Before probate is granted
Where the death is recent and probate has not yet been granted, you may not yet have the legal authority to dispose of contents. We can hold a clearance until the grant arrives, or work to a partial-clearance agreement that secures the property and removes perishables, personal documents and items requested by the family while leaving the bulk of contents in place until probate is settled. We coordinate directly with the solicitor handling the estate and our written report can form part of the executor's account.
The documents sweep — and why it matters
Before any disposal we conduct a documented sweep for items of legal or financial importance: wills (sometimes more than one), deeds, share certificates, premium-bond holdings, NS&I books, military medals, photo albums, address books, recent correspondence. These are bagged, labelled by room of origin, and handed to the executor. We have on numerous occasions found wills hidden in places solicitors had not thought to look — under mattresses, inside hollowed-out books, in biscuit tins. The sweep typically adds a half-day to the clearance but has avoided substantial legal complications more than once.
Pets and animals left behind
When a sole occupant dies, pets are often the most pressing immediate concern. Where there is a family member willing to take the animal, our role is to keep it calm, fed and watered while the handover is arranged. Where there is no family option, we work with the RSPCA, Cats Protection, Dogs Trust and Blue Cross — all of whom have bereavement-rehoming processes — and we can hold the property and pay for emergency boarding for several days while the right placement is found. We will never hand a pet to a council pound on the day of clearance.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a bereavement clearance usually take?
Pace varies hugely. A studio flat sorted thoroughly can take a day; a three-bedroom family home cleared respectfully usually takes a week, sometimes more. We work to the family's timetable, not a fixed schedule. The price reflects time spent, not volume of waste.
Will you sort through everything or just remove it?
We sort everything by hand. Letters, photographs, jewellery, paperwork and items of obvious sentimental value are set aside in labelled boxes for the family to review at their own pace, often weeks or months after the clearance. We never bulk-dispose of personal effects.
Can you work directly with the solicitor handling the estate?
Yes. With the executor's written authority we work directly with the solicitor, provide invoices to the estate, and supply a written report suitable for inclusion in the executor's account.
What happens to items the family doesn't want but that have monetary value?
We can recommend a probate valuer (RICS-qualified) and an auction house for items of notable value, hold them in storage in the meantime, and feed the proceeds back to the estate. For lower-value usable items we donate to local charities by default — most families prefer this to disposal, and the charity-shop receipts go to the estate as proof of charitable transfer.
Do you handle the disposal of clinical waste, medications and sharps?
Yes. Unused medication is returned to a pharmacy (free service in the UK), sharps go into a clinical-waste container and are disposed of via licensed route, and any home medical equipment (commodes, hoists, suction units) is returned to the NHS or community-equipment service that provided it.