If you have just been handed the keys to a parent's or relative's home, the first question is usually the simplest one: what is this going to cost? As a guide, probate house clearance costs for a one bedroom property are typically £700 to £1,200 plus VAT, which is £840 to £1,440 including VAT at 20 percent. A two bedroom home is usually £800 to £1,400 plus VAT, which is £960 to £1,680 including VAT at 20 percent, and a three bedroom home £900 to £1,500 plus VAT, which is £1,080 to £1,800 including VAT at 20 percent. Those are guide ranges only, because the contents and the access decide the final figure. Below we explain exactly how that figure is built, so nothing on your invoice comes as a shock.
What actually drives probate house clearance costs
We price every job on two things: how long the work will take, and how much of the contents will end up at the tip. That is it. There is no mysterious formula and no charge for the number of bedrooms on its own.
Time covers the loading, the carrying, the sorting, and the travelling. Tip cost covers everything that cannot be reused or recycled and has to be paid to dispose of by weight.
Two three bedroom bungalows can be hundreds of pounds apart. One might be tidy, half empty and have a driveway. The other might look like this:
In that room there was a washing machine, a wheelchair, a dresser full of ceramics, framed pictures, curtains, electronics and loose paperwork. Every one of those items goes somewhere different, and we are happy to do that sorting for you. It keeps a great deal out of landfill, and because tip charges are worked out by weight, it keeps the figure on your quote down too.
Guide prices by property size
These are guide ranges based on the sort of jobs we do week in, week out across Cornwall and the South West. Every figure is shown both ways so you can see the VAT clearly.
- 1 bedroom property: £700 to £1,200 plus VAT, which is £840 to £1,440 including VAT at 20 percent
- 2 bedroom property: £800 to £1,400 plus VAT, which is £960 to £1,680 including VAT at 20 percent
- 3 bedroom property: £900 to £1,500 plus VAT, which is £1,080 to £1,800 including VAT at 20 percent
Where you land inside a range depends on how full the property is, how much of it is genuine rubbish, and how easily we can get it out of the door. A sparse two bedroom flat with a loading bay outside will sit at the lower end. A packed two bedroom terrace with a long walk to the van will sit nearer the top.
Why tip and landfill charges matter most
Tip and landfill charges are the single biggest variable in any clearance quote. Waste is charged by weight, and household waste is heavy: soaked carpets, chipboard furniture, mattresses, damp textiles and general rubbish add up quickly.
This is why a hoarded or damp property costs more than a house with the same amount of furniture in good order. The volume might look similar from the doorway, but the weight going over a weighbridge is not.
When another firm quotes without asking what condition the contents are in, they are guessing at the largest cost in the job. That is usually where mid job price increases come from.
How reuse and recycling brings your price down
The best way to lower probate house clearance costs is to send less to the tip. We sort on site and divert as much as we practically can into reuse and recycling streams instead.
That includes furniture, ceramics, glassware, books, toys, bric a brac, unopened cleaning products and electronics. Some of it goes through our own auctions and resale channels, some goes to recycling, and some is passed on for reuse.
It takes us longer to sort a house than to shovel it into a skip, but the saving on tip charges more than covers the extra handling. That saving comes off your quote. It is the whole reason we can hold the guide ranges above rather than sitting well past them.
Access and parking change the final figure
Time is part of the price, so access is part of the price. The same contents can take half a day longer to remove purely because of the building.
- Parking distance: every metre between the door and the van gets walked hundreds of times
- Stairs and lifts: a third floor flat with no lift is slow, careful work
- Narrow hallways and doorways: wardrobes and sofas sometimes have to be dismantled to come out
- Whether a van can get close: Cornish lanes, cobbles and permit bays all cost time
- Loft and outbuilding contents: often forgotten, always heavier than expected
Attics, garages, sheds and greenhouses catch people out most often. When you send photos, include those too.
Our fixed quote promise
Once we give you a quote, that is the price. It does not move on the day.
If we have misjudged the job, that is our mistake to carry, not yours. We absorb the extra cost and finish the work at the figure we gave you. You will not get a phone call halfway through the day telling you the loft has changed everything.
We do this because we know how vulnerable you are in this situation. You are often dealing with a bereavement, a solicitor, an estate agent and a house you cannot visit easily. A fixed figure means you can put a real number in front of the other executors and get on with everything else.
What can change a quote, and what is not included
A quote can only change if the job itself changes after we have priced it. In practice that means contents we were never told about or never shown, extra rooms or outbuildings added afterwards, or items removed by the family that we had already accounted for.
Some things sit outside a standard clearance and are priced separately if you want them:
- Deep cleaning after the clearance, including carpets and kitchens
- Carpet and flooring removal where the property is being refurbished
- Garden and outdoor waste clearance
- Hazardous materials such as asbestos, which must be handled by a licensed specialist
All figures we quote are exclusive of VAT, and VAT at 20 percent is added to the final invoice. So a quote of £900 plus VAT is £1,080 including VAT.
Getting accurate probate house clearance costs
There are two ways to get a figure from Lanora House. Send us photos of every room, including lofts, garages and sheds, and we will come back to you with a quote. Or call and we will arrange a visit at a time that suits you, and our staff can give you a rough idea there and then on site.
A visit is free and there is no obligation. If you live hundreds of miles away, photos are usually enough, and we are used to dealing with solicitors, estate agents and key safes rather than the family directly.
Common questions from executors
Are your prices inclusive of VAT?
No. Every figure we quote is exclusive of VAT, and VAT at 20 percent is added to the final invoice. For example, £700 plus VAT is £840 including VAT, and £1,500 plus VAT is £1,800 including VAT.
Who pays for a probate house clearance?
In most cases the cost is met by the estate rather than personally by the executor, and the invoice is made out to whoever instructs us. We are happy to invoice a solicitor or an appointed executor directly. We are not able to give legal advice on your particular estate, so check with your solicitor if you are unsure.
Can the cost be paid from the estate?
Clearance is generally treated as a cost of administering the estate, and our invoice is written so it can be presented as such. Your solicitor or the person handling the estate accounts will confirm how it should be settled in your case.
Do you charge for a quote or a site visit?
No. Quotes and site visits are free with no obligation, whether you send photos or ask us to come and look.
Can a house be cleared before probate is granted?
Many clearances do happen before the grant comes through, particularly where rent, insurance or care home costs are still running. Whether that is appropriate depends on the estate and on who has authority to instruct, so take your solicitor's guidance before booking.
Do you buy contents to offset the cost?
Where there are items with genuine resale value, we take that into account when we price the job, which is often what brings a quote down within the guide ranges above. Saleable items go through our own auctions and resale channels. We will always tell you honestly what we think is worth something and what is not, and you are free to keep anything you want.
If you would like a straight answer on what your property will cost, send us photos or ask us to come and look. Call 07843 930927 or email info@lanorahouse.com for a free, no obligation quote. No pressure, and no charge for asking.