House Clearance firms

jem16

Hopefully in the final throes of selling my late parents’ house. Proposed entry date of end of October. I have cleared most of the contents but what is left now are the bigger furniture items so need a house clearance done. 

I’ve got three quotes with a huge difference in price. 

First one was just over £1400 and would take 1.5 days. First day stuff to be dumped and second day stuff taken to charities. 

Second quote just over £1000. Everything dumped as they said charities don’t often accept stuff from them and too much of a hassle. Would take around 4/5 hours. 

Last quote from BHF at just over £360. Quite a lot to be sold in their shops hence free. Rest to be taken to recycling unit. Told it would take around 1 hour to clear property which is a huge difference in time. 

Has anyone used the BHF for a house clearance as I’m getting mixed reviews from excellent to unreliable with times? One hour when others talking about at least 5 hours seems either great or bad but I’m assured one van and three men know what they’re doing. I’m quite keen on stuff being reused rather than dumped but this is the end of a long journey and I just want it done. I don’t really want the hassle of using different places for donations and then clearance. 

gm0

BHF the charity.  Use a whole raft of unsupervised people for collections on what mix of voluntary and low pay per collection I could not say.

Any estimate without access/distance knowledge and a view on the size and quantity and weight of materials - is nonsense built on assumptions that may collide with a different reality.

Communication on appointments access, weight, nature of goods can vary in effectiveness - a lot.  

They don't do it all themselves nor do they have people to supervise it.    So don't have expectations on how good or bad they may be.  It's going to be pretty random.  Stuff makes it to charitable reuse or it doesn't.   

I used them a few years ago.  A collection was eventually made.  Zero care was taken to load and secure the heavy item sensibly so it would not be damaged when they drove off.   Not at that point my problem - but all the same.  Off it went sliding around improperly secured in the back of an empty van.  Perfectly good on collection.  Who knows what happened - went to recycling probably.

You don't get "white glove" removals level of care and attention to fixed appointments for buttons.

In fact your potential hassle will likely be both the scheduling and then the honouring of an appointment day/time.  

Keep expectations low - like the cost - and you won't be disappointed.  

If you have to travel a long way to give access.  That may not be the service you want.  
Choose and take your chances.  A more expensive one may also muck you around for good or bad reasons, staff sickness etc.

jem16

gm0 said:

BHF the charity.  Use a whole raft of unsupervised people for collections on what mix of voluntary and low pay per collection I could not say.

Any estimate without access/distance knowledge and a view on the size and quantity and weight of materials - is nonsense built on assumptions that may collide with a different reality.

Communication on appointments access, weight, nature of goods can vary in effectiveness - a lot.  

They don't do it all themselves nor do they have people to supervise it.    So don't have expectations on how good or bad they may be.  It's going to be pretty random.  Stuff makes it to charitable reuse or it doesn't.   

I used them a few years ago.  A collection was eventually made.  Zero care was taken to load and secure the heavy item sensibly so it would not be damaged when they drove off.   Not at that point my problem - but all the same.  Off it went sliding around improperly secured in the back of an empty van.  Perfectly good on collection.  Who knows what happened - went to recycling probably.

You don't get "white glove" removals level of care and attention to fixed appointments for buttons.

In fact your potential hassle will likely be both the scheduling and then the honouring of an appointment day/time.  

Keep expectations low - like the cost - and you won't be disappointed.  

If you have to travel a long way to give access.  That may not be the service you want.  
Choose and take your chances.  A more expensive one may also muck you around for good or bad reasons, staff sickness etc.

All quotes have been based on someone coming out to assess the clearance items so that shouldn’t enter into it. 

The scheduling issue is a concern even though I live only 10 minutes away. 

Richmc

Recent experience, whilst the property is still in probate you can claim it as a reasonable expense so you don't have to pay up front, handy if there are multiple beneficiaries, this gives you better scope as to who you choose. Beware that if there are any items of value antiques etc. they will sell them at auction so have a good look around first. 

jem16

Richmc said:

Recent experience, whilst the property is still in probate you can claim it as a reasonable expense so you don't have to pay up front, handy if there are multiple beneficiaries, this gives you better scope as to who you choose. Beware that if there are any items of value antiques etc. they will sell them at auction so have a good look around first. 

Brother and I are executors and only beneficiaries so it’s basically us paying for it. We’re not necessarily looking for cheap though, just want it done properly and without hassle. Anything of value has been removed a while ago but not much really. 

Albermarle

In our area, and I am sure many others, there is a charity that will pick up usable furniture for free, and redistribute it to the needy. I think the Salvation Army do the same .
They probably will not take everything, and upholstered goods need to have all the relevant fire labels. 

Flugelhorn

I think charities do pick and chose so you may still be stuck with some stuff. 

the quoted difference in time for the jobs is curious - I would be worried that BHF weren't going to take everything 

jem16

Albermarle said:

In our area, and I am sure many others, there is a charity that will pick up usable furniture for free, and redistribute it to the needy. I think the Salvation Army do the same .
They probably will not take everything, and upholstered goods need to have all the relevant fire labels. 

