Cleaning & clearance
End of tenancy clearance in London, so the flat can actually be cleaned
End of tenancy clearance is the job that has to happen before the cleaning, and it is the one people leave until the last afternoon. A flat with a sofa nobody wants and half a kitchen still in it cannot be cleaned, and it cannot pass a check-out.
Best for
What the tenancy left behind
You get
A waste transfer note
We cover
Every London postcode
What it costs
What end of tenancy clearance actually costs in London
Clearance is priced on volume and on how hard it is to get out of the building. Disposal costs are charged by weight at the tip, so what the load is made of matters as much as how much of it there is.
How much there is
Measured in van loads rather than items. Send photographs of each room, including the cupboards, and the estimate will be close rather than hopeful.
What it is made of
Disposal is charged by weight and by type. A van of light furniture and a van of flooring and tiles are the same space and very different money.
The floor, and the lift
Everything leaves by hand. A third-floor walk-up multiplies the labour on a clearance more than on almost any other job.
How far the van sits from the door
Repeated on every armful, in both directions, for the whole job. It is the single biggest hidden cost in clearance work.
Whether anything needs special handling
Fridges and freezers, mattresses, paint and electricals all have their own disposal routes and their own charges. They cannot simply go in with the rest.
Whether anything is worth keeping
Usable furniture can often be donated rather than tipped, which is cheaper and better. It needs deciding before the van is loaded, not at the tip.
So what would yours cost?
Ten minutes on a video call and you will have it in writing. No obligation, and no number invented over the phone.
Before the day
Ask for the transfer note, from us or from anybody else
When you hand your waste to somebody else, the responsibility for where it ends up does not simply transfer with the van. A householder is entitled to ask who is taking it and to see that they are registered to do so, and it is worth doing — fly-tipped waste is routinely traced back to the address it came from.
You get a waste transfer note recording what was taken and where it went. Keep it. If your things turn up in a lay-by in Essex, that piece of paper is the difference between an awkward conversation and a fixed penalty.
The cheapest quote on a clearance job is very often the one where nobody is paying tip fees, and tip fees are most of the cost. It is worth thinking about what that implies.
On the day
How a clearance runs
Three things that happen on every job, before and after the lifting.
- 01
Photographs, then a fixed price
Room by room including the cupboards, the balcony and anything in a communal store. The price is agreed in writing before anybody arrives.
- 02
Sorted as it comes out
Anything reusable separated for donation, anything with its own disposal route kept apart. It is sorted at the property rather than tipped as one mixed load.
- 03
Swept, and the paperwork sent
The property left brush-clean and ready for the cleaners, and the waste transfer note emailed to you the same day.
The quote
What the price covers, and what it does not
Both lists go on the written quote, so there is nothing to discover afterwards.
Included
- A fixed price agreed in writing from photographs, before anybody arrives
- All labour, loading and disposal, with reusable items separated for donation
- The property left brush-clean and ready for the cleaners
- A waste transfer note recording what was taken and where it went
Not included
- Cleaning — that is end of tenancy cleaning, and it happens after this
- Anything hazardous: asbestos, chemicals, clinical waste or gas cylinders
- Items that are not yours to dispose of, including the landlord's fixtures
- Dismantling built-in fittings or anything screwed to the structure
From our Google profile
What people said about their move
Left on our Google profile. Every card links back to it, so you can read the rest — including any we would rather you did not.
Good experience with Metro City Moves. 4 bedroom house seemed bit difficult to move from London to Liverpool, but they planned well and successfully executed. Thank you.
Saqib AwanRead on Google, opens in a new tab
Before you book
Questions people actually ask
How do I know the waste is handled properly?
Ask for the carrier's Environment Agency registration number before anybody loads a van, and check it on the public register. Ask us, ask anyone quoting against us, and keep the transfer note you are given afterwards.
What is a waste transfer note?
A record of what was taken, by whom and where it went. You get one on every job. It is what protects you if the waste is later found somewhere it should not be.
Can you take the fridge?
Yes, but tell us in advance. Fridges and freezers have their own disposal route and their own charge, and they cannot go in with general waste.
Can you do it the same day as the move?
Usually, if we know beforehand. It is a different vehicle and a different licence from the removal itself, so it is quoted as its own job even when it happens on the same afternoon.
What happens to things that are still usable?
They are separated as they come out and go for donation where a charity will take them. It is cheaper than tipping and it is the right answer, but it has to be decided at the property rather than afterwards.
Do you clear the loft and the shed?
Yes. Say so when you send the photographs, because both are routinely left off enquiries and both are routinely full.
Related reading
The things that catch people out
Parking, vans and packing — the rules read from the source, dated when checked.
- Guide
London parking suspensions for moving house: what every borough charges
The same one-day parking suspension costs £66.66 in Camden and £360 in Haringey. Fees, notice periods and removals concessions for six boroughs, compared.
Read it - Guide
Parking suspension vs dispensation: which one a house move needs
A suspension reserves the parking bay; a dispensation only stops the ticket. That difference decides what a house move needs, and what each borough charges.
Read it - Guide
Red route dispensations: moving house where the council cannot help
TfL sells no parking suspensions on red routes at any price. A dispensation costs £48 a day, needs 6 working days, and red lines take no late applications.
Read it - Guide
ULEZ, removals vans and the Congestion Charge on moving day
ULEZ charges a non-compliant removals van £12.50 a day, everywhere in London, and the Congestion Charge is £18 in the centre. What applies on moving day.
Read it
Get it priced properly
A survey first, then the number in writing. Answered at any hour.