Probate house clearance in Sussex: what an executor should settle first

You have been handed the keys to a house that is not yours to keep, and a list of things that all seem to need doing at once. A probate clearance is rarely about speed. It is about doing things in an order you can explain later, to family, a solicitor or a tax office.

This guide is for executors and relatives across Sussex. It covers what to check before anything leaves the house, how to sort the contents into four piles, what to record, and how to agree a written scope with a clearance firm. If you want the room-by-room detail of a full job, our Peacehaven whole-property checklist and the Newhaven preparation timeline go further.

Sort the contents into four piles

Decide where each item is going before the clearance, and write the decision down. The clearance should only touch the last pile.

If several people are involved, agree the keep pile together before the clearance, ideally by message so there is a record. A clearance company cannot settle a family disagreement, and once items are gone they do not come back.

Sharing out keepsakes without a row

Sentimental items cause more friction than valuable ones. A few habits keep it calm. Let each person walk the house on their own first and list what they would like, then compare lists rather than negotiating in the hallway. Where two people want the same thing, photograph it, move on and settle it later by agreement, a draw or a swap. Anything nobody claims by a set date goes into the reuse or clear pile. Putting that date in a message to everyone turns an awkward conversation into a shared rule.

Do this before the clearance quote, not after. The photos you send for the quote should already show a house where the keep pile has been taken out or clearly labelled, so the price reflects what is actually leaving.

Check authority and whether probate is needed

GOV.UK explains that probate is the legal right to deal with someone's property, money and possessions. If there is a will, the executors it names can apply; without one, the closest living relative can. Probate is not always needed, for example where the person only had savings or held assets jointly, so GOV.UK advises checking with their banks and other financial institutions first.

That matters for timing. If probate is needed, GOV.UK says it must be obtained before you sell property. Whether clearing the contents can start earlier is a question for the estate's solicitor or your own advice, not for the clearance company. If you are unsure, do the safe preparation first: sort the piles, photograph everything and arrange the quote.

Citizens Advice puts the risk plainly: it says it is usually against the law to start sharing out the estate until you have probate or letters of administration, and that an executor can be responsible for mistakes. For a house clearance, that means the keep, sell and donate decisions should be recorded and agreed, not made on the day by whoever happens to be standing in the room.

Notify the right people while you are at it. The GOV.UK Tell Us Once service reports a death to most government organisations in one go. Banks, insurers and utilities still need contacting separately.

Record what is in the house before it leaves

For Inheritance Tax and for the beneficiaries, you need an honest picture of what the home contained. GOV.UK's guidance on estimating the estate counts household and personal items, including furniture, electrical goods, jewellery, paintings and collections. For most items it asks for what they would have sold for, and suggests looking at comparable listings on online marketplaces.

Walk each room with a phone and take wide shots plus close-ups of anything that could have value. Open the wardrobes and drawers, check the loft and the shed, and look inside books, coat pockets and old tins. Keep the photos with your notes and the receipts for any estate expenses. GOV.UK warns that HMRC can ask to see records up to 20 years after Inheritance Tax is paid, and if tax is owed the value must be reported within a year of the death.

Valuables, papers and finds

Most of what turns up in a house is ordinary. A few things are not, and they are easy to lose in a clearance if nobody has said where to look. Decide in advance who takes charge of each of these, and tell the person doing the clearance where they will be left.

• Papers. The will, deeds, bank and pension statements, insurance policies, tax letters and any recent post. These are often in a bureau, a biscuit tin or a bedroom drawer, not a filing cabinet.
• Cash, jewellery and watches. Check coat pockets, handbags, jewellery boxes, the freezer and inside books or clocks. Photograph them where they are found before moving them.
• Keys, spare keys and codes. Garage, shed, safe and alarm. Make a note of who holds each set.
• Anything that might be a collection. Stamps, coins, records, medals, model trains and art. Collections can be worth more together than apart, so photograph them in place and keep them out of the clear pile until someone has looked.
• Medication and sharps. Keep these separate from general waste and ask the pharmacy how to return unwanted medicines.

When to bring in a valuer or solicitor

You do not need a professional for most contents. GOV.UK asks you to work out what household and personal items would have sold for, and suggests checking comparable listings online. If a piece looks like it could be worth real money, such as a painting, antique furniture or a large collection, an auctioneer's free estimate is a sensible step before it goes anywhere. GOV.UK also notes that you can hire a professional such as a solicitor to help with some or all of the valuing and estate tasks. If the estate is complicated, disputed or may owe Inheritance Tax, that help is worth having before the contents are cleared, not after.

The empty house meanwhile

An empty property still has bills and risks. GOV.UK says you do not pay Council Tax on a home left empty after a death until probate is granted, as long as it stays empty. After probate you may get a further six months' exemption if it is still unoccupied and in the deceased's name, but the council decides, so ask early.

Check the building insurance terms for an empty property, as cover can change when a home is unoccupied. Keep keys in a known place, redirect or collect the post, and tell neighbours who to call. If a bin is overflowing or a heating system is on, deal with it before the clearance date. If some belongings are going to a family member's home, our home removals service can move them in the same plan.

