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What "contents" means, and what stays
A house contents clearance takes out everything that isn't part of the house itself. Furniture, appliances that plug in and stand alone, and all the loose belongings go. Anything fixed to the building stays. It's the right choice when a house is going to be sold or let and needs to be empty, but not stripped.
The line isn't always obvious, so here's how we usually draw it:
| Goes with the contents | Stays as a fixture | Worth asking about first |
|---|---|---|
| Sofas, beds, tables, chairs and freestanding wardrobes | Fitted kitchen units, worktops and the sink | Fitted carpets and other floor coverings |
| Free-standing fridges, cookers and washing machines | Integrated appliances built into the units | Curtains, poles and blinds |
| TVs, lamps, rugs and mirrors that hang on a hook | Built-in wardrobes and fixed shelving | Mirrors and TV brackets screwed to the wall |
| Clothes, books, kitchenware, ornaments and boxes | Bathroom fittings, radiators and fireplaces | The garden shed and anything in it |
| Garden furniture, pots and barbecues | Light fittings, sockets and switches | Old appliances a buyer or tenant might want |
When you send photos, tell us about anything in the last column and we'll go with your decision. If you're selling, your solicitor may ask you to confirm what's included in the sale, so check that list before the clearance rather than after.
Selling: rooms ready for the photographs
The agent's photographs are where most buyers first see the house, and empty rooms photograph larger and brighter than full ones. A contents clearance gives the photographer bare, swept rooms with nothing to distract from the space.
Some agents prefer a few pieces left in to show how a room works. That's easy: we clear everything else first and come back for the last pieces after the photos or the first viewings. Talk to your agent about which they'd like before we book.
Once the house is empty, it's also the moment to deal with the outside. A clean driveway and patio make a better first picture. Our guide to preparing a property for sale covers the whole sequence, and clearing a Dublin property for sale goes into working to an estate agent's timeline.
Letting: a clear house for the next tenant
A rental between tenancies usually needs one of two things. For an unfurnished let, every piece of furniture and every loose item goes, leaving the fitted kitchen and the fixtures. For a furnished let, only the dated, broken or worn-out pieces go, and you keep what suits the next tenant.
Either way, check the minimum standards for rented homes before a cooker, fridge or washing machine leaves, as some appliances have to be provided. If belongings were left behind by the last tenant, see clearing a rental between tenancies and our guide to preparing a rental property.
The parts of the house people forget
"Contents" includes the spaces you don't see from the hall. On almost every job, a good share of the volume comes from:
- The attic, with decades of boxes, suitcases and decorations (attic clearance)
- The garage, with tools, bikes and the spare fridge (garage clearance)
- The shed, with mowers, tools and garden furniture (shed clearance)
- The hot press and under the stairs, with bedding, hoovers and old paperwork
If the house belonged to a parent who has died, the clearance is part of settling the estate, and our bereavement clearance service works at the family's pace. If the home had become very full, a calmer, staged approach usually works better; see hoarder clearance. And for flats and apartments, where lifts and management companies change the plan, see apartment clearance.
Getting a house ready to sell or let? Photograph each room, the attic, the garage and any shed, and tell us what's staying. We'll come back with a fixed price, usually the same day.
Checking every press before it's emptied
A house that's being sold or let still has things in it the next owner will need, and things you'll want to keep. We open every drawer and press before it's emptied and set aside:
- window keys, meter-box keys and spare door keys
- manuals and warranties for the boiler, alarm and anything staying
- boiler service records and other paperwork about the house
- post, bank statements and anything with personal details
- photographs, jewellery, cash and anything that looks personal
Keys and paperwork for the house are left together on the kitchen counter for you or the agent. Personal items are kept aside for you to go through.
Keys, the agent and an empty house
Many contents clearances happen in a house nobody lives in any more, and the owner may be at work, in another county or abroad. That's fine. You don't need to be there on the day.
- Keys. We can collect them from you, the estate agent, the letting agent or a neighbour, and return them the same way.
- Alarm. Tell us the code, or ask the agent to let us in and lock up.
- Updates. We send photos of the empty rooms on WhatsApp when the job is finished, so you can see the result without driving over.
- Meters. Once the house is empty, it's worth taking photos of the electricity and gas meter readings, which helps when you're closing accounts before a sale or a new tenancy.
If anything turns up that needs a decision, such as a locked box or a cupboard of paperwork, we message you before it goes anywhere.
House emptying in one visit or two
Most house emptying is done in a single visit of a day or two. Sometimes a second, shorter trip suits better: the family needs a few more weeks to collect what they want, the agent would like some furniture left in for viewings, or a few things have to stay until the sale closes. Tell us the dates when you send photos and we'll price both visits together, so the second trip is agreed up front rather than added on later.
Price, timing and what happens to it all
Each contents clearance is priced on what's in the house: the volume, the access, any items needing special disposal such as fridges and mattresses, and how many of the crew it needs. You get a fixed price from your photos before you book. A typical house takes one to two days; a small one can be less.
As we load, reusable furniture and household items are set aside where possible, metals, electricals and cardboard are recycled, and the rest goes to licensed facilities. Spotless is an authorised waste carrier with permit NWCPO-25-13287-01 and is fully insured on every job. For a property that needs emptying completely, attic to garden, see our main house clearance page.
