We’re sorry for your loss. In most cases the clearance is paid for by the estate, which is the money, property and possessions of the person who died. The executor, or administrator if there’s no will, either pays the clearance firm from the estate’s money or pays it first and is repaid from the estate later.
Why the estate pays
The executor is legally responsible for looking after the estate until everything has been passed on, and that includes paying its bills. The law in England allows them to pay expenses properly incurred while sorting out the estate from the estate itself, or to be repaid from it, and a clearance arranged so the house can be sold or handed back can count as one. If you’re not sure, the estate’s solicitor can confirm.
Timing is the part that catches people out. Citizens Advice explains that, with some exceptions, you usually can’t take money from the estate until probate or letters of administration have been granted. So if the house needs clearing sooner, the executor often pays first and is repaid once the estate’s money can be reached.
If you’re the executor
- If there’s more than one executor, agree between you who books the clearance and how payments from the estate will be made.
- Get a written quote and keep the invoice, so the cost is easy to show in the estate’s accounts.
- If the clearance firm will resell some of the contents, ask whether that value comes off the bill.
- Some things are best kept back from the clearance altogether, such as papers, photographs and anything named in the will.
If you’re a relative paying in the meantime
If you’re covering the cost while probate is under way, it’s worth agreeing in writing with the executor that you’ll be repaid from the estate, so nobody ends up out of pocket.
If there isn’t enough money in the estate
Citizens Advice explains that, in general, if there isn’t enough in the estate to pay the person’s debts, the people they owed can’t recover the rest from anyone else, including their relatives. If it looks as though the estate can’t cover its bills and expenses, Citizens Advice suggests getting a solicitor’s advice, because dealing with an estate that can’t pay its debts can be complicated.
Where storage helps
If the house has to be cleared before the family has decided what to keep, a storage unit gives those belongings somewhere safe to wait. An executor can rent a unit for the estate straight away, in their name as executor, and we email an invoice before each payment, which keeps the estate’s paperwork tidy.
When you’re ready, call us on 0800 2545585 and we’ll take it step by step with you, or get a price online.
Related questions
- Who pays for storage while an estate is being sorted out?
- Should I put things into storage before a house clearance?
- Clearing an inherited house: a self storage guide for executors
- How does a house clearance work?
- Do house clearance companies pay you for what they take?
This page explains how clearance costs are commonly handled. It isn’t legal or tax advice.
Further reading