HOW TO HIRE · REMOVALS & STORAGE

How to hire a garage clearance firm in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

A garage clearance firm must be a registered waste carrier. List the paints, oils and batteries, and ask about the roof.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a garage clearance firm in five steps

  1. Check the carrier numberBefore booking.
  2. List the hazardous itemsPaint, oil, batteries, chemicals.
  3. Look at the roofCement sheets may contain asbestos.
  4. Say what staysTools and anything you want kept, marked clearly.
  5. Get a fixed priceIn writing, with disposal included.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

Waste carrier registration

Every nation requires a business that carries other people's waste to register: the Environment Agency in England, Natural Resources Wales, SEPA in Scotland and DAERA in Northern Ireland. In England a garage clearance firm needs an upper-tier registration, renewed every three years, with a number starting CBDU.

Search the number, name or postcode on the public register before anything is loaded. environment.data.gov.uk →

Your duty of care

Section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 requires a householder in England or Wales to take reasonable steps to give waste only to an authorised person; Scotland has its own version. In England a council can issue a fixed penalty of £150 to £600 to a householder who fails it — even if it was the garage clearance firm who dumped it.

Keep a photo of the carrier registration, the vehicle registration and a receipt with the business's details. legislation.gov.uk →

Hazardous items

Gov.uk lists asbestos, chemicals, batteries, solvents, pesticides, oils and equipment containing ozone-depleting substances such as fridges as examples of hazardous waste, which has its own rules; in England the Environment Agency regulates it. Old paint, oils, car batteries and pesticides are common in garages.

List anything hazardous to the garage clearance firm before the quote, and ask how each is dealt with. gov.uk →

Asbestos in garage roofs

HSE says material containing asbestos must go as hazardous waste and never be mixed with general waste; older garage roofs and panels often contain it.

Ask how the garage clearance firm will handle cement sheets or boards. hse.gov.uk →

VAT

Clearing a garage is standard-rated, so a registered garage clearance firm adds 20% to the fixed price and to any hazardous items priced on top. Registration becomes compulsory once a garage clearance firm has VAT-taxable turnover over £90,000 in any rolling 12 months; from then VAT must be charged and shown as a separate line on the invoice.

Ask the garage clearance firm for the VAT number with the carrier number and for the clearance price, hazardous items and VAT shown apart. gov.uk →

“What is your waste carrier number?”

A good answer: One you can check that matches the garage clearance firm.

“How will you deal with paint, oil and batteries?”

A good answer: Kept separate as hazardous waste and taken to the right site.

“What if the garage roof is asbestos?”

A good answer: Left alone and dealt with properly, not broken up.

“Is the garage clearance price fixed?”

A good answer: Yes, after seeing it.

“Can usable tools be reused or sold?”

A good answer: Options explained.

“Where will the waste go?”

A good answer: Licensed sites named.

“Will you sweep out the garage?”

A good answer: Yes, left clean.

Getting the quote right

  • Items to clear
  • Who actually attends the clearance: the garage clearance firm's employed crew, or a subcontracted carrier or asbestos contractor
  • Hazardous items listed and priced
  • Disposal and the carrier number
  • Fixed price
  • The VAT number, with VAT at 20% on the clearance and hazardous items

Walk away if

  • No carrier number
  • Chemicals tipped into general waste
  • Asbestos sheets broken up
  • Cash only
LOW
£150
TYPICAL
£300
HIGH
£450

What a garage clearance firm costs: £150–£450 per job

Garage clearance is priced by the job; the volume, hazardous items and access set the price. Garage Clearance price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Garage clearance firms near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. SurveyContents and hazards listed.
  2. SeparateHazardous items set apart.
  3. ClearContents loaded.
  4. DisposeEach stream to the right site.
  5. SweepGarage swept, receipt given.

Hazardous waste
Waste such as oil, paint, batteries and asbestos.
Asbestos cement
Old sheeting that may contain asbestos.
Waste carrier number
Registration to carry waste.
Duty of care
Your duty to use an authorised person.
Transfer station
A licensed sorting site.
Fixed price
One price for the whole clearance.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the receiptWith the carrier number.
Check what is leftEverything listed gone, kept items untouched.
Store chemicals safelyAny you keep, in original containers.
Rate the workBooked through Locufy, the job can be reviewed; if the garage clearance firm needs to come back, the make-it-right step gives them the chance first.

STEP 1Start with the garage clearance firmSet out in writing what went wrong with the clearance. Section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 is the duty of reasonable care and skill; section 55 lets you ask for the service to be repeated.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right step on LocufyRate the garage clearance firm under four stars and you are asked whether to send it to them first; we follow it through. Then review.
STEP 3Fly-tipping or an unregistered carrierIf waste the garage clearance firm took turns up dumped, report it to the council and the regulator — the Environment Agency in England, Natural Resources Wales, SEPA or DAERA — with your receipt and their number. Trading Standards is reached through the Citizens Advice consumer helpline (0808 223 1133) in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland (0808 800 9060) and Consumerline (0300 123 6262) in Northern Ireland.
STEP 4Small claimsKeep the quote, the photos and every message with the garage clearance firm: claims up to £10,000 in England and Wales, £5,000 in Scotland and £5,000 in Northern Ireland are heard on the small-claims routes.

Hiring a garage clearance firm: questions people ask

It needs to be a registered waste carrier: with the Environment Agency in England, Natural Resources Wales, SEPA in Scotland or DAERA in Northern Ireland. Check the number on the public register before booking.

You have a legal duty of care to give waste only to an authorised person. In England a council can fine a householder £150 to £600 for failing it, so check the garage clearance firm's number and keep the receipt.

Expect £150 to £450 a job, most often near £300. Our garage clearance price guide covers what changes it, and the search above lists garage clearance firms where you live.

Only to a site that takes it; paint and chemicals are handled separately.

Asbestos must go as hazardous waste; some types need an HSE-licensed contractor to remove.

In England and Wales a householder does not need one for household waste; the receipt and carrier number are your record. In Northern Ireland DAERA advises asking for one, and a business must complete one for each load.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in removals & storage

How to hire: House ClearanceHow to hire: Junk & Rubbish RemovalHow to hire: Skip HireHow to hire: Builders Waste RemovalHow to hire: Appliance DisposalHow to hire: Furniture DisposalHow to hire: Man with a VanHow to hire: Garden Waste RemovalAll 701 hiring guides →

Garage clearance firms near you

Garage clearance firms in LondonGarage clearance firms in ManchesterGarage clearance firms in BirminghamGarage clearance firms in GlasgowGarage clearance firms in BelfastAll garage clearance firms on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — register as a waste carrier, broker or dealer (England)
  2. Environment Agency — public register of waste carriers
  3. Natural Resources Wales — register as a waste carrier, broker or dealer
  4. SEPA — waste carriers and brokers
  5. DAERA — registration of carriers and brokers
  6. Environmental Protection Act 1990, section 34 — duty of care
  7. Environmental Protection Act 1990, section 34ZA — householder fixed penalties (England)
  8. gov.scot — Duty of Care code of practice for managing controlled waste (2026): householders
  9. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — what you can ask for when a service falls short
  10. Civil Procedure Rules Part 26 — the small claims track (England and Wales)
  11. nidirect — the small claims process (Northern Ireland)
  12. gov.uk — hazardous waste (England)
  13. HSE — asbestos: frequently asked questions
  14. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  15. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register