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There is a slight spoiler alert in the title there, but you may still be wondering exactly what can a house clearance company take? Rubbish can quickly build up inside our homes during certain situations that may take a lot of time and therefore money to remove. By hiring a house clearance company, you are saving yourself a lot of hassle!
Contents
- What is a House Clearance?
- When Would you Need a House Clearance?
- How it Works
- What Can a House Clearance Company Take?
- Summary
Having professionals handle your house clearance needs is so much easier than attempting to remove items yourself. But how? And what can a house clearance company take? Well, this guide will give you a better idea of what house clearance companies do and how you can use them to your benefit.
In this guide we are going to cover what exactly house clearance is, why you may require to hire one, how it works, what they can remove, and some questions that you may want to ask the company. With all this information you will be an expert on house clearing companies and will be able to decide whether you require their services or not.
To learn what can a house clearance company take, read on!
What is a House Clearance?
A house clearance is all about removing unwanted items. A house clearance company is not afraid to do the dirty work for you by removing all sorts of items from your home that need to be gone. Usually a house clearance is done when there are large amounts of rubbish and unwanted items in the property. It is not a clean but a clearance of items.
House clearance companies take care of any rubbish that you want out. This could be anything from one room that is full and needs to be cleared, to a whole house clearance. No matter what size of the property, a team will be able to help you to get rid of any unwanted items that have gathered, or any rubbish that you want gone.
House clearance can be a difficult task if you have large items that may take a lot of energy and time to remove. Maybe you are having a refresh in your home and want to get rid of any old appliances or furniture, or maybe you are helping your Grandma clear out all her old newspaper clippings. Whatever the task, a house clearance company will be able to come in and help you.
The Benefits
When you contact a house clearance company instead of trying to complete the job yourself there are several benefits. First, the company will have the ability to remove any items whether they are big or small. There may be some items that you will have trouble trying to get out of the house, or some items that will take a countless number of trips up and down the stairs. Professionals will be able to come in and handle anything that you throw at them as it is most likely they have dealt with it before.
This will give you the peace of mind that you may need in this stressful time as not only could house clearance take you days, but it can pose a safety risk to you. Professionals will know the best way to remove each object and will be able to do it safely. What is good about hiring a house clearance company is that you can have the utmost peace of mind, as they can do the job for you effectively.
By hiring a house clearance company, you can also guarantee quality of service and efficiency. Not only can they remove any size of items for you, but you can be sure that they will provide a good service as they have the knowledge, skills, and expertise to clear your property well. By hiring a house clearance company, you can expect a quality clearance service with overall efficiency.
House clearance companies are usually environmentally friendly too as they try to recycle the items that they remove. They also are experts in knowing whether items are suitable for the charity shop or not, as they will have been to a countless number of houses and given away a countless number of items before.
Being environmentally friendly is so important as usually during a house clearance there are a lot of items that get thrown away. Instead of it all ending up on landfill, house clearance companies do a good job of deciding what can be recycled or reused which is much better for the environment than taking it all to the local rubbish centre.
House clearance companies also offer a full price for labour, transport and of course disposal. This means that there are no hidden costs that you will not be expecting. If you give the company a clear description and maybe send some pictures of what you want removed, then the quote will be accurate.
Going through a house clearance company will also save you from waiting on a long council waiting list to get someone over to remove your rubbish and items that you want cleared. Why wait on a long list for months when you could ask professionals to come on the most convenient day for you?
When Would you Need a House Clearance?
When thinking about what a house clearance company can take, you should think about why you may need to hire the house clearance company. There are a few reasons why you may need them to remove items from your home.
- When renovating
When renovating or building a house, rubbish and packaging can build up quickly and will end up being in the way. When you are at a suitable place in the build or renovation you can hire a house clearance company to remove everything for you. This will save you from having to hire a skip and put everything in there or do multiple trips to the tip yourself.
The house clearance company will be able to remove all the unwanted rubbish for you and properly dispose of it, for example by recycling where they can.
- Auction properties
Another reason why you may need to hire them is if you buy a property that has not been cleared, for example at an auction. Usually these homes are abandoned and left as they are, resulting in all sorts of rubbish, appliances and furniture being left behind. Whether you want to renovate the property or just sell it on again you will need to clear away everything that is in there to make it suitable for new tenants.
In this situation you may find that you need to remove multiple items and rubbish in each room which will waste a lot of your time that you may need to spend working or preparing to renovate the new property. By hiring a house clearance company to do the heavy lifting (sometimes literally) for you.
