So, you’ve decided to clear out your home but you’re looking for a professional to do the dirty work? There are thousands of service providers offering domestic clearance services, but little to tell them apart. How will you know which domestic clearance company is right for you? Here’s a handy list of 5 questions to consider when deciding who to hire, to help you make your decision with greater confidence and ease.
Firstly, it’s important to consider exactly how they promise to dispose of your waste. With horror stories of some firms fly tipping the waste people have paid them to dispose of properly, it is vital to ensure that the company you hire can guarantee proper, legal and ethical disposal.
You should enquire with firms about where they intend to dispose of certain items, whether they will take some to charity shops if appropriate and whether they will recycle as much of the waste as possible. Even better, some companies offer an assurance of proper disposal by providing an audit or evidence that your waste has been disposed of in the most appropriate places.
Domestic clearance service providers have a lot of obligations that most of us don’t know about. For example, waste carriers must be registered to dispose of waste, must meet a duty of care when managing hazardous waste and must have all adequate insurance and licensing to protect you and their employees. You are well within your rights to request to see evidence of these things before hiring and we recommend researching through their site to see that they can confirm their eligibility to act as your domestic clearance service.
This is more about you than it is the service. Some clearances are organised far in advance, with specific deadlines that need to be met. Meanwhile, other clearances are last minute and more restrictive in time. Depending on what you need, you should enquire about timing and availability with various clearance companies as some offer same day removals whilst others may be booked up for months in advance. You should always make these enquiries as soon as you have shortlisted your companies, before it gets too late to book at all!
Although this is not essential, it can sometimes be an added bonus if a company is willing to pay for some of your waste by buying it off of you, since this makes domestic clearances that little bit cheaper whilst also ridding of your clutter. This only really happens where a company can see enough value in your waste that it is worthwhile for them, however it can make a big difference to the price!
It is worth enquiring about a company’s team, their duties and their responsibilities during the clearance. For example, it is better to seek out a team that is willing to load the rubbish and clear up after their collection than one that is cheaper, but requires you to do most of the heavy lifting yourself. Since they are entering your family home, it is also worthwhile asking whether they are trusted and vetted before hiring, just for peace of mind. If you do have any concerns, the best thing to do is seek reviews online about the service and speak to others who have already hired that team!
Asking yourself these helpful questions should get you that little bit closer to finding and hiring the perfect domestic clearance provider for you!