BHF did send out their store manager who did do a full inventory of what would be sold and what would be donated to their shops. Fire labels were all checked on upholstered goods and bedding. Most had the labels but a few did not so they would be recycled. 

jem16

Flugelhorn said:

I think charities do pick and chose so you may still be stuck with some stuff. 

the quoted difference in time for the jobs is curious - I would be worried that BHF weren't going to take everything 

I have it in writing that it will cover everything and the assessor did do a full inventory of all goods in the house. 

However like you I struggle to see how 1 hour would be enough. Even getting the two standalone wardrobes out will take some time in my opinion. My main concern is just how careful they will be and the fact that they cannot give me a specific time. Even on the day it’s a slot of a few hours. Hanging about a house that’s not mine is not how I want to spend my time. 

Jude57

I did a house clearance, 2 bedroomed property, a few years ago and what I learned was that the very well established company I used still underestimated the weight of the hoard they were clearing, despite my telling them from the outset that there were huge amounts of books, notoriously heavy in bulk. Three men took a most of a day to clear everything and even when the van was away to be emptied, which happened as I recall, three times during the day, two of the men remained at the property removing items ready to load immediately the van returned. I have no criticism of the workers because they literally never stopped but by lunchtime (they still didn't stop) it was clear that the property wasn't going to be emptied that day and I was given the choice of paying for another van to come that day or for a further full day's work the next day as they charged for the full day however long it took. It wasn't really a choice because there was extra cost involved either way so, with bad grace and only because I wanted to be done with the whole thing, I opted for the extra van that day. Thankfully it was enough and they were done and gone by just after 4.00. I don't believe for a second that they recycled or donated anything, despite their sincere-sounding assurances. 

I hadn't realised, and they didn't explain, that it's the weight of the cleared contents that is the key factor because when they go to the tip (make sure whoever you employ has the appropriate Waste Carrier Licence because it's your rubbish and your responsibility) their vehicle goes on a weigh bridge and they are charged accordingly. I recommend asking everyone quoting for the job whether they charge extra for weight because they should.

I'd ignore the BHF quote, quite frankly. Unless it's a bedsit that's being cleared there's no way a normal amount of household goods and furnishings can be removed, properly loaded into a van in an hour. Unless it's a huge pantechnicon type vehicle and there are scores of people working, it's simply not physically possible in my opinion. I remember moving house years ago when I was putting my house contents into storage, it took 4 men the whole day to pack and remove the contents of my small semi and these were removals experts from Pickfords using a massive pantechnicon. I don't believe that, even allowing for the fact BHF won't be carefully packing everything, they could do it all in one hour.

jem16

Jude57 said:

I did a house clearance, 2 bedroomed property, a few years ago and what I learned was that the very well established company I used still underestimated the weight of the hoard they were clearing, despite my telling them from the outset that there were huge amounts of books, notoriously heavy in bulk. Three men took a most of a day to clear everything and even when the van was away to be emptied, which happened as I recall, three times during the day, two of the men remained at the property removing items ready to load immediately the van returned. I have no criticism of the workers because they literally never stopped but by lunchtime (they still didn't stop) it was clear that the property wasn't going to be emptied that day and I was given the choice of paying for another van to come that day or for a further full day's work the next day as they charged for the full day however long it took. It wasn't really a choice because there was extra cost involved either way so, with bad grace and only because I wanted to be done with the whole thing, I opted for the extra van that day. Thankfully it was enough and they were done and gone by just after 4.00. I don't believe for a second that they recycled or donated anything, despite their sincere-sounding assurances. 

I hadn't realised, and they didn't explain, that it's the weight of the cleared contents that is the key factor because when they go to the tip (make sure whoever you employ has the appropriate Waste Carrier Licence because it's your rubbish and your responsibility) their vehicle goes on a weigh bridge and they are charged accordingly. I recommend asking everyone quoting for the job whether they charge extra for weight because they should.

I'd ignore the BHF quote, quite frankly. Unless it's a bedsit that's being cleared there's no way a normal amount of household goods and furnishings can be removed, properly loaded into a van in an hour. Unless it's a huge pantechnicon type vehicle and there are scores of people working, it's simply not physically possible in my opinion. I remember moving house years ago when I was putting my house contents into storage, it took 4 men the whole day to pack and remove the contents of my small semi and these were removals experts from Pickfords using a massive pantechnicon. I don't believe that, even allowing for the fact BHF won't be carefully packing everything, they could do it all in one hour.

This is a house clearance where it’s simply furniture as everything else has been cleared over the last 9 months by me basically. Nothing needs packed as all the cupboards are empty. We’re simply talking about larger tables, chairs, wardrobes and beds. However it’s still furniture from a three bedroom house plus two public rooms. 

The two professional companies are both registered with Sepa in Scotland. I’ve no idea who BHF actually use for clearance purposes but would expect them to use a registered company.