by developersHow Does A House Clearance Work?
In general terms, most of us understand that a house clearance is the process of clearing out a house and getting rid of unwanted items and debris.
However, you might be wondering why you need a professional house clearance company to carry out this work. You might also be wondering how much it costs, and why outsourcing the work can be highly beneficial.
Thankfully, as an experienced provider of house clearance services across Edinburgh and the Lothians, Edinburgh Environmental Services has put together this handy guide to how house clearance works and the benefits of using a hassle-free service like ours.
Reasons You Might Need A House Clearance
There are many reasons why you might need a professional house clearance service, some of which include:
- Following A Pest Infestation: If you’ve had a large pest infestation, then your property could be contaminated with droppings and dead pests, which could be a health hazard.
- Getting Rid Of Unwanted Items: Over the years, items might build up, and you might find it difficult to move them without professional help. Whether you’re downsizing, moving house or renovating, having a large scale clear out can be useful.
- To Clear A Garden: Plants, particularly weeds, can grow quickly, so you might find yourself needing garden waste removal to make a usable space.
- After A Bereavement: Following a death it can be hard to sort through a loved one’s property, which is why it can be better to get a trusted house clearance company like Edinburgh Environmental Services to help.
- To Facilitate A Business Relocation: For businesses, moving to a new premises can be challenging, especially if you have lots of old waste to get rid of, which is why a commercial property clearance can be useful.
- When A Tennent Moves Out: For landlords, void property clearance can help get your rental property back on the market and reduce loss of rental income.
Tasks Involved In A House Clearance
While every house clearance is different, the house clearance process usually includes the following steps.
Step One: Initial Quote
When you get in touch to request a house clearance, our team will ask specific questions about the amount of waste you have, the type and any access issues. In some cases, we may attend the site and carry out a site survey before providing you with a transparent quote for our services.
Step Two: Preparation
Before we carry out your house clearance work, we will provide you with instructions on how to prepare. This will include carefully sorting personal items you want to keep and moving them away from the unwanted items that need to be removed. Our team will ensure we have the right size skip and vans available for your project.
Step Three: On-Site Clearance
On the day, we will attend your property and carry out the house clearance to the specifications outlined in your initial quote. Our team will communicate with you where needed to ensure you feel supported throughout the process and get the best value from our services.
Step Four: Waste Disposal
After the unwanted items have been removed, we will dispose of them using eco-friendly methods where possible. As our name suggests, Edinburgh Environmental Services is passionate about reducing our collective carbon footprints and supporting the environment, so we will recycle or donate usable items where we can. Unusable items that cannot be recycled or donated will be disposed of legally and safely.
Step Five: Reporting
Following the house clearance, our team will provide you with a full report on what we have removed, how it was disposed of and any additional services that we carried out. This ensures full transparency and makes using us one of the easiest ways to safely dispose of waste, old furniture and other items.
The Importance Of Professional House Clearance Services
House clearance might seem like an unskilled job, but there’s much more to it than just moving boxes around.
Doing a house clearance yourself can be expensive, time-consuming and potentially dangerous if you don’t have the right personal protective equipment and cleaning supplies.
Even many companies advertising house clearance services aren’t skilled enough to do the job property, and may cause property damage when moving items. If your house clearance company doesn’t have a waste carrier license, then they may dispose of your waste unlawfully.
If fly tipped waste is traced back to you, then you could face a fine and potential criminal charges.
That’s why it’s crucial that you work with a fully-licensed and insured company with an experienced, highly-trained team.
Edinburgh Environmental Services has carried out many house clearances over the years, and our team has the skills needed to ensure a safe, stress-free experience every time.
How To Prepare For A House Clearance
As mentioned already, every house clearance will be unique, but here are some basic tips on how to prepare before we arrive and ensure a completely hassle-free experience.
- Work Out What Is Staying: Sort items into the ones you want to keep, the ones that can be donated or recycled, and any that will need to be disposed of.
- Label Everything Clearly: Make sure it’s clear what is staying and what needs to be removed. You may choose to sort items into piles, or to label individual large items so your house clearance company can clearly see what is staying and what is going.
- Clear Access Routes: Check that your house clearance team has access to everywhere they need to go to clear your property. If needed, move cars from driveways to give the team space to park and place skips.
- Inform Your Neighbours: If you need access through your neighbour’s property, or the work will be noisy, or may block their access briefly, then it is courteous to inform your neighbours.
- Arrange For Children And Pets To Be Elsewhere: Young children and pets can get in the way during a house clearance, so arrange for them to be cared for elsewhere. For pets that can’t be moved, such as fish or birds, make sure the tanks or enclosures are covered and inform the clearance company.
House Clearance Costs
Every house clearance project is different, and the cost will depend on a variety of factors, including:
- Property Size: A larger property with more rooms to clear will require more time and staff, whereas a smaller home or just one or two rooms that need clearing will have a lower price.
- Access: If there are access issues, such as parking problems or tight spaces, like lofts, which have large items in them, then this might require more effort and time, which can increase your house clearance cost.
- Disposal Methods: At Edinburgh Environmental Services, we always try to use environmentally-friendly disposal methods. For example, we may donate items to local charities or take them to a recycling centre. This approach reduces disposal costs, which will lower the cost of your house clearance. If you have used white goods or heavily damaged items that cannot be recycled or donated, these will necessitate a larger skip, which will mean higher fees.
- Hazardous Waste: If you have hazardous waste that needs specialist handling and disposal, then this will increase your house clearance cost.
- Additional Services Needed: For homes with an existing pest infestation, or that need pest proofing, thorough cleaning, loft insulation replacement and other services, the cost will be higher.
To find out your exact house clearance cost, the team at Edinburgh Environmental Services will need to carry out a site survey and provide you with a full quote.
Book Your Edinburgh House Clearance
If you need a house clearance in Edinburgh or the surrounding area, Edinburgh Environmental Services can help.
Our team are fully-insured and qualified, and we have a waste removal license (number WCR/R/3021986), so you can rest assured that you’ll get safe handling and responsible disposal of your waste and unwanted items.
We offer house clearance services for a range of homeowners, whether you’ve had a pest infestation or not.
If you do have a pest problem, we can offer domestic or commercial pest control services to remove a range of vermin, including rats, mice, squirrels, ants, cockroaches, bed bugs, fleas, silverfish, birds and more.
As an experienced pest controller and licensed company offering waste management, Edinburgh Environmental Services is a leading house clearance company covering the city and the Lothians.
To start the process and book your house clearance services, contact us on 0131 560 6441 and a member of our team will be happy to help.