Choosing a clearance company: eleven warning signs

There are no barriers to entering the clearance trade. No professional certificate, training or permit is required. Anyone with a vehicle and a website can start tomorrow.

This explains why customers have such different experiences. It is therefore worth spending twenty minutes on checks before commissioning a company.

The risk is particularly high with estate clearances: clients are under strain and often pressed for time. Nobody knows the contents of the home well enough to check afterwards what is missing.

The eleven warning signs

1. A price by phone without an inspection

Nobody on the phone can see what is in the flat, cellar and loft. A provider who nevertheless quotes a price is either giving a low initial price that will rise later or adding such a high contingency that you pay too much.

Even “approximately” does not help if nobody has visited the cellar. Ask for an inspection before discussing money.

2. Free clearance in return for contents, without a valuation

“We will clear it for free and simply take everything with us.” This may be a fair arrangement. It may also mean that you give away a watch collection.

Without an inspection and valuation, nobody knows which applies, including the provider. Anyone who still makes such a promise is speculating at your expense.

3. Unclear payment terms

Before making a payment, the services, price, any allowance for valuable items and the payment date should be agreed in writing. Also check whom you are paying and what terms apply if you cancel. If information is unclear or you are pressured to pay without a written agreement, ask for clarification first.

4. No clear company identity

Check the legal notice for the full company name, address (not a PO box or a registered office at a fiduciary firm), UID number and commercial register entry. You can check the UID in the public federal UID register in one minute.

If the UID is missing or the company name does not match the register entry, stop the process.

5. No question about what is excluded

Anyone allowing for or purchasing household contents must know before quoting what will not be taken: the box of photographs, the mother’s ring and the tools that the son will collect.

If the company does not ask about this during the inspection, it will do so on clearance day, when the vehicle is already outside. Mention the exclusions yourself and check that they appear in the quotation.

6. No answer about disposal

Ask: “Do you separate items in the flat? What happens to paint, solvents, used oil and electrical appliances?” A company that works properly will answer in one sentence. A provider that avoids the question is probably putting everything into the same skip. In the worst case, the trail may lead back to you as the client.

7. None of it is in writing

What is discussed at the kitchen table can no longer be verified on clearance day. Ask for the quotation on paper or as a file. Check that it contains what was agreed: which rooms will be cleared, what is excluded, the date, who will return the key and, if agreed, the allowance for valuable items shown as a separate amount.

8. Pressure

Typical phrases include “The price is only valid today”, “We have no appointments left next week” or “You must sign now”. Clearance dates can be planned. A fair price will still be fair the day after tomorrow.

Estate clearances often involve time pressure because of the date for handing back the property. A provider that adds further pressure has no objective reason for doing so.

9. Additional charges on clearance day

The typical sequence is that the quoted price was low. On clearance day, the company says there is “more than discussed”, and the bill increases. You are under time pressure and agree.

Only a fixed price in the written quotation can protect against this, with an explicit statement of the conditions under which it may change. For us, there are exactly two: if you add rooms later or if special waste that was not previously visible comes to light.

10. Changing temporary workers instead of a permanent team

Ask who will come. During an estate clearance, strangers spend hours in a relative’s home and have access to everything. A permanent team that knows the company and takes responsibility is different from a crew hired for the day.

Also ask whether the employees are officially registered and insured. In some circumstances, you may share liability if undeclared work takes place at your property.

11. No references for estate clearances

An estate clearance differs from a move or a general clear-out. It involves reviewing documents, dealing with communities of heirs (Erbengemeinschaften), discretion and handling items that are found. Ask about experience with executors and property management companies.

The questions a good company will ask you

You can also assess quality by the questions asked during the inspection:

• What is the situation among the heirs? Has the deadline for disclaiming the inheritance (Ausschlagungsfrist) expired? Is there an executor? Do all the heirs agree?
• By when must the property be handed back? The clearance date is calculated backwards from this date.
• Which rooms, items and categories are excluded?
• Is there any indication of valuables or cash, and have you already searched the property for documents?
• How should we deal with personal papers and photographs?
• Who should receive the key, and who will be available on the agreed date?
• Are there neighbours or circumstances that we should take into consideration?

A company that does not ask these questions either has little experience with estates or no interest in handling them properly.

What you can check yourself in five minutes

1. Check the UID in the federal register. Does the company exist? When was it established? Does its stated purpose match?
2. Check the commercial register extract. Who has signing authority? Have there been any recent changes of name?
3. Check the legal notice for a full address, telephone number and legal form.
4. Read a selection of reviews. The wording tells you more than the rating. Look for clusters of similarly worded reviews posted within a short period.
5. Call and ask a detailed question, such as one about the disposal of special waste. The quality of the answer tells you more than any website.

Two quotations are enough

Three quotations rarely provide any new insight and take time, which may be limited while a notice period is running. Two quotations from providers who have visited the property will show you the likely price range.

If one quotation is considerably cheaper than the other, ask what is missing from it. In the great majority of cases, that explains the difference in price.