Household clearance: compare quotes and prices

Include the home and all relevant additional spaces

Define the flat or house, affected rooms and cellar, loft, garage, shed or outdoor areas. A nearly empty home and a fully furnished household are different jobs despite the same room count.

A clearance already under way may need only remaining or selected work. Describe what is left. Household clearance does not automatically include sale, thorough cleaning, renovation or representing you at property handover.

An example enquiry: ‘We need a four-room flat on the first floor, with no lift, cleared. Two beds, two wardrobes, a sofa, a dining table with six chairs and the remaining household contents need removing. The cellar, roughly 6 m², contains three shelving units and filled boxes; we do not yet know how many boxes. Eight labelled boxes and a chest of drawers should stay in the flat, along with the fitted kitchen. We want a swept handover by the end of next month, without an end-of-tenancy clean. Permission to load directly outside the entrance still needs checking. Please show any proposed credit for reusable items separately.’ This gives a starting point for a quote; room count and cellar area alone do not determine the load volume or working time.

Agree what stays before clearing begins

Secure important documents, keys and keepsakes before authorising removal. Identify retained items clearly. Agree how the team should handle unexpected belongings without instructions and who can be contacted during work.

Where several people are involved, clarify the instruction, decision-making and authorisation before execution. Requesting a quote is not permission to dispose of every item. Personal or family circumstances are not needed for the initial assessment.

For clearance day, make the separation clear: where possible, collect retained belongings in an agreed place and label larger items directly. Also settle what happens to drawer and cupboard contents; a label on the furniture alone does not say whether everything inside should stay. Items without clear instructions are set aside until clarified. The authorised clearance can then continue without rushed decisions about individual discoveries.

Make any resale credit a specific agreement

Usable belongings may be donated, sold or reused. Acceptance depends on condition, demand and handling costs among other factors. Reuse does not automatically mean you receive sale proceeds.

If a credit is offered, identify the pieces and amount separately. Clarify purchase at an agreed value versus later sale, and responsibility for costs and risk. An unexplained promise of free clearance is not a dependable comparison basis.

Plan access for the home and additional rooms together

Floors, a usable lift and the route to the vehicle affect the work. Basement stores, a loft without lift access and steps after the lift need separate consideration. A lift helps only if the pieces being carried actually fit.

Mention known heavy furniture, appliances and narrow passages. Loading arrangements, permitted access and locked additional rooms need agreement beforehand. The company plans suitable equipment; you need not choose a vehicle or furniture lift.

Separate special materials and personal data

Appliances, batteries, paint and problematic materials do not belong indiscriminately in the same load. Mention known exceptions. Potentially hazardous contents or fixed building materials need appropriate assessment without opening or removing them yourself.

Returning some appliances at suitable facilities can be free of a recycling charge. Dismantling, carrying, collection and other clearance work remain separate. For paperwork, computers and storage media, expressly agree return, erasure or documented destruction.

Empty premises are not automatically ready for handover

Agree the required finish: empty, swept or thoroughly cleaned. Cleaning with a defined rework arrangement is an additional service. Clearance alone does not guarantee acceptance at property handover.

Clarify with the responsible parties which fittings can remain and whether further tasks are needed. Furniture dismantling, removal of installations and safe disconnection are different jobs. Representation at the final handover needs an agreed scope.

At the final check, walk through every agreed area, including the cellar and other additional rooms. Confirm that authorised contents have been removed, identified belongings to keep are still present and fixed fittings remain as agreed. Check the requested cleaning standard and shared carrying routes for items left behind. Record outstanding work, who is responsible and the completion date. Settle key return, the final invoice and any agreed disposal receipts or destruction records; a photo of empty rooms alone does not establish all these points.

Compare the complete cost of household clearance

Room count is only one factor. Contents and filling, sorting assistance, dismantling, access, trips and disposal routes determine the work. Cleaning and special onward deliveries can add further costs.

Published fixed prices cover different situations: partial or complete contents, with or without cleaning and differing credits. They do not establish a reliable universal Swiss rate. A survey can help define a binding quote for a complex household.

Compare the same remaining contents and finish. Check VAT, disposal charges, minimums and handling of extra items discovered. Credits and paid additional work should be clearly identified.

If private buyers or recipients collect furniture after the survey, or further rooms are added, tell the company before the appointment. Have the revised scope, any affected credit and the total price confirmed. If retained furniture is going elsewhere, agree the destination, access and transport cost separately. A collection for reuse does not automatically replace the entire clearance job.

Settle these points before appointing a company

A simple plan helps keep the whole household in view.

• Areas. Include the home and affected additional spaces.
• Contents. Describe belongings left and special pieces.
• Authorisation. Secure personal effects and identify retained belongings.
• Access. Clarify floors, usable lift and loading route.
• Result. Agree costs, finish and the latest handover date.

From the initial overview to handover

Details are settled before work; a clear overview is enough to begin.

1. Describe the household. State the property, rooms, additional areas and remaining contents.
2. Compare quotes. Compare clearance, recovery, disposal and cleaning.
3. Define the instruction. Agree authorisation, access, pricing basis and timing.
4. Have the work completed. Ensure someone is reachable during the agreed tasks.
5. Check the handover. Review retained belongings and the agreed condition.