- Bereavement or when someone is taken into care
You may need to hire a house clearance company if you find yourself needing to clear the home of a loved one. This could, of course, be a draining and upsetting process so it may be better for you to take any precious or sentimental items and then hire a company to remove the rest for you (such as furniture and appliances). In this case, you can save anything that you would like to keep but then not have to deal with removing any larger items or items that are better off being recycled or reused.
During this time, you will want to work with a company that is going to respect your wishes and work well with you to clear out the home. Therefore, you need to do your research to find the best house clearance company that will be respectful yet efficient to get the help you get the job done.
There may also be situations where the home has been occupied by someone who was previously unwell and unable to care of themselves or their property. For landlords or other homeowners, this may mean being faced with potentially insanitary, dangerous, or unpleasant environments.
In these cases, a house clearance company will be able to send in professionals who have the correct equipment and protective gear to remove anything safely and to no danger of anyone involved. This is much safer than homeowners attempting to clear the property themselves, so it makes sense to bring in experts from a house clearance company.
- Hoarded houses
Houses that contain years’ worth of accumulated possessions whether that be rubbish or other items that have built up and are taking space may benefit from a house clearance. This may be due to compulsive hoarding syndrome so most house clearance companies know that this will be a big deal for the occupant. They most likely will have dealt with similar situations so they will know to handle the property with care to remove the items.
How it Works
Now you know the situations in which you may need to hire a house clearance company, but how do they work? Here we are going to explain the process for you so that you know what to expect when contacting a house clearance company. There are a couple different ways in which they work so it is important to research different companies to find the best one for you and your needs.
Choosing a Service
Depending on your situation there are different ways to find the best service for you and your needs. For example, if you are needing a house clearance for a family member that has passed away then there may be a company who deals specifically with this kind of work. This is because you may need to work with them to establish what you want to keep and what you want them to throw away.
Finding the best house clearance company for you means doing your research. Looking at reviews and asking people you know for recommendations is a good way to figure out which company you want to hire.
It may also be a good idea to ask for quotes from multiple different companies so that you can decide which is the best value for money. You may find that sending images will help you to get the most accurate price as it can be hard to accurately describe your situation over the phone or in an email. Some companies may even request to send someone over to perform an assessment before they give you the quote.
It is important to make sure that any company you contact has an official license for house clearance. This is because licenced companies will be sure to dispose of the rubbish, waste, and items properly either by recycling, donating, or maybe taking the items to landfill.
You don’t want to go with a company that will (without you knowing) wrongly dispose of items that can be traced back to you, potentially even leaving you with a hefty fine for fly-tipping.
Disposing of Items
In general, items can be put into two categories. Items to be sold and items to be thrown away. Items that can be sold include appliances such as ovens, fridges, and washing machines as well as certain items of furniture. This is of course assuming that they are not damaged or faulty. They may also go to charity if they are of a decent quality which is more efficient than throwing them away.
With these items, a house clearance company could go on to sell them themselves and therefore may charge you less to remove them than other items. You could, of course, try to sell them yourself but this will take time to organise when you could have them removed along with all of the other items at a fair price by the house clearance company.
The items to be thrown away include rubbish, bedding, and used clothing. These items will need to be removed from the property by the house clearance company and therefore will be at standard labour, transport, and removal prices.
There are some items, however that you will need to check with the company as to whether they are trained or have the equipment to remove properly and safely. These items include hazardous materials such as medical waste, asbestos, petrol, and weaponry. There are some companies that will refuse to clear away these items to keep their employees safe, or because they are not trained to remove them. Other companies will have the knowledge and materials necessary to safely remove them.
This is why it is important to be clear and transparent with your house clearance company as to what you need to be removed as you do not want to be in a situation where they refuse to remove certain objects. This could cost you money as they will likely charge you for wasting their time so remember to be clear with what needs to be removed.
Charities
There are some charities that will do house clearances for you. They may not clear as much as a traditional house clearance company, but they may haul away small boxes of items or pieces of furniture that may be suitable to sell in their shops.
Consider thinking about whether you would wear clothes that are in the property, or if you would consider buying the furniture. If they answer is no, then they are most likely not suitable for charity and will just need to be disposed of. If the answer is yes, then you may want to contact local charities to see if they would be interested in any of the items to take them off your hands.
Removal Day
After choosing the right house clearance company for you and arranging a time and day for them to come you will be faced with ‘removal day’. Some companies may ask you to try and arrange the items and rubbish in a certain way to help them with the labour. For example, they may ask that any large items are not obstructed by other items or rubbish.
This, however, does depend on the company as you may very well be paying for them to handle everything for you from organising to bagging up to removal. In this case, they will be charging you for every aspect of the clearance which may cost more money but does mean that you can sit back and not have to worry about anything.
