HOW TO HIRE · REMOVALS & STORAGE

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

A house clearance firm must be a registered waste carrier. Check the number and agree in writing what is kept, sold or reused.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a house clearance firm in five steps

  1. Check the carrier numberOn the public register before booking.
  2. Remove what you want firstPapers, photos, valuables and anything for the family.
  3. Agree what happens to items of valueSold, reused, or offset against the price — in writing.
  4. Get a fixed price after a visitIncluding disposal.
  5. Keep the receiptWith the carrier number.

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 house 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, and where the waste is going

The householder's duty of care (Environmental Protection Act 1990, section 34 in England and Wales; Scotland's own duty) means checking that the house clearance firm is authorised. In England failing it can bring a £150 to £600 fixed penalty. Scotland's 2026 duty of care code of practice (Environmental Protection Act 1990) says to ask where the waste will go and to treat unrealistically cheap prices with suspicion; a house clearance firm should name the site.

Keep a photo of the carrier registration, the vehicle registration and a receipt with the business's details. Ask which licensed site the load will go to. legislation.gov.uk →

Hazardous items

Hazardous waste — gov.uk's examples include asbestos, chemicals, batteries, oils and fridges containing ozone-depleting substances — follows stricter rules than ordinary waste, regulated in England by the Environment Agency. Chemicals in sheds, old batteries and fridges need separate handling.

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

Cancellation terms in writing

Regulation 28 of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 takes transport of goods booked for a specific date out of the usual cancellation right, and a clearance carries your goods away on a set day — so do not count on a cooling-off period. The house clearance firm's written cancellation terms are what protect you.

Get the cancellation terms and any deposit rules in writing before you confirm the date. legislation.gov.uk →

VAT

House clearance is standard-rated, so a registered house clearance firm adds 20% to the clearance price, with any offset for items of value shown separately. Registration becomes compulsory once a house 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 house clearance firm for the VAT number with the carrier number and for the clearance price, the offset and VAT itemised. gov.uk →

“What is your waste carrier number?”

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

“What will you do with items of value from the house?”

A good answer: Listed, valued and offset against the price, or returned.

“What goes to reuse or charity?”

A good answer: Named routes.

“How will you handle the fridge and chemicals?”

A good answer: Separately, as hazardous waste.

“Is the house clearance price fixed?”

A good answer: Yes, after a visit.

“Will the house be left swept?”

A good answer: Yes, ready for sale or letting.

“Will I get a receipt and a list?”

A good answer: Yes.

Getting the quote right

  • Fixed price for the whole clearance
  • Who actually attends the clearance: the house clearance firm's employed crew, or a subcontracted carrier with its own registration
  • Any offset for items of value, itemised
  • Disposal and carrier number
  • Hazardous items handled separately
  • The VAT number, with VAT at 20% on the clearance price shown apart from any offset

Walk away if

  • No carrier number
  • They pay you cash for the contents with no list
  • Pressure to sign on the first visit
  • No receipt
LOW
£150
TYPICAL
£450
HIGH
£1,000

What a house clearance firm costs: £150–£1,000 per job

House clearance is priced by the job, usually a fixed price after a visit; the volume of contents, access and any offset for items of value set the price. House 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

House 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. Visit and priceContents seen, value items noted, price fixed.
  2. SortKeep, reuse, sell, recycle, dispose.
  3. ClearRoom by room, floors protected.
  4. DisposeEach stream to the right site.
  5. Hand backHouse swept, keys and receipt returned.

Offset
Value of sold items taken off the price.
Reuse
Items passed to charity or resale.
Waste carrier number
Registration to carry waste.
Duty of care
Your duty to use an authorised person.
Hazardous waste
Items with stricter rules, such as fridges.
Broom-clean
Empty and swept.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the receipt and the listYour record of what left and where.
Walk through the houseEmpty, swept, nothing kept removed.
Check meters and keysReadings taken, keys returned.
Close it with a reviewOnce you are happy with the house clearance firm's work, review it; if you are not, the make-it-right step comes before the review.

STEP 1Give them the chance to fix itMost problems with the clearance are put right once raised clearly. Ask the house clearance firm in writing to redo the faulty part; the Consumer Rights Act 2015 says that must happen within a reasonable time and at their cost.
STEP 2Make it right through LocufyGive fewer than four stars and you are asked whether the house clearance firm should get the chance to fix it first; we follow it through before the review goes up.
STEP 3Fly-tipping or an unregistered carrierIf waste the house 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. Citizens Advice (0808 223 1133, England and Wales), Advice Direct Scotland (0808 800 9060) and Consumerline in Northern Ireland (0300 123 6262) advise and can refer a trader to Trading Standards.
STEP 4If all else failsA dispute with the house clearance firm worth up to £10,000 in England and Wales, £5,000 in Scotland or £5,000 in Northern Ireland can go to the small-claims court; fees start at £35 in England and Wales.

Hiring a house clearance firm: questions people ask

Yes. Carrying other people's waste as a business needs registration in every nation — Environment Agency, Natural Resources Wales, SEPA or DAERA. Ask for the number and check it.

The house clearance firm commits an offence, and you can too if you did not check they were authorised: in England the fixed penalty for a householder is £150 to £600. Keep the carrier number and receipt.

Roughly £150–£1,000 a job, typically £450. What you pay depends on the job; the house clearance price guide shows why, and the search above finds house clearance firms near you.

Do not rely on one: regulation 28 of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 excludes transport of goods booked for a specific date. Check the firm's written cancellation terms before confirming.

Remove them first, and get any sale or offset in writing.

Not for your household waste in England and Wales — keep the receipt and carrier number instead. A business clearing its own waste must complete one for each load, and DAERA advises households in Northern Ireland to ask for one.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in removals & storage

How to hire: Junk & Rubbish RemovalHow to hire: Furniture DisposalHow to hire: Garage ClearanceHow to hire: Home RemovalsHow to hire: Furniture StorageHow to hire: Skip HireHow to hire: Appliance DisposalHow to hire: Man with a VanAll 701 hiring guides →

House clearance firms near you

House clearance firms in LondonHouse clearance firms in ManchesterHouse clearance firms in BirminghamHouse clearance firms in GlasgowHouse clearance firms in BelfastAll house 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. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — contracts excluded from the cancellation right
  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