House clearance checklist for executors

Clearing the property is one of the most practical jobs an executor faces, and one of the easiest to get slightly wrong — clearing too early, missing documents, or leaving the estate without the paperwork it needs. This checklist puts the steps in the right order. It pairs with our fuller guide to clearing a house during probate, which covers the timing rules in more depth.

Before you book anything

Confirm your authority to act. Generally the contents should not be cleared until you have authority to deal with the estate — a quick confirmation with the solicitor settles when you can proceed. Quoting and pencilling a date in advance is fine; clearing before you have authority is the mistake to avoid.

Check the insurance. Unoccupied properties usually need specialist cover, and insurers like to see the property actively managed. A scheduled, documented clearance supports exactly that.

Have the contents valued if needed. Household goods form part of the estate's value, and anything notable — jewellery, art, antiques, vehicles — should be valued before disposal. Flag these to the solicitor first.

Do the family walk-through. Before any clearance, give family members the chance to identify keepsakes they want. Photograph rooms as a record — it prevents disagreements later and takes ten minutes.

Choosing the clearance company

Verify the waste carrier licence on the public register — it takes under a minute and protects the estate from fly-tipping liability (our guide to checking a waste carrier licence shows exactly how). Get a fixed, written quote priced by volume, not an hourly rate — see how clearance pricing works. Ask about contents offset: where furniture has resale value, a good firm credits it against the price, itemised — which keeps the estate accounts clean. And ask for the invoice to be addressed to the estate if the solicitor prefers.

On clearance day

Brief the team on what stays. Anything staying with the property — carpets, curtains, appliances included in the sale — should be agreed in writing beforehand.

Documents and valuables set aside. A reputable team will do this as standard: wills, certificates, premium bonds, photographs, jewellery and cash all go back to the executor, never into the load. This is a formal part of our probate house clearance service.

Meters and keys. Photograph meter readings once the property is empty, and confirm how keys are returned — to you, the agent or the solicitor.

After the clearance — what the estate file should hold

Keep the written quote, the final invoice (addressed to the estate where preferred), the itemised credit for any resaleable contents, and the digital waste transfer note. Together they give you a complete, defensible record of how the contents were dealt with — exactly what a solicitor or co-beneficiary may later ask to see.

If the property will sit empty afterwards, tell the insurer it has been cleared, keep the heating managed in winter, and arrange periodic checks — an empty, cleared house is easier to insure and easier to sell.