Guide

How to prepare for a house clearance

What to sort before a clearance team arrives: valuables, labelling, access, and timing. Practical advice for homeowners in Surrey.

Ben 10 May 2026 2 min read

A house clearance runs more smoothly when a bit of preparation has been done beforehand. Not a great deal — the heavy lifting is our job — but a few steps make the day quicker and less stressful.

Sort what’s staying before we arrive

Go through the property before the clearance and be clear in your own mind what’s leaving and what isn’t. Anything you want to keep should be moved to a separate room that won’t be touched, or clearly set aside and pointed out when we arrive.

Valuables, personal documents, photographs, and sentimental items are worth sorting in advance. Not because they’d be missed, but because a clearance moves at a faster pace than most people expect, and these things are worth handling yourself.

Label anything that isn’t going

If there are items you want to keep mixed in among things that are going, label them clearly — a sticky note or a piece of tape is enough. Tell us when we arrive what’s off limits. That’s all it takes.

Think about access

Is there somewhere for the van to park close to the property?
Are the paths between rooms and the front door reasonably clear?
If it’s a flat or a property with stairs, is the route to the exit obvious?

None of this needs to be perfect. A quick heads-up on any constraints when you call means we arrive prepared.

Know what can’t go in the van

Most things are fine — furniture, appliances, garden waste, builders’ rubble, general clutter. A few can’t go in the tipper: asbestos, hazardous materials (solvents, large quantities of paint, motor oil), and certain items that need specialist disposal.

If you’re unsure about anything, mention it when you book. We’ll tell you straight whether it’s fine or needs a different route.

Book early if you have a deadline

If you’re working to a completion date, a tenancy end, or a specific moving day, fix your clearance date as early as you can. Spring and early summer are busy periods for house clearances, and having a date confirmed in advance removes one thing to worry about.

What to expect on the day

You don’t need to be there for the whole clearance — but it helps to be around at the start so you can walk us through what’s going and what’s staying. After that, it’s largely our work to get on with. We’ll let you know when we’re done and can send over a waste transfer note if you need one.