A paced clearance
Bereavement clearance is the same physical work as other house clearances — sorting, lifting, loading and removal — but the starting point is different. Families are often still opening drawers. Some rooms are straightforward; others are not. You do not need to make every decision at once.
If the estate is in probate, or contents may need valuing, read the probate house clearance page as well. The two often overlap. This page is about the practical sorting a family does in the house itself.
Keep, value, donate, recycle, dispose
A simple five-way split stops everything being treated as waste. It also stops reusable or important items being lost in a rush.
Keep
Items the family or owner still wants.
Value
Pieces that may need a closer look before they leave the house.
Donate / reuse
Usable goods that can have another life.
Recycle
Materials that can be separated where facilities allow.
Dispose
Residual waste through authorised routes.
Keep is for the family: furniture someone will take, boxes of photographs, clothing that still matters, tools, china that has a home. Value is for pieces that should not leave until someone who knows the category has looked — jewellery, watches, coins, certain furniture, collections. Donate or reuse is for sound household goods that another person can use. Recycle and dispose are for what remains, through the routes described on reuse and recycling.
Practical things to set aside
Documents
Wills, deeds, bank letters, pension paperwork, insurance, certificates and anything that looks official. If you are unsure, keep it. Paper is easier to review later than to reconstruct.
Photographs and family items
Albums, loose prints, slides, framed pictures and boxes labelled with names. These are rarely valuable in the market sense and almost always worth a second look.
Jewellery and small valuables
Search dressing tables, bedroom drawers, coat pockets and tins on high shelves. Small objects are the ones most easily missed in a clearance.
Sentimental possessions
Only the family can judge these. If two people disagree, set the item aside rather than including it in the load.
Medication
Do not put medicines in with general household contents if they can be returned to a pharmacy. Tell us if they are still in the property so they are not swept into a general load.
Personal data and electronics
Computers, phones, tablets, external drives and filing cabinets may hold private information. Decide whether they stay, go for secure destruction, or need a specialist. We will not assume they are ordinary waste.
Paperwork that is not obviously important
Old bills can usually go. Address books, diaries and notebooks sometimes contain information the family still wants. When in doubt, box them for later.
When you cannot be there
If the house is in Cornwall and you are not, describe which rooms may be cleared and which must be left. Photographs help. The what to keep before a clearance guide is written for this situation.