If the person rented their home

A rented flat or house changes the order of things, because a landlord and a tenancy end date are involved. Shelter's guidance on what to do if a private tenant dies says landlords are often happy to give access for someone to clear the belongings, and that you can show documents proving you are the executor or administrator. It also says most landlords agree to end the tenancy early, and advises getting the final rent date confirmed in writing. The property must be cleared and the keys returned by that date, or the landlord may say rent continues.

Shelter adds that rent due after the death should be paid from the person's estate, and that family members are not liable unless they were joint tenants or guarantors. The deposit should stay protected, but a landlord may deduct the cost of clearing the property or the last month's rent. Clearing it properly and on time protects the deposit. Furniture supplied with the property belongs to the landlord and is not part of the clearance, so ask for the inventory and mark those items before the quote.

Agree a written scope with the clearance firm

A good quote for a probate job names the rooms, the outside spaces and the finish. It covers who holds the keys, who will be at the property and how finds will be handled: papers, cash, jewellery or anything with sentimental value that turns up in a drawer. Ask what happens if the contents differ from the photos and how a change in scope would be agreed before it is charged.

The factors that shape a clearance quote are volume, type of contents, handling, access and disposal. Lewis does not publish prices, because every property is different; you will get a clear price for the agreed contents after he has seen the photos. A heavily filled or hard-to-reach property may need a visit first.

What the clearance day should look like

A well-run clearance day is quiet and predictable. These are the points to settle beforehand, so no one is deciding under pressure.

1. Access. Who has the keys, what time the crew arrives, and where the van can park. Mention steps, stairs, a lift or a narrow path when you send the photos.
2. A named contact. One person who is reachable on the day, either on site or by phone, and who can say yes or no to anything unexpected.
3. The keep pile. Already out of the house or clearly labelled and in one room, with a note on the door. The crew should never have to guess.
4. Finds. Agree what happens if the crew finds cash, jewellery or papers: they stop, set them aside and tell your contact. Say this in the first message, not on the day.
5. Anything that does not belong in a general load. Paint, chemicals, gas bottles, medication and electrical items may need a separate route. Flag them in the first message.

Be there for the start if you can, and again for the walk-through. You do not need to carry anything, but a clearance often turns up one more question about a cupboard or a box, and a quick answer keeps the day moving.

Contents in place

Cleared

Agree the finish in writing. A cleared house is empty of the agreed contents; it is not automatically clean, repaired or decorated. If an estate agent, landlord or buyer will inspect, ask what standard they expect and say so when you request the quote.

After the clearance: the walk-through and the paperwork

Walk the house with your list before anyone leaves, checking the rooms, the loft, the shed and the garden against what you agreed. Photograph the empty rooms with the date on your phone, and keep those photos with the pre-clearance set. If keys are being handed to an estate agent, landlord or buyer, get that confirmed in writing. Keep the quote, the receipt and the carrier's licence details with the estate papers. Citizens Advice advises executors to keep copies of everything they send and receive, and GOV.UK says HMRC can ask to see records for many years after tax is paid, so a tidy folder now saves a long search later.

Sussex rules that catch executors out

Local rules decide what you can do yourself, so check them before planning a tip run or a charity pick-up.

• Brighton and Hove tips. The council's access rules ask for photo ID and proof of a Brighton and Hove address, and van drivers need two forms of ID and proof of residency. Luton and box-body vans, flatbeds and tippers are banned, and trade waste cannot be tipped. A relative who lives elsewhere, or a hired Luton, may be turned away.
• East Sussex tips. East Sussex County Council runs ten recycling sites, including Lewes, Newhaven and Seaford, and says you must book a slot before you visit.
• Council bulky waste. Brighton and Hove's large item collection takes items from a driveway or garden, or just inside the front door if there is no outside space. It is built for a few items, not for emptying a home.
• Charity clearances. Some providers ask for proof of authority. Age UK East Sussex says its probate service acts only on the instructions of named executors in a will, and accepts a phone photo of the will's first page. Any firm may ask, so have yours ready.

Check the carrier and keep the paperwork

Before anything leaves, check that whoever takes the waste is a registered carrier. Search the Environment Agency public register, keep the receipt and file it with the estate papers, so you can show where the waste went. Right Turn's waste carrier number is CBDU621046. Our guide to checking a clearance company covers the questions to ask.

If part of the job is a single large item, the old furniture options guide, the sofa guide and the mattress guide cover the council and charity routes, and the council collection comparison explains why a council service rarely fits a whole house. See also the house clearance service, the rubbish clearance service and the contact options.

What to send with the enquiry

• The postcode and the type of property: house, bungalow or flat, and which floor.
• Photos of every room, including cupboards, the loft, garage, shed and garden.
• Your keep list, or a note that kept items are already out or labelled.
• Anything awkward: heavy furniture, gas bottles, chemicals or a suspected hazard.
• Access and parking details, including steps, and who holds the keys.
• Any date you are working to, and who will be at the property.

If you are also moving the family's own belongings, our moving house checklist helps plan that side. Fridges, freezers and appliances can need their own route, so mention them in the first message.