House clearance after someone dies: how to clear a home

Nobody really knows how to do a house clearance until they've had to. You walk into a house you know well and every drawer has a decision in it. The advice below is in the order we'd do things, and you can stop at any point and come back another day.

Before you move anything

A few things are worth doing in the first week, even if you can't face the contents yet.

• Make the house safe. Lock up, collect spare keys from neighbours and carers, and throw away food that will go off. Turn off the water if the house will be empty in winter, or ask a plumber what's sensible.
• Tell the home insurer. Many policies restrict cover once a home has been empty for about 30 days, and some after 60. Ask what the policy says and whether you need unoccupied cover.
• Redirect the post. Bills, pension letters and share certificates will tell you what the person had. Leaving them on the doormat also shows that nobody's home.
• Check who is in charge. If there's a will, it should name the executors. If there isn't, the closest relatives have to apply to deal with the estate. Our guide to clearing a house before probate explains what each person can do and when.

Registering the death comes first of all. In England and Wales you have 5 days from the medical examiner's confirmation, and 8 days in Scotland. The registrar will give you a reference for Tell Us Once, which passes the news to most government departments and the local council in one go.

How long do you have?

Usually longer than it feels. If the person owned the home, nobody is going to make you empty it by a set date, unless a sale has been agreed.

Council Tax is often less of a worry than people expect. If you're selling a property on behalf of someone who has died, GOV.UK says you don't need to pay Council Tax until after you get probate, as long as the property stays empty. After that you may get up to 6 more months' exemption if the home is still unoccupied and still in the name of the person who died. Tell the council about the death so the bill is handled correctly.

Rented homes are different. Private landlords and housing associations will expect the tenancy to be ended and the keys returned, and rent usually keeps running until they are. Councils and housing associations can move quickly, sometimes asking for the home back within a few weeks. Ring them early, explain the situation and ask for the date in writing.

Find the paperwork first

Before anything goes in a box, look for the papers that the rest of the job depends on. People keep them in odd places. Check inside books and handbags, in coat pockets, in the biscuit tin on top of the wardrobe, and in the file nobody has opened since 1994.

Keep everything you find in one box or folder, and don't let it get mixed up with the contents you're sorting.

Photograph everything before it moves

Go round the house with your phone and take photos of each room, then of anything that might be worth something or might matter to someone. Include maker's marks, labels and signatures. The executors need a list of what was there, and family who live far away can see it all without travelling. If anyone argues about whether Mum's clock was ever in the dining room, the photos can settle it in a few seconds.

An order that works

Starting with the most personal room is the usual mistake. A better order goes from easy to hard, so that you've built up some momentum before you reach the bedroom.

1. 1Start with the garage, shed and loft. There's less sentiment here, and often a good deal of rubbish. Check boxes properly first, because lofts are where the good china tends to end up.
2. 2Move on to the kitchen. Most of it can go quickly, but look at the back of cupboards for older ceramics, silver and glass.
3. 3Then do the spare rooms and hall, where ornaments, pictures and books start to need some thought.
4. 4The living room comes next, with the furniture and the things people will have views about.
5. 5Leave the main bedroom, clothes and personal papers until last, and don't do them alone if you can avoid it.

Do one room at a time and finish it before starting the next. A house where every room is half done is much harder to be in than one where two rooms are empty and the rest are untouched.

Some things need special handling

A house clearance turns up a few items that can't simply go to the tip or a charity shop.

• Take unused medicines to a pharmacy. Don't put them in the bin or down the toilet.
• Beds, hoists, commodes and other mobility or medical equipment are often on loan from the NHS or the council. Look for a label with a number to ring.
• If you find a firearm or shotgun, leave it where it is and contact the police firearms licensing team.
• You can keep or give away anything made with ivory, but selling it without an exemption is illegal.
• Sofas and armchairs need handling separately from other waste. Waste upholstered seating can contain persistent organic pollutants and has to be incinerated rather than landfilled.
• Count cash with a second person present and write down what you found. Bank it through the estate, and don't leave jewellery in an empty house.

Keep, sell, donate, give away, let go

Every object ends up in one of five places, and it helps to use the same words for them from the start.

• Keep: things going to someone in the family.
• Sell: things worth the effort of selling. Our guides to valuing antiques and selling them can help you work out which ones those are. If you find silver, the hallmarks will tell you what it is before you pay anyone to look at it.
• Donate: things a charity can use. Most charities need a fire safety label on upholstered furniture, and many will collect larger items for free.
• Give away: things a friend, neighbour or carer might like. Ask them before you assume.
• Let go: things nobody wants and nobody could use.

Before anything leaves, make sure the executor has agreed to it and that it isn't left to someone in the will. If the family can't agree, take a look at how to divide belongings fairly.

Keep a note of what went where. It takes very little time, and the executor has to account for the estate in the end. GOV.UK says to keep records of how you distributed money, property and personal belongings, and HMRC can ask to see valuation records up to 20 years after Inheritance Tax is paid.

When to bring in a clearance company

Clearance firms are useful for the last stage, when everything the family wants has gone and what's left is bulky or unsaleable. They're a poor choice for the first stage, because a crew working to a schedule can't be expected to spot the letters inside a book or know that the ugly vase is Moorcroft.

If you hire someone, check that they're a registered waste carrier. You have a legal duty to make sure your waste goes to someone authorised, and you can be fined if it's fly-tipped. In England you can check the Environment Agency's public register by name or registration number, and registration numbers start with CBDU. Our house clearance cost guide covers what to expect to pay.

Common questions

How long does it take to clear a house after a death?

Most families take several weeks to several months, usually over weekends. Physically emptying the house may only take a few days. The sorting and the conversations take longer.

Who pays for a house clearance after someone dies?

The cost normally comes out of the estate as an expense of administering it. Keep the invoice. If you pay up front, the executor can reimburse you once the estate's money is available.

Do I have to clear the house myself?

No. You can hire a clearance company for all or part of it. Most families do the sorting themselves and bring in help for whatever is left.

What should I not throw away when clearing a house?

Keep all paperwork until the estate is finished, along with photographs, letters, anything with a maker's mark, and anything mentioned in the will. If you're not sure about something, put it in a box marked "ask" and come back to it.

Sources

• GOV.UK: What to do after someone dies
• GOV.UK: Council Tax on empty properties
• GOV.UK: Records to keep after valuing an estate
• GOV.UK: Waste duty of care code of practice
• GOV.UK: Manage waste upholstered domestic seating containing POPs
• Aviva: Home insurance when a loved one dies
• GOV.UK: Tell Us Once
• British Heart Foundation: Fire safety labels

This guide is general information for people in England and Wales. The rules in Scotland and Northern Ireland can differ. It isn't legal, tax or financial advice, and Sortwell isn't a law firm or a valuer. If an estate is complicated or there's a disagreement, talk to a solicitor. Figures were checked on the date above.