Moving tips
House clearance cost in the UK (2026): prices by property size
Clearance is priced on what has to go and how hard it is to get to the van, which is why two three-bedroom houses can be quoted £400 apart. Here is what house clearance costs in 2026, and what moves the number.
The short answer
| Property | Typical cost (2026) | What that usually covers |
|---|---|---|
| Studio / 1 bedroom | £180–£265 | A small flat's contents, half a day, one van |
| 2 bedrooms | £260–£385 | A full van, a small crew, most of a day |
| 3 bedrooms | £375–£550 | A full day for a crew of two or three |
| 4 bedrooms | £525–£770 | A full day and often a second van |
| 5+ bedrooms | £670–£985 | Multiple loads; sometimes two days |
| Hoarded, or a large probate estate | £800–£2,500 | Multi-day, multi-crew, sorting as well as clearing |
The bedroom rows come from the same estimator our quote form uses, at a UK average; London and the South East sit roughly a fifth above them. Bedrooms are a proxy for volume, which is what firms actually price. A three