Cleaning & clearance
House clearance in London, done at the pace it deserves
A house clearance is rarely just a job. Most of the ones we do follow a death or a move into care, and the family is doing it in a fortnight around everything else. So the clearance is the easy part to get right, and the part worth getting right.
Best for
Probate, care moves, full houses
You get
A waste transfer note
We cover
Every London postcode
What it costs
What house clearance actually costs in London
Volume and disposal weight do most of it, and access does the rest. A fixed price from photographs is normal on this kind of work, and you should not accept a day rate for something nobody has looked at.
How much is in the house
Including the loft, the garage, the shed and the garden. A house lived in for forty years is a different job from a rented flat, and photographs are the only honest way to price it.
What the load is made of
Tipping is charged by weight. Books, paperwork, garden waste and old flooring are the heavy things people never think of when they picture a van load.
Stairs, and how many
Everything comes down by hand. A three-storey terrace with a loft conversion has a lot of vertical distance in it.
Where the van can stand
A driveway is straightforward. A permit street with the nearest legal space three doors down adds hours across a full house.
What has to be handled separately
Fridges, freezers, mattresses, paint, electricals and anything with a battery all have their own routes and charges.
How much is being kept
Keeping things is normal and it changes the job. Tell us what is staying and we will work round it rather than asking on the day.
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
Nothing goes in the van before somebody has looked at it
The thing families worry about is a photograph, a letter or a piece of jewellery leaving in a skip because a crew was working quickly. It is a reasonable worry and it is the part of the job that needs slowing down.
Paperwork, photographs, jewellery and anything that looks personal is set aside in one place rather than cleared. Drawers and pockets get checked. If we are not sure, it goes in the keep pile and you decide — it costs a few minutes and it cannot be undone the other way round.
If it helps, we can clear one room at a time across more than one visit so somebody can go through things at their own speed. Nobody should be sorting a parent's house against a van waiting outside.
On the day
How a house clearance runs
Three things that happen on every job, before and after the lifting.
- 01
Photographs, then a fixed price
Every room, plus the loft, garage, shed and garden. You get one number in writing, not a day rate that grows.
- 02
Sorted into keep, donate and dispose
Personal items and paperwork set aside, usable furniture separated for charity, and only the rest tipped. Done at the house, with you or with photographs sent as we go.
- 03
Swept, and the paperwork sent
The house left brush-clean, and the waste transfer note emailed the same day for the estate's records.
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 in writing from photographs, before anybody arrives
- Personal items, paperwork and photographs set aside rather than cleared
- Usable furniture separated for charity donation where a charity will take it
- The property left brush-clean throughout
- A waste transfer note recording what was taken and where it went
Not included
- Valuation or sale of anything — we will point out what looks worth a valuer, not price it
- Anything hazardous: asbestos, chemicals, clinical waste or gas cylinders
- Removing fitted kitchens, bathrooms or anything structural
- Cleaning beyond brush-clean, which is a separate job
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 you make sure nothing important is thrown away?
Paperwork, photographs, jewellery and anything personal is set aside in one place rather than cleared, drawers and pockets get checked, and anything we are unsure about goes in the keep pile for you to decide on.
Can we do it a room at a time?
Yes, and for a family home it is usually the better way. Nobody should be going through a parent's belongings with a van waiting outside.
What if something turns out to be valuable?
We will tell you and set it aside. We do not buy anything out of a clearance and we do not offset the price against what is in the house — those arrangements are how families end up losing things worth more than the job.
How do I know the waste is handled properly?
Ask for the Environment Agency registration number and check it on the public register — of us and of anybody quoting against us. Clearance waste is traced back to the property it came from, so it is the household that carries the risk.
Can you clear a hoarded property?
Tell us honestly what the condition is and send photographs. It is a longer job with different equipment, and it is far better priced properly at the start than discovered on the morning.
How much notice do you need?
For a full house, as much as you can give. For an estate agent's deadline or a completion date, tell us the date first and we will tell you straight away whether it is realistic.
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.