Frequently asked questions

It is built from the same rates we use to write real quotations, so for a standard property it usually lands within about ten per cent of the final figure. The two things that move it are contents we could not see and access we did not know about. If you want certainty, ask for a survey — it is free, and the price we give afterwards is fixed.

No. Most executors are not. We can collect keys from an agent or solicitor, work from a key safe, and send photographs at the start and end of each day. If you would rather be there for the document search and leave us to the rest, that works too.

They stay yours. If we find anything we believe has resale value — jewellery, coins, older furniture, tools, collections — we set it aside, photograph it and email you before it moves. We do not offset a clearance price against contents, because on a probate job those contents belong to the estate and need to be accounted for.

We search first and clear second. Deeds, share certificates, premium bonds, insurance policies, bank statements, passports, photographs and correspondence are boxed and logged before general clearance starts. On probate jobs this is included in the price, not an extra.

Reusable goods go to charity partners and we get receipts. Everything else goes to a licensed transfer station, where it is sorted for recycling. You get a waste transfer note for every load. That note is what protects the estate if anything is ever fly-tipped in its name, so keep it with the file.

Yes, and we would want to see it first. Hoarded homes usually mean more waste than the room count suggests, sometimes pest treatment, and occasionally structural damage under the contents. We will survey it, give you a written method statement and a fixed price, and work discreetly — unmarked vehicles if you prefer.

Anywhere in the UK. We are based in Barking in east London, and we regularly work in the Midlands, the North West and along the south coast. Travel is a visible line on your quotation rather than something folded into the price.

Pristine Handlers Limited holds public liability and employer's liability cover, and is a registered waste carrier. Certificates are supplied to professional clients as a matter of course, and to anyone else who asks. Our VAT registration is 216 680 116.

On completion, by bank transfer, against an invoice that matches the quotation line for line. Estates and professional firms can be invoiced on terms. We do not ask for deposits on standard residential clearances.

Most jobs within five to ten working days. If you need it faster we can usually manage it, and there is a surcharge for pulling a crew off other work which appears as its own line on the quote.

Yes. Weekends, evenings and bank holidays by arrangement. There is a surcharge, shown separately on the quotation.

Asbestos, gas bottles, chemicals, clinical waste and some paints need a specialist route rather than our vehicles. We will identify them, tell you what the proper disposal costs, and arrange it if you want us to. Fridges, freezers and electricals we do take, under WEEE rules with their own disposal note.