Do I Need to Be Present During a House Clearance?

No, you do not usually need to be present during a house clearance. As long as the keep items have been agreed, the team knows exactly what is going and access to the property has been arranged, a professional company can clear the home without you there. Many people choose to attend for the first few minutes to walk round with the team, then leave them to it.

That matters, because the people arranging clearances are often executors living elsewhere, relatives working full time, or family who find it too hard to watch a parent's home being emptied. This guide explains when it helps to be there, how to give access when you cannot, and what our Glasgow house clearance team asks families to sort before the day.

Can a house clearance be done without me being there?

Yes. Clearances without the customer present are common, particularly in executry work, end of tenancy clearances and when family live outside Glasgow. What makes them work is clarity in advance. The team needs to know:

• which rooms and spaces are being cleared, including the loft, garage, shed and garden;
• exactly which items are staying, and where they are;
• whether carpets and flooring are to be lifted;
• how they will get in, and what to do with the keys afterwards;
• who to phone if they find something unexpected.

If all of that is agreed in writing, being there adds reassurance rather than being essential. If you are organising things from a distance, our guide on clearing a house when you live far away goes into more detail.

When it helps to be there

Being present, even for part of the day, can make a real difference:

• At the start of the job: a short walkthrough with the team leader confirms what stays and what goes before anything is moved.
• When decisions are still being made: if the family has not fully agreed what to keep, it is better to be on hand than to leave the team guessing.
• In a home full of memories: some people find comfort in seeing the home cleared respectfully, or in one last look round once it is empty. Others find it too painful, and that is completely understandable.
• In tenements and shared buildings: a quick word with neighbours on the stair about the van and the noise can smooth the day. We clear plenty of tenement flats across Glasgow and in towns such as Rutherglen, where a friendly word in advance goes a long way.
• When the house has not been searched: if you have not had a chance to look for documents and valuables, being there lets you check anything the team sets aside.

How do I give access for a house clearance?

If you cannot be there, there are several straightforward ways to let the team in:

• A trusted neighbour or relative can open up, do the walkthrough and lock up afterwards.
• The executor's solicitor often holds the keys in executry cases and can release them to the clearance company.
• A letting agent or landlord can provide access for rented homes and end of tenancy clearances.
• A key safe by the door lets you share a code with the company and change it afterwards.

Whichever route you choose, check that the keys work in every lock, including back doors, garages, sheds and communal entry doors. Tell the company about any alarm, and agree where the keys should be left when the job is done.

How to leave clear instructions when you cannot attend

Good instructions remove almost all of the risk of something being taken by mistake:

1. Photograph every room and send the photos to the company, marking anything that is staying.
2. Write a keep list and share it before the day.
3. Label keep items with brightly coloured sticky notes or tape marked KEEP.
4. Put keep items in one room and lock it, or put a clear sign on the door.
5. Offer a video call walkthrough on the day, so the team leader can show you each room and check anything unclear.
6. Agree what happens with unexpected finds, such as cash, jewellery, photographs or paperwork. Most families ask for them to be bagged and set aside, or for a phone call.
7. Agree how you will know the job is finished. Ask the company whether they can send photos of the empty rooms, and who will confirm the property is locked.

Our article on what happens to valuables found during a house clearance explains why it is worth searching the house yourself first.

Executors, solicitors and power of attorney

In Scotland, the person with authority over a deceased person's belongings is the executor. Confirmation, the Scottish equivalent of probate, is granted by the sheriff court and gives the executor legal authority to deal with the estate. Nothing should be sold, given away or disposed of before the executor has agreed, so it makes sense for the executor, or their solicitor, to give the clearance instructions directly. Solicitors regularly arrange clearances without anyone from the family attending.

If the homeowner is alive but has moved into care and can no longer make decisions, someone holding a continuing power of attorney can act for them on property and financial matters. Where there is no power of attorney, a guardianship order may be needed. If you are unsure who has authority to instruct a clearance, take legal advice before booking.

Who pays for a house clearance?

Whoever instructs the clearance agrees the price with the company. In practice:

• After a death: the cost is usually met from the estate and arranged by the executor or their solicitor. If a relative pays up front, agree with the executor beforehand how they will be repaid.
• When a parent moves into care: the person with power of attorney can arrange payment from the homeowner's own funds.
• Rented homes: tenants pay for their own end of tenancy clearance, while landlords and letting agents arrange clearances of empty properties, often through a void house clearance service.
• Your own home: you pay, whether you are downsizing, moving or decluttering.

Always get a written quote before work starts, stating what is included.

How does a house clearance work?

1. Quote: from photos, a video or a visit, with every space mentioned.
2. Agreement: confirm the date, what is included, the keep list and access in writing.
3. The day: the team arrives, walks through, dismantles furniture, carries everything out and lifts carpets if agreed.
4. Finishing: a sweep and tidy of the cleared areas, with keys returned as agreed.
5. Afterwards: items are sorted for reuse and recycling, and you receive paperwork for the waste.

Checklist: what to sort before the team arrives

• Remove or lock away everything the family is keeping.
• Search for the will, bank and pension letters, insurance documents, deeds and ID.
• Gather photographs, letters, jewellery, watches and cash.
• Collect laptops, phones and tablets, and set aside personal papers for confidential waste disposal if they are not needed.
• Take unused medicines to a pharmacy rather than leaving them in the house.
• Note the meter readings, or ask whoever is attending to take them.
• Tell the company about paint, chemicals, gas bottles or anything that may contain asbestos, as these need specialist disposal.
• Check parking near the door and let neighbours know.

Security and trust when you are not there

Handing over keys is a big step, so check the company properly. Ask whether they are a registered waste carrier, and check them on SEPA's public register. Ask about insurance, get the quote in writing and confirm you will receive paperwork when the job is complete. Under the duty of care, householders must only give their waste to an authorised person, and if waste is fly-tipped by someone you paid who was not authorised, you can be held responsible. Our list of questions to ask a house clearance company covers the rest.

How Jettison Express can help

Jettison Express often clears homes when the family cannot be there, working with executors, solicitors, letting agents and relatives across Glasgow and central Scotland. You get an up-front rate before any work begins. On the day, our uniformed and insured team calls ahead, follows your keep list, dismantles furniture, lifts carpets where agreed and finishes with a sweep and tidy. Items go to our Glasgow depot to be sorted, and over 90% is reused or recycled. We are a registered waste carrier and we leave paperwork once the job is complete. We do not remove asbestos or hazardous waste.

To talk through keys, access and instructions for your clearance, contact Jettison Express or call 0333 880 6800.