When you are clearing a house full of furniture and belongings, it is natural to wonder whether a clearance company will pay you for the contents. The short answer: occasionally, but usually the value of items is used to reduce the cost of the clearance rather than paid out in cash.
Why clearance companies rarely pay out
Most household contents have little resale value. Modern flat-pack furniture, everyday kitchenware and older electricals are expensive to move and hard to sell. The labour, vehicles and disposal fees involved in a clearance usually cost more than the contents can be sold for.
Items that can offset the cost
- Antique and good-quality solid wood furniture
- Jewellery, watches and silver
- Collectables: stamps, coins, ceramics, pictures and memorabilia
- Designer and mid-century furniture
- Musical instruments and quality tools
When a property holds items like these, a reputable company will deduct their value from your quote. On a larger estate, the contents can occasionally cover most of the clearance cost.
Get the contents valued first
Before anything leaves the property, have the contents looked at. Our contents valuation service identifies what is worth keeping, selling or sending to auction, so nothing valuable is lost in the clearance. For executors, this also helps when valuing the estate for HMRC.
Be wary of offers that sound too good
Only use a registered waste carrier. You can check a company on the Environment Agency public register. If an unlicensed company fly-tips your waste, you can still be held responsible.
Want to know what your property’s contents are worth? Call 0208 149 3085 or see our probate house clearance service.