the cost element of this.  Any fridges, freezers or TVs will need special consideration as contaminated waste, must be disposed of in a way that is not harmful to the environment.

In many cases of a house being cleared, the recently deceased person has lived there for many years and so have the neighbours.  When the property is being cleared, they do not want to see the furniture smashed, thrown or treated badly, even if it will not sell.  Use a company who will carry the furniture properly and only dismantle what will not come out whole.

After a property is cleared there will always be something to clean, whether it is dust from on top of a wardrobe or cobwebs behind the dresser.  A small effort to clear this can make a big difference to the look of the property afterwards.

Who do the contents of the property belong to?  If you agree a price for clearance allowing for the value of any goods that can be sold, what if a gold ring, valuable pot or even a bundle of money is found?  Is this now the property of the clearer or the family?  It could be argued that the contents were purchased so they belong to the clearer, but is this fair if they were not seen when the decision was made?

What if neither the family nor the firm clearing the property identify a valuable item?  This could be sold on many times before it's true worth is found. 

When items are cleared an entered into auction, the auctioneers are selling on behalf of the estate/family and never take ownership of the contents.  Any additional items are sold for the estate and a commission charged.  Any cash will be either accounted for and paid out at completion or returned.  If the auctioneer does not correctly identify something of value, it will still be entered into a public auction where it will realise its full value.

When furniture and personal effects are removed from a property, it becomes a house and not a home.  Re-entering the property can be upsetting and you should prepare yourself for this.  Being present when the items are being removed is too distressing for some people.  To avoid this you should employ a company you trust to be left unsupervised. 

If you do not know of any companies you can trust and have nobody who can recommend a company they have used, ask your solicitor for a recommendation.  Often a solicitor will deal with probate and arrange clearances, if they trust a firm to do a good job, you should be safe employing them

At Pontypridd Auctions we pride ourselves on our sympathetic, caring and efficient service.  A valuer will call out to appraise the goods and advise what can and cannot be sold.  An estimate will be given for the clearance costs.  All saleable items will be entered into an auction and a commission charged on the hammer price.  If additional items are found during the clearance, these are simply added to the inventory and sold.  All non-saleable items are sorted in an appropriate and compliant manner before disposal at a waste transfer station.  Actual weigh bridge costs only are charged for disposal.

All items are removed carefully and care is taken to clear up on completion.  Photographs are taken and can be emailed if the client would prefer not to re-attend.

This week BBC’s Watchdog program featured a bad house clearance company, this particular company was caught fly-tipping by Watchdog's Rogue Traders team. And if you didn't already know it is illegal to dump any household or commercial waste in the United Kingdom, in fact it's even illegal to litter of any sort.