Being clear with what you expect from the house clearance company will make the job easier on job ends. If you are requesting that they do everything for you and the property is a large and full home, then you will be expected to pay more than a single room clearance where some items have already been removed and donated by you. Being clear will help them to come up with a quote and will stop any disappointment in terms of money on your end.
What Can a House Clearance Company Take?
So, now you know all there is to know about house clearance companies we can answer the question what can a house clearance company take?
Most house clearance companies will be able to take everything (like mentioned in the title!), but what exactly does this mean? Items ranging from actual rubbish to furniture can be removed and cleared away for you no matter the situation.
Let us go through each type of items that a house clearance company will be able to take so that it is clear.
Furniture – house clearance companies will be able to remove all sorts of furniture (basically anything that you can think of). Some may be able to be recycle or re-sold/donated, others may be damaged or soiled so will need to be safely disposed of.
Depending on the item and the size, it may cost more to remove. This is because some items, for example large old sofas, are heavy, will be difficult to get out of the property, and will take up a lot of room in any removal vans.
- Sofas
- Armchairs
- Dining tables
- Dining chairs
- Bedframes
- Bookcases
- Cabinets
- Coffee tables
- Sofa beds
- Footstools
- TV stands
- Side tables
- Benches
- Barstools
e.c.t.
Appliances and electricals – similarly to furniture, there are some items that may be larger and will therefore take more power, time, and materials to remove. Be aware that these will cost you more money to remove, however, will be necessary to have professionals do the job to stay safe.
Especially with appliances and electricals there is the risk that they could be damaged and dangerous (for example if there is broken glass around). This means that the house clearance company will need to send a team with the appropriate equipment needed to complete the job safely as remaining safe is an important part of any house clearance.
- Fridges
- Freezers
- Washing machines
- Tumble dryers
- Ovens
- Hobs
- Dishwashers
- Microwaves
- Kettles
- Coffee machines
- BBQs
- Sinks
- Irons
- Radiators
- TVs
- CD/DVD players
- Remotes/controllers
e.c.t.
Materials – another set of items that can be removed by a house clearance company is any materials lying around the property. This means any old materials that may have been used or neglected by past or present owners of the property.
These are generally easy to remove and depending on the condition can be re-used or donated to a charity. There may, however, be items such as mattresses that will take more effort to remove, especially if they must be maneuvered downstairs and out of the front door. With the bigger items, again expect that you may need to pay more money to have them safely removed by the professionals.
- Old clothes
- Curtains
- Drapes
- Bedding
- Mattresses
e.c.t.
Miscellaneous items – in some cases there may be general possessions that need to be cleared away that you do not want to keep. This can be anything from décor items to books to crockery. A house clearance company will be able to remove any of these items for you too.
General waste – some properties may just be filled with rubbish, for example if they are abandoned. This may be bagged up or could just be strewn over the property. A house clearance company can be hired to take the time to remove all the rubbish safely from the property and dispose of it properly too.
Hopefully, this has answered the question what can a house clearance company take as the answer is pretty much everything! Remember to be clear and transparent with what you have that needs to be removed as it will help them to come up with the best price that is fair. The house clearance companies quotes and prices will be fair considering the amount of labour, how many vans they need and how they will be disposing of the items.
What Can’t They Take?
When answering the question what can a house clearance company take, you should also be considering what they cannot take. Note that this may not apply to every house clearance company as with the right knowledge and equipment it is possible to safely remove these items.
We have briefly mentioned it but hazardous materials such as medical waste, asbestos, petrol, and weaponry may not always be safe to remove. Checking with the house clearance company beforehand is crucial to avoid disappointment from both parties.
Hazardous items need to be safely removed but also safely disposed of. Some companies will not be capable of doing this but other will have the resources and connections needed to make sure that nothing hazardous is put in the wrong hands.
Summary
Now we should have answered your question what can a house clearance company take as well as answering any other questions that you may have had about house clearance companies.
They are the best people to hire if you need to remove any sorts of items from a property but do not have the time or power to do so. This is because they are experts at what they do and have the knowledge needed to make sure all items are properly disposed of or donated.
House clearance companies will handle the dirty work for you as they will have dealt with all sorts of situations and properties before meaning they will be respectful and will listen to your needs for your property.
Remember to be clear with the company when asking for a quote as it will help them to figure out the fairest price for you and what you need. This means communicating with them well to decide what you want to be removed, what could be recycled and what can be donated.
Now you have all there is to know about house clearance companies to can get researching the best company for you as they will be able to remove all of your unwanted items safely, saving you time and effort.