What Should You Keep When Clearing a Parent's House?

When you clear a parent's house, keep the legal and financial paperwork first, then the things that can never be replaced: photographs, letters, handwriting and the small everyday objects that hold memories. Everything else can be shared among the family, sold, donated or recycled in its own time. In Scotland, nothing should be sold, given away or thrown out until the executor has authority to deal with the estate, so there is rarely a reason to rush.

Clearing the home of a mum or dad is one of the hardest jobs a family faces. It is practical work, but every drawer can bring something back. We help families with clearing a family home in Glasgow and across central Scotland, and this guide sets out what is worth keeping, how to decide about the rest, and the Scottish rules worth knowing before you start.

Before you start: the executor in Scotland

When someone dies in Scotland, their belongings become part of their estate. The executor, usually named in the will, or an executor-dative appointed by the court if there is no will, is responsible for them. To deal with the estate formally, the executor normally needs confirmation from the sheriff court, which is the Scottish equivalent of probate. Estates worth £36,000 or less can use the simpler small estates process.

Scots law even has a term for dealing with a person's estate without authority: vicious intromission. In everyday terms, it means family members should not sell, give away or dispose of a parent's belongings until the executor has authority and has agreed. Looking through things, making lists and keeping items safe is a sensible start. If you are unsure what you can do, ask the executor's solicitor before anything leaves the house.

If your parent is still alive and moving into care, the position is different, because their belongings are still theirs. Our guide to clearing a house when a parent moves into a care home covers that situation.

What should I keep when clearing a parent's house?

Gather these first. Most of it fits in a few boxes, and it is the hardest to replace.

Legal and financial paperwork

• The will, and any letters from a solicitor
• Property deeds, mortgage papers or a tenancy agreement
• Bank, building society and pension letters and statements
• Insurance policies for the home, contents, car and life cover
• Tax and benefit letters, and recent household bills
• Share certificates, Premium Bonds and savings books
• Car documents and spare car keys

Identity documents, keys and devices

• Passport, driving licence, and birth and marriage certificates
• Every set of keys, including the garage, shed and meter cupboard
• Codes for alarms, key safes and any home safe
• Phones, tablets and computers, plus any written list of passwords. Do not wipe or throw out devices until the executor has checked them.

Photographs, letters and handwriting

These are the things families most often wish they had kept. Hold on to photographs and albums, slides and old cine film, letters and cards, diaries and address books, and anything in your parent's handwriting. A recipe card with notes in the margin, or a shopping list in a familiar hand, can mean more in years to come than any piece of furniture.

Jewellery, watches and items named in the will

Keep jewellery, watches, medals and anything the will mentions by name together in one safe place. If something might be valuable, such as antiques, artwork or a collection, have it looked at by a valuer before any clearance. Our guide to what happens to valuables found during a house clearance explains where to search first.

Small everyday things

A favourite mug, a cardigan, a garden trowel, a well-read paperback. These have little money value, but they are often what people reach for later. Let each family member choose a few.

How do you decide what to keep?

Once the essentials are safe, a simple system makes the rest manageable. Give each item one of six destinations:

1. Keep: things you will use, display or treasure.
2. Share: things other family members have asked for or may want.
3. Sell: anything of real value, once the executor agrees.
4. Donate: clothes, books, kitchenware and furniture someone else can use.
5. Recycle: paper, metal, electricals and textiles that cannot be reused.
6. Dispose: the small amount that has no other route.

A few habits make the process kinder on everyone:

• One room at a time. Start somewhere less personal, such as the kitchen or a spare room, rather than your parent's bedroom.
• Use a maybe box. If you cannot decide, put it in the box, seal it and look again in a few months.
• Photograph before you let go. A photo of the sideboard or the drawings on the fridge keeps the memory without the space.
• Involve the family early. Ask everyone what they would like before you begin, and write it down. Disagreements often start when something has gone before someone had the chance to ask.
• Keep sessions short. A few hours is plenty on an emotional day, and it helps not to do it alone.

What not to do after a parent dies

• Do not throw anything out in the first days.
• Do not sell or give away belongings before the executor has authority and agrees.
• Do not let anyone take items quietly, even to keep them safe. Tell the executor and the rest of the family.
• Do not put papers with personal details in the household bin. Use a shredder or confidential waste disposal.
• Do not bin old computers or phones without proper data wiping. Secure hard drive disposal protects your parent's information.
• Do not put unused medicines in the bin. Take them to a pharmacy.
• Do not leave the house unchecked. Keep it locked, deal with the post, and tell the home insurer it is empty, as insurers often have conditions for unoccupied homes.
• Do not hand the job to an unregistered waste carrier. If belongings are fly-tipped by someone you paid, you can be held responsible.

When you register the death, the registrar will explain Tell Us Once. It lets you report the death to most government organisations in one go, including HMRC, DWP, DVLA and the local council, which saves many difficult phone calls.

How long should you wait before clearing a parent's house?

There is no right amount of time and no general rule that a home must be cleared by a set date. Some families start within weeks; others wait months, often until after the funeral and once the executor has confirmation. A few practical things can set the pace:

• Council or housing association homes. The landlord will normally expect belongings to be removed so the home can be returned. Anyone who qualifies to take over a Scottish secure tenancy but does not want it must tell the landlord in writing within four weeks of the death, so ask about timescales early.
• Private tenancies. Check the timescale with the landlord or letting agent.
• Selling the house. The executor sells, and the buyer will expect the house empty of belongings by the date of entry.
• An empty home. Insurance conditions, frozen pipes in winter and ongoing bills all add up.

If none of these apply, give yourself time. Clearing in stages is fine: take the paperwork and keepsakes first and arrange the full clearance later.

What do you do with things nobody wants?

Almost every family is left with things nobody needs, but they need not go to landfill. Good furniture and household items can be passed on through Zero Waste Scotland's reuse service. Charity shops take clothes, books and bric-a-brac, and worn textiles can be recycled. Whatever is left can go to a clearance company that sorts what it collects rather than tipping it.

How Jettison Express can help

Jettison Express carries out executry clearances for families and solicitors across Glasgow and central Scotland, including house clearances in Bishopbriggs and nearby towns. Once the family has taken what it wants, we clear the rest:

• An up-front rate agreed before work starts.
• A uniformed, insured team who call ahead on the day.
• Furniture dismantled and carpets lifted.
• A keep room or labelled items left untouched.
• Items taken to our Glasgow depot and sorted, with over 90% reused or recycled.
• A sweep and tidy at the end, and paperwork left once the job is complete.

We are a registered waste carrier, and we can take instructions from the executor or their solicitor if that is easier for the family. You can read more in our guide to who clears a house when someone dies in Glasgow.

When you are ready, and not before, contact us for a quote or call 0333 880 6800. We will listen first and work at a pace that suits your family.