House clearance in 21st Century
Discussion
Met a chap recently who runs a family firm doing house clearance up and down the country.
You can imagine it’s mainly older relative passes away and someone has to get rid of all their old stuff.
What surprised me was this chap mentioned in 50% of the cases, the remaining family members just want the house emptied so they can sell it. They tell the house clearers where they can pick up the keys and never even go there themselves.
They are not interested in any personal items, photos, momentous or anything else at all.
It’s great for the house clearers as they often find money, jewellery and other valuables. Often find money in biscuit tins. Last week they found a 1.25 ct diamond ring.
Is this really the way it is in 21st century Britain ?
Just skip the old persons entire life any get the house sale money ?
Seems a very sad state of affairs.
You can imagine it’s mainly older relative passes away and someone has to get rid of all their old stuff.
What surprised me was this chap mentioned in 50% of the cases, the remaining family members just want the house emptied so they can sell it. They tell the house clearers where they can pick up the keys and never even go there themselves.
They are not interested in any personal items, photos, momentous or anything else at all.
It’s great for the house clearers as they often find money, jewellery and other valuables. Often find money in biscuit tins. Last week they found a 1.25 ct diamond ring.
Is this really the way it is in 21st century Britain ?
Just skip the old persons entire life any get the house sale money ?
Seems a very sad state of affairs.
When my mum died in 2018 my brother and I went through everything. We found £110 tucked away here and there and my brother wanted mum's old photos and few mementos. Everything else was junk and went to the tip or a charity shop, so getting a house-clearer in would have been a good idea. Even her photos are still my my loft because bro forgot to take them away and has now completely forgotten about them. I go in to houses every day for work and I'm in no doubt that 90% of stuff left people's houses when they die or go in to a home is of no use to anyone.
My wife and I taken a good hard look at what we possess and have been pretty ruthless clearing out, we're even giving away our CD collection as we no longer have the means to play them. If we suddenly die I'm sure that the only things any of our three sons will want would be my power tools.
So I think the OP's right, but I suspect it's always been that way.
My wife and I taken a good hard look at what we possess and have been pretty ruthless clearing out, we're even giving away our CD collection as we no longer have the means to play them. If we suddenly die I'm sure that the only things any of our three sons will want would be my power tools.
So I think the OP's right, but I suspect it's always been that way.
Purchased a house a few years back, knew the kids were not bothered about their dead dads belongings
Put in an offer including clearing the house. Was really sad emptying his lifetimes possessions and research work in the medical field
Save a bunch of decent stuff to keep and made a healthy wedge selling some stuff on
Put in an offer including clearing the house. Was really sad emptying his lifetimes possessions and research work in the medical field
Save a bunch of decent stuff to keep and made a healthy wedge selling some stuff on
gregs656 said:
Exige77 said:
Is this really the way it is in 21st century Britain ?
Just skip the old persons entire life any get the house sale money ?
Seems a very sad state of affairs.
Why do you think it is a new phenomenon?Just skip the old persons entire life any get the house sale money ?
Seems a very sad state of affairs.
It's a thriving industry.
The chap did say that they immediately know if the family has already been there as it’s looks like it’s been burgled
sc0tt said:
My dad doesn’t have “things” so i could probably get a charity shop to collect his furniture.
Not sure about my mums place. Mostly toot i guess. Same for me, I have no worldy possesions that would be worth keeping hold of.
But surely the toot has a value on the streets , depending on the amount there could be a large , but illegal legacy ? Not sure about my mums place. Mostly toot i guess. Same for me, I have no worldy possesions that would be worth keeping hold of.
Sorry
I think the saddest part of bringing in a house clearance company is there is a risk of losing old family documents and particularly photographs, whilst having no monetary value, are irreplaceable. Some house clearers will collect them and offer to the family before lost forever, which I believe is an honourable and decent thing to do.
Furniture and the bric a brac of the elderly is less important albeit some hidden treasures may be among the deceased lifelong collection.
