Flats in converted houses are a job of their own
Plenty of Dublin's rented flats were never built as flats. They're rooms in tall Victorian and Edwardian red-bricks that were divided up generations ago: a garden-level flat under the granite steps, one off the hall, another on the return, and more on the floors above. Rathmines and Portobello are full of them, and so are Phibsborough and Drumcondra on the northside. Many old bedsits have since become self-contained studios, but the stairs and the shared hall haven't changed.
None of that involves a lift or a loading bay. A flat clear-out in one of these houses comes down to the staircase: how many flights there are, how tight the turn at the return is, and whether a wardrobe carried up years ago will come back down in one piece. It also comes down to the neighbours, because every bag passes their doors.
We clear these flats for tenants moving out and for the landlords and letting agents who look after them. Spotless is an authorised waste carrier, permit NWCPO-25-13287-01, and we're fully insured on every job, which counts for something when you're carrying a bed frame past someone else's front door. Our main apartment clearance page covers every kind of flat; this one is about the walk-ups.
Stairs, landings and the shared hall
Most of the effort in a period-house flat goes into the stairs, so that's where most of our planning goes too.
- We ask about flights, not floors. A "second-floor" flat can mean four flights in a three-storey-over-basement house. Count them when you send photos and we'll bring enough hands.
- Furniture comes apart in the flat. Bed frames, wardrobes, desks and tables are taken apart upstairs so they clear the banisters and the tight turn on the return.
- Stair carpets get covers. Shared stairs are rarely new, and nobody wants to explain a scuffed runner to the landlord. Covers go down before the first heavy piece moves.
- Corners and paintwork are watched. On a narrow landing, one person guides every long item round the bend.
- The hall stays clear for everyone. Bikes, post and the meter press belong to the whole house. We don't stack bags in the hall, and the street door is closed between trips.
- The house bins stay for the residents. Nothing from the clear-out goes in the shared wheelie bins out the front. It all leaves on our van.
Garden-level flats are often quicker, with their own door and no stairs inside, though the steps up to the footpath can be steep and narrow. A photo of them helps us plan.
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Parking on red-brick streets
The parking outside is often harder than the stairs. Most of the streets around these houses in Dublin 6, 7, 8 and 9 are permit parking or pay-and-display, often on one side only, and the main roads into town have clearways and bus lanes. There's no loading bay outside a terrace.
So when you get in touch we'll ask a few things. Is there usually a space near the door, or double yellow lines? Can you get a visitor permit from the council, or is pay-and-display the realistic option? Is the front garden big enough to stand a few things in, or does everything go straight from the door to the van? With those answers, we plan the loading so the van is outside for as little time as possible, and on busier roads we start at 8am, before the street fills up.
Who books a flat clear-out
Tenants moving out. You've packed what you're bringing and you're left with the bed you bought, a desk, a sofa from Marketplace and a press full of pots. If the lease says the flat goes back as you found it, the extras need to go before the landlord's check. Flatmates splitting the job at the end of a lease will find more on our end-of-lease flat clear-out page.
Landlords and agents between lets. Flats in period houses often turn over quickly, and a re-let is a good time to replace tired furniture. We clear what you're replacing, leave what's staying, and send photos when we're done so you don't need to be there. If a tenant has left without taking their belongings, read flat clearance for landlords first.
Owners clearing a whole house of flats. Sometimes a house that was let as four or five units is being sold, renovated or turned back into a family home. That means several kitchens, several sets of beds and wardrobes, and years of post in the hall. We price every flat and the common parts in one quote. Our local pages for Rathmines, Phibsborough and Drumcondra cover whole-house clearances in those areas.
Flat in a converted house? Tell us the floor, the number of flights and what the parking is like, and send a photo of each room. We'll reply with one fixed price, usually the same day.
What goes and what stays
In a rented flat, not everything in the rooms is yours to clear. This is how it usually breaks down:
| Item | Usually | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Your own furniture, clothes and kitchen things | Goes | Set aside anything you're keeping, or put it in one room |
| The landlord's furniture in a furnished let | Stays | Unless the landlord asks us to take it. Check the inventory |
| Mattresses | Go | Handled separately from general waste |
| Appliances that came with the flat | Stay | An old one being replaced can go for recycling |
| Carpets and lino | Stay | Lifted only if the landlord asks, and priced for it |
| Bikes and boxes in the hall or garden | Only if they're yours | The common parts belong to the whole house |
Everything is sorted on the way to the van. Anything with another life in it is kept back for reuse where possible, metal and electrical items are recycled, and whatever's left is taken to licensed facilities. If you only have one or two big pieces to shift, furniture removal may suit you better than a full clear-out.
Before we arrive
- agree with the landlord or agent what's staying, and get it in writing if you can
- leave a short note in the hall so the other residents know the stairs will be busy
- empty the fridge and defrost the freezer the day before
- leave a key for the street door and the flat if you won't be there
- mention anything very heavy, such as a solid wood wardrobe or a metal-framed sofa bed
Once we've gone, take dated photos of each empty room for your deposit. If the carpets need attention before you hand back the keys, we also offer carpet cleaning in Dublin. Moving out of a modern block with a lift and a concierge instead? Our page on apartment clear-outs in managed blocks is the one to read.
