This guide is general information, not legal advice. Your solicitor or probate adviser can tell you what applies to your situation.
1. Before anything is removed
- Confirm who the executor is. If there is no will, the administrator of the estate has the same role.
- Check the will for specific gifts, such as jewellery or furniture left to a named person.
- Ask your solicitor whether any items need valuing for probate before they leave the house.
- Agree as a family who will make decisions, so items aren’t removed without everyone knowing.
2. Secure the property
- Collect all sets of keys and know who holds them.
- Tell the home insurer that the property is empty. Many policies change after a set number of days.
- Keep heating on low in winter to stop pipes freezing, or have the water drained.
- Remove valuables and important papers early if the house will be empty.
3. Search for documents and valuables
Important papers turn up in surprising places: inside books, in coat pockets, under drawer liners and in loft boxes. Look for:
- Bank and building society statements, share certificates and premium bonds
- Pension, insurance and investment documents
- Property deeds, the will and any letters of wishes
- Passports, birth and marriage certificates
- Jewellery, watches, cash and collections
- Photos, letters and family keepsakes
When we clear a probate property, our team sets aside paperwork, photos and personal items for the family as we go.
4. Decide what to keep, share and sell
Go room by room and use three labels: keep, share with family, and let go. Give people a deadline to collect what they want. For anything that might be valuable, such as antiques, art, jewellery or collections, get a specialist valuation before it is sold or cleared.
Good furniture and household items can go to charity. Our guide to getting rid of old furniture in Kent covers the options.
5. Utilities, post and insurance
- Take meter readings and tell the energy and water suppliers.
- Tell the council for Council Tax. Empty properties during probate may get an exemption.
- Cancel or redirect the post, and cancel subscriptions and deliveries.
- Keep the phone or broadband running only if it is needed, for example for an alarm.
6. Booking the clearance
Once the executor is happy, book a clearance. A good probate clearance firm will:
- Work at the family’s pace, including clearing in stages.
- Set aside documents, photos and personal items.
- Reuse and donate what it can before anything is recycled or disposed of.
- Provide waste paperwork for the estate’s records.
- Work with your solicitor or estate agent on keys and timings.
Read more about our probate house clearance service, or see local pages for Maidstone, Canterbury and Tunbridge Wells. For an idea of costs, see our house clearance price guide.
Looking after yourself
There’s no right speed for this. Some families clear a home within weeks, others need months. If going through belongings is too much, it’s fine to keep the most personal rooms for last, or to ask a clearance team to box up papers and photos for you to sort at home later. Ask for help from friends, and take breaks.
7. After the clearance
- Walk round the empty property and check every cupboard, the loft and any outbuildings.
- Take dated photos for the estate’s records.
- Arrange cleaning, repairs or decorating if the house is being sold or let.
- Keep the waste paperwork with the other estate documents.
Related guides: who pays for probate clearance, how to clear a deceased parent’s house and clearing a relative’s home when moving into care.