Furniture and the bric a brac of the elderly is less important albeit some hidden treasures may be among the deceased lifelong collection.
Is it not something of a biased sample, though?
Someone involved in house clearance will only encounter the families engaging the services of a house clearance company, and I'd imagine that includes a much larger proportion of people taking a "just get it gone" stance than the average across the whole spectrum of people to have a relative pop off.
Someone involved in house clearance will only encounter the families engaging the services of a house clearance company, and I'd imagine that includes a much larger proportion of people taking a "just get it gone" stance than the average across the whole spectrum of people to have a relative pop off.
I'm dreading having to clear up after my dad moves on. The amount of stuff is staggering. Cars, bikes, yachts, multiple commercial units full of mostly s
t. It will take months but he seems to think he is doing me a favour passing it on to me. I've already told him to start consolidating but so far nothing has happened. I won't have any space for it myself so anything worth value is getting sold. The rest is landfill.
t. It will take months but he seems to think he is doing me a favour passing it on to me. I've already told him to start consolidating but so far nothing has happened. I won't have any space for it myself so anything worth value is getting sold. The rest is landfill. InitialDave said:
Is it not something of a biased sample, though?
Someone involved in house clearance will only encounter the families engaging the services of a house clearance company, and I'd imagine that includes a much larger proportion of people taking a "just get it gone" stance than the average across the whole spectrum of people to have a relative pop off.
The OP did say that only happens in 50% of the situations, I assume some people go and claim valuables and/or sentimental items and then request the services of a house clearer to take the rest furniture etc. Someone involved in house clearance will only encounter the families engaging the services of a house clearance company, and I'd imagine that includes a much larger proportion of people taking a "just get it gone" stance than the average across the whole spectrum of people to have a relative pop off.
Although I have heard stories of people hiring a skip and just disposing of the house contents.
I have several bits from my Grandparents’ houses. My mother has many, many of my Grandmother’s old belongings. I don’t think my father has any of his mother’s possessions, but I haven’t been to his home for a decade or so. I would struggle to put my mother’s stuff in a skip but I guess the reality is that I will have to at some point.
I`ve done a few house clearances for a local firm I freelance for occasionally.
I hate doing them, usually you go in after the family have taken what they want and you just rip everything out as quickly as possible.
Unlike a house move, little care is taken and things are just thrown into the vans.
It is quite upsetting at times, you do find stuff that is worth keeping but it doesn`t feel right trousering items from, usually, deceased folk. We try and take anything new, useful or interesting to charity shops where possible.
One place we did the deceased was a relation of a WW2 RAF pilot. We came across a whole box of his war time paperwork including the letter he wrote to be given to his parents in the event of him going missing.
Obviously we refused to dispose of that, and made sure the family, who had missed it, got it back as we always do if we find anything highly personal or sensitive.
Sadly it is often the case that the family simply want to get the property on the market and sold as quickly as possible and have little or no interest in the contents.
I hate doing them, usually you go in after the family have taken what they want and you just rip everything out as quickly as possible.
Unlike a house move, little care is taken and things are just thrown into the vans.
It is quite upsetting at times, you do find stuff that is worth keeping but it doesn`t feel right trousering items from, usually, deceased folk. We try and take anything new, useful or interesting to charity shops where possible.
One place we did the deceased was a relation of a WW2 RAF pilot. We came across a whole box of his war time paperwork including the letter he wrote to be given to his parents in the event of him going missing.
Obviously we refused to dispose of that, and made sure the family, who had missed it, got it back as we always do if we find anything highly personal or sensitive.
Sadly it is often the case that the family simply want to get the property on the market and sold as quickly as possible and have little or no interest in the contents.
I helped clear my father in laws house when it went up for rent as he’d gone into a home.
It was packed with mostly junk and took weeks to finally sort out with 99% of it getting junked.
The trouble is that what your parents have collected and treasured isn’t to your taste/ you don’t have room for it or you simply don’t want it.
For what the family took away we would have been just as well getting it professionally cleared.
I probably came home with more than my wife did as he had a shed full of tools.
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