The Benefits of DIY House Clearance

For many of us, whether preparing to move home, having a thorough spring clean, replacing furniture, fixtures, and fittings, or taking care of the possessions of a friend or relative that has recently passed away, house clearance is a necessary and unavoidable task. Faced with the challenges of performing a house clearance it’s understandable why engaging a professional house clearance company seems the easiest and most obvious way of getting the job done.

However, if planned and approached sensibly the process of undertaking a house clearance without engaging professional help is not the onerous task it might seem at first and there are numerous advantages to undertaking the work yourself. Here are some of the most compelling benefits of ‘do-it-yourself house’ clearance.

• Cost savings

  If you feel up to the task, why incur the expense of entrusting your house clearance to a professional company when you could hire a suitable van and do the job yourself at a fraction of the cost?
  It’s even possible to raise money by potentially selling items you were going to dispose of any way on eBay or at a local car boot sale.

• Security

  You may feel happier dealing with treasured family possessions or valuable items yourself than entrusting them to a house clearance company. Whilst dishonest traders are happily few and far between, carrying out your own house clearance removes the risk of items being ‘lost’.
  A DIY house clearance also enables you to locate and appropriately deal with or destroy any personal documents such as utility bills, bank statements, and medical records that may carry confidential information which could otherwise be exploited by identity thieves.

• No nasty surprises

  
  
  Despite most councils imposing heavy fines on offenders, illegal fly-tipping is still a major problem. Unlike domestic householders, house clearance companies must pay to dispose of items at a refuse tip

Unscrupulous companies avoid paying these disposal fees by fly-tipping unwanted furniture and other items on waste ground or in the countryside.

However, the responsibility for disposal rests with the homeowner even if they’ve used a third party and if the illegally-dumped items from a house clearance are traced back to the owner they may be liable for prosecution. Doing your own house clearance ensures that everything you’re not keeping can be disposed of legally, safely, and responsibly.

• No pressure

  
  Particularly when dealing with the house clearance of a recently-deceased partner, relative, or friend, doing-it-yourself allows you to do things your own way and in your own time without the stress and inconvenience of having to find, make arrangements with, set dates for, and manage an external house clearance provider.

• A social occasion
  
  Regardless of the size of the house clearance, many hands make light work; particularly when it comes to moving heavy or large items. A DIY house clearance can become a social occasion at which friends, family, or neighbors can be invited over to help (with tea and cakes laid on!) making the task easier, quicker, and altogether more enjoyable.

• Benefit to others

  
  Undertaking your own house clearance provides an excellent opportunity to sort out items for charity. Depending upon the nature and quantity of the items you’re donating, many charities will nowadays come to you to collect items, saving you the time and effort of transporting them yourself.

• A sense of personal achievement

  
  Completing a house clearance under your own steam can be a cathartic experience. When dealing with the belongings of a deceased loved one can be an important part of the process of understanding, grieving, accepting the loss, and, eventually, moving on. If the reason for house clearance is spring cleaning or to make way for new furniture or redecoration, doing it yourself can provide a fulfilling sense of pride in your achievement.