The executor · EXR
Clearing an estate in Romford
Acting for an estate rather than for yourself. These jobs are slower on purpose, and the deliverable is not an empty house — it is an empty house plus a record you can rely on months later when somebody asks a question.
Havering has an older population than any other London borough, and this is a larger part of our work than it would be elsewhere.
How an estate clearance is handled
Why the record matters more than the speed
An executor has a duty to account for the estate, and that includes its contents. A removals receipt does not establish what was in the house or where it went, and months later — when a beneficiary asks about a particular item — memory is not a good enough answer.
So the inventory is made at the property before anything moves, and the split between kept, distributed and disposed of is recorded as it happens rather than reconstructed afterwards.
None of that makes the job slower in any way that matters. It makes it defensible.
Take the time to look
Money, documents and jewellery turn up in furniture during estate clearances with some regularity — in drawers, in pockets, taped behind things, inside books.
We work at a pace that allows for checking rather than emptying, and anything found is set aside for the executor rather than packed. It is the single practical reason not to clear a family home in a hurry.
When nothing has been decided
Frequently the position when a property has to be handed back or put on the market before the estate is settled. Goods can be collected, listed and held, and distributed once the decisions are made.
That is much better than beneficiaries taking things ad hoc and nobody keeping track, which is how disagreements start.
What we will not do
We do not value contents, we do not advise on what should go to whom, and we do not handle full licensed waste clearance. Where any of those is what you actually need, we will tell you and point you elsewhere.
What we do is move things carefully, record what happened, and give you a copy.
Clearing an estate
Questions about clearing an estate
- What record do we get?
- A written inventory made at the property, with the split between kept, distributed and disposed of recorded as it happens, and a copy for the executor.
- Can you deliver to several beneficiaries?
- Yes, planned into one job. Two or three addresses is normal on these clearances.
- We have not decided what is being kept. Can you still start?
- Yes — collect, list and hold, then distribute once the estate is settled. It is better than decisions being made in an empty house under time pressure.
- What happens if you find money or documents?
- They are set aside for the executor, not packed. We work at a pace that allows for checking, which is why these jobs are not rushed.
- Do you value the contents?
- No. We move and record; valuation is a separate profession and we will say so rather than guess.
Tell us who is signing
Owner, tenant, landlord or executor — plus the two addresses and roughly what is going. The first of those decides how much of this job is recording.