House Clearance Frequently Asked Questions

We provide professional house clearance services throughout Scotland, including complete and partial clearance of houses, flats and other residential properties.

Our services include deceased estate clearances, heavily cluttered and hoarded property clearances, removal of unwanted furniture and household contents, and domestic cleaning following a clearance when requested in advance.

We are fully insured, registered to carry waste and members of the Anti Fly-Tipping Association.

Every property is different, so the price depends on the volume of furniture and household contents, the number of staff required, access to the property and the cost of recycling and disposing of unwanted items.

We normally quote for the overall clearance rather than charging a fixed price for every individual item.

For more information, please read our house clearance cost guide.

No. Scotland House Clearance does not add VAT to its house clearance charges. Your quotation will explain the price for the work agreed.

Yes, we undertake full house clearances as well as partial clearances where customers only require certain rooms or items to be cleared.

We will discuss the contents and scope of work before providing a quotation. Our aim is to complete the agreed clearance efficiently, normally on the arranged day where practical.

Particularly large or complicated properties may require additional time or vehicle loads. Any excluded items or special disposal requirements should be agreed before the work begins.

The more notice you can give us, the better. Many customers book a week or two in advance, but 48 hours’ notice is usually sufficient, subject to availability and the size of the job.

If you require an urgent house clearance because of a property sale, tenancy deadline or other circumstances, contact us to discuss your requirements.

Read our house clearance booking notice guide.

We generally prefer to start at 9am. An early start gives our team the best opportunity to complete the agreed clearance within the day. Your appointment time will be confirmed when booking.

Yes. We have our own employed team who can provide domestic cleaning following a house clearance.

This can include internal windows, kitchens, bathrooms, skirting boards, accessible woodwork, vacuuming and mopping, depending on the work agreed.

We may be able to clear and clean a property on the same day if arranged in advance. See our house cleaning service.

No, you do not need to pack everything. Our team is experienced in clearing furniture, household contents, cupboards and drawers.

It can actually be helpful to leave unwanted items in place, as we may need to separate different materials for recycling and potential charity donation.

However, please remove or clearly identify anything you want to keep, particularly personal documents, photographs, jewellery and sentimental possessions.

Please tell us which furniture, personal possessions and other items must remain in the property.

We recommend removing particularly important items before the clearance where possible, or clearly marking them and confirming your instructions with our team.

Where we identify possessions that appear important or valuable during the clearance, we aim to bring them to the customer’s attention rather than simply treating them as unwanted waste.

No, not necessarily. Many customers arrange clearances from another part of the UK or from overseas.

Subject to suitable authorisation and prior agreement, we can arrange to collect keys from a solicitor, estate agent, neighbour or another nominated person.

Following the clearance, keys can be returned as agreed, and we will provide an invoice for your records.

Yes. We can discuss arrangements with customers who live outside Scotland or overseas.

Tell us where the property is located, who can authorise access and whether there are any items that must be retained. We can then discuss the practical arrangements before booking.

Yes. Deceased estate house clearance is an important part of our service.

We understand that dealing with a relative’s possessions can be emotional and difficult. Our staff aim to work respectfully, following agreed instructions about what should be retained or removed.

Where an estate contains antiques, jewellery or other potentially valuable possessions, it may be sensible to arrange an independent valuation before clearance.

Yes. We have more than 10 years’ experience dealing with heavily cluttered and hoarded homes.

We recognise that individuals can have strong emotional attachments to possessions, and we aim to provide a discreet, considerate service without judgement.

Visit our hoarded house clearance page to see genuine before and after photographs.

We aim to separate suitable reusable household contents from items requiring recycling or disposal.

Good-quality reusable furniture and possessions may be taken to our warehouse for sorting and onward donation to charitable organisations.

Items that cannot be reused are handled through appropriate waste and recycling arrangements. We do not promise that every item can be donated or recycled.

Yes. We regularly donate suitable reusable goods to charitable organisations across Scotland.

Items may include furniture, books, clothing, household goods and other possessions in a condition suitable for reuse.

Some items cannot be accepted because of condition, furniture fire-safety requirements, electrical safety or individual charity policies.

See our charity house clearance page for original photographs of our warehouse.

Older houses can contain items whose financial or sentimental value may not be immediately obvious.

We have previously identified valuable antiques and returned personal belongings to customers during clearances, as described in our original customer testimonials.

If there is reason to believe that furniture, jewellery or collectables may be valuable, it is sensible to have them assessed before the clearance.

You can also find out about independent probate and estate contents valuations from ITG & Co.

Yes. Scotland House Clearance is a registered waste carrier and a member of AFTA, the Anti Fly-Tipping Association.

Customers should make reasonable checks that a company removing their household waste is appropriately registered or authorised.

In Scotland, the relevant public register is maintained by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). You can find more information through SEPA.

Some items require specialist handling or disposal, including certain chemicals, asbestos, gas cylinders, clinical waste and heavily contaminated materials.

Please tell us about any known hazards before booking. We can explain what falls within our normal clearance service and whether specialist arrangements may be required.

We use large Renault Master low-loader Luton vans with approximately 22 cubic metres of loading space and a 14-foot Luton-style box body.

Our experienced team knows how to load furniture and household contents efficiently while remaining within vehicle weight limits.

See the original photographs on our house clearance van sizes page.

Yes. Our vans are unmarked to provide an additional level of customer discretion, particularly when carrying out sensitive deceased estate or hoarded house clearances.

We provide house clearance services throughout Scotland, including Glasgow, Edinburgh, Fife, Dundee, Aberdeen, Ayrshire, Lanarkshire, Falkirk, Stirling, the Scottish Borders and many surrounding locations.

Visit our house clearance areas covered page or contact us with your property postcode.