Probate clearance for solicitors
A probate clearance you can put straight on the estate file.
We manage property clearance, document and valuables searches, disposal and evidence for probate matters — with a clear instruction trail from quotation through to completion.
Why it is different
Property clearance is only part of the instruction.
When a firm instructs a clearance on a probate matter, emptying the property is rarely the whole of what is needed.
Within the same property there may also be:
- paperwork requiring identification and retention;
- deeds, wills, certificates and financial correspondence;
- photographs and personal effects of no value but considerable significance;
- valuables requiring segregation;
- items requiring confirmation before disposal;
- keys and controlled access to the property;
- beneficiaries or other stakeholders with an interest in the contents;
- evidence required for the estate file.
A clearance that treats the property as a collection of unwanted contents can satisfy the first requirement and none of the others. The paperwork goes out with everything else, and the omission is only discovered later, when it cannot be put right.
We treat the property as an instructed estate matter. The search happens before the clearance, not alongside it, and what is found is recorded rather than assumed.
Scope
What Pristine Handlers manages.
Property clearance
Controlled clearance of houses, flats, garages, lofts and associated areas, carried out room by room under the agreed instruction.
Document and valuables search
Identification and segregation of paperwork, photographs, valuables and other potentially important items encountered during clearance.
Photographic evidence
Before, during and completion photographs where required by the instruction.
Disposal records
Waste transfer documentation for loads leaving the property. We are a registered upper-tier waste carrier, CBDU502187.
Cleaning and market preparation
Optional cleaning and preparation of the property following clearance, where that forms part of the instruction.
Controlled handover
Completion confirmation, and return or onward management of keys as agreed.
Evidence
What goes back on the estate file.
Depending on the agreed instruction and scope, a professional instruction can generate an evidence pack designed to be filed rather than deciphered.
What is included is set out in the quotation before the work starts, so there is no ambiguity at the end about what should have arrived.
Evidence pack
Depending on the agreed instruction and scope
- Accepted quotation and agreed scope✓
- Your matter or client referenceCarried through to the invoice✓
- Property details✓
- Photographic recordRooms before and on completion✓
- Record of identified documents or valuablesSegregated items, logged✓
- Disposal documentationWaste transfer records for loads removed✓
- Completion confirmation✓
- Invoice matched to the instruction reference✓
Process
From instruction to completion.
Send the property
You provide the property details, your matter reference, access arrangements and any photographs or inventory you already hold.
Scope and quotation
We review the instruction and come back with a referenced quotation setting out the proposed scope.
Access and clearance
The team attends under the agreed instruction and carries out the clearance, searches and any associated services.
Evidence and exceptions
Photographs, retained items, documents, valuables and any exceptions are recorded and handled in accordance with the instruction.
Completion and handover
You receive completion confirmation, the applicable supporting evidence, and an invoice carrying your reference.
Three-bedroom probate property
A private client team needs an inherited property cleared before sale. The firm provides its matter reference, the access arrangements and the property information it already holds.
During the clearance, paperwork and personal items requiring review are segregated rather than disposed of with the general contents.
Following completion, the instructing team receives the agreed photographic and disposal evidence, together with completion confirmation and a referenced invoice.
An illustrative scenario showing how an instruction typically runs. It is not an account of a particular client matter.
Questions we are asked
Before you instruct.
Can you collect keys from our office or agent?
Yes, where it is operationally practical. Access arrangements are agreed as part of the instruction, including collection from your office or from a managing agent, and return on completion. Neither you nor the family needs to attend the property.
What happens if you find documents or valuables?
Items identified during the agreed search are segregated rather than disposed of with the general contents. They are recorded and dealt with in accordance with the instruction — typically boxed, logged and returned to the instructing firm or the executor.
Can you work from photographs?
Photographs and inventories are useful for initial scoping and quotation, and for many properties they are sufficient. Some properties need further information or an inspection before we can put a firm figure on the work, and we will say so rather than guess.
Can you clear properties outside our local area?
We work anywhere in the United Kingdom, from our depot in Barking, east London. Distance is set out as its own line on the quotation rather than being folded into the total.
Can the invoice carry our matter reference?
Yes, where the reference is supplied with the instruction. It appears on the quotation and on the invoice so the two reconcile against your file.
How is the work priced?
We provide a scoped quotation based on the property and the instruction. It is itemised rather than a single lump sum, so the estate account can show what was paid for.
Instruction
Send us a probate property.
Give us the essentials. We will review the instruction and come back to you about scope and quotation.