Clearing a parent's home from a distance
A lot of the bereavement clearances we do are organised from somewhere else: a son in England, a daughter in Australia, or siblings in three different counties. The home itself might be a semi-d in Dublin, a bungalow in a Wexford village or a farmhouse in the midlands.
Living away doesn't mean losing control of what happens to the house. It means arranging things differently. Our main bereavement house clearance page explains how we approach a clearance in general; this one is about doing it without being there every day.
- Keys left with a neighbour, solicitor, estate agent or relative
- Photos of anything you might want, so you decide from wherever you are
- Items set aside and kept together for collection
- One point of contact on WhatsApp, from the first photo to the last room
- Fully insured and authorised, with waste carrier permit NWCPO-25-13287-01
How it works when you live away
1. Someone sends us photos. You may have some from your last visit. If not, a neighbour, a cousin or the estate agent can walk round with a phone. Each room from the doorway, plus the attic and any shed or garage, is enough for a fixed price.
2. We agree what's staying. A short written list works best: the dresser in the kitchen, the photos in the sitting room, Dad's papers in the bureau. Anything on the list stays untouched.
3. Keys are arranged. See below for the usual options.
4. We clear, and you're kept posted. You'll get photos of anything we're unsure about while we work, a message at the end of each day, and photos of every room once it's empty.
5. The set-aside items wait for you. Kept together, safe and dry, until someone can collect them.
What you can sort out from wherever you are
A few things are easier to arrange before the clearance day, and none of them needs you in the house:
- Agree among the family who gives us instructions
- Check with the executor or solicitor whether anything needs to be valued or kept for the estate first
- Ask relatives what they'd like, and add it to the list of things staying
- Tell the landlord, the council or the estate agent the planned date, if there's a handover
- Let the neighbours know a van will be outside, so nobody worries
If the house is rented, the landlord or council may need it back by a set date, so ask about that early and we'll work back from it.
Keys: a neighbour, a solicitor or a relative
Whoever has the keys, we'll work around them:
| Key holder | How it usually works |
|---|---|
| A neighbour | Lets us in in the morning and locks up after us, or hands us the keys for the day |
| The family solicitor | We collect from the office and return the keys when we finish, as the solicitor prefers |
| The estate agent | Common when the house is going on the market, and handy for viewings afterwards |
| A relative nearby | Can drop in during the day, which gives you a pair of eyes on the job |
| A lockbox | You send the code, and the keys go back in it when we leave |
Tell us about any alarm, and whether the electricity is still connected. Light matters in an attic, and so does a working socket if a freezer needs to be emptied first.
Photos of anything you might want
This is where being far away matters most. As we go, if we come across something that wasn't on your list but might matter, such as a framed photograph, a good piece of furniture, a box of letters, medals, or a child's drawing kept for fifty years, we photograph it and send it to you before it goes anywhere. You reply keep or let go. If you're asleep in another time zone, it simply waits.
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Personal papers are handled differently: we don't message you about every letter. Anything personal, financial or official, along with photographs, cash, jewellery and keys, is set aside automatically and kept for you.
Items set aside for collection
At the end of the clearance, everything kept back is gathered in one place, usually a single room in the house, labelled by family member if you've told us who's having what. A relative can then collect it when it suits.
If the house is being handed back to a landlord or the council, or sold, before anyone can get there, tell us early. We'll talk through the options with you, such as leaving the items with a relative nearby. If a larger piece of furniture needs to go to a family member's home rather than being cleared, ask when you get the quote.
Living away and not sure where to start? Send any photos you have, or ask a neighbour or relative to take a few. We'll reply on WhatsApp with a plan and a fixed price.
One point of contact, on WhatsApp
You deal with one person, Ciprian, who works on the jobs himself. WhatsApp suits families in other time zones: you can send photos late at night your time, and the reply is there when you wake. We're on 085 202 1222 for calls and WhatsApp, Monday to Saturday from 8am to 5pm Irish time, or at info@spotless.ie.
If several family members are involved, choose one person to give instructions, so decisions don't cross. Everyone else can still see the photos.
Clearing homes across Leinster
We're based in Dublin and cover all of Leinster, including Kildare, Wicklow, Meath and Wexford. Country homes often come with sheds, garages and outbuildings that have filled up over decades, and we clear those as part of the same job; see shed clearance.
If the home turns out to be very cluttered, our page on staged hoarder clearance across Leinster explains how we plan it over several visits. If the death was recent and you're still dealing with the first practical jobs, start with house clearance after a bereavement, which covers securing the house, the post and the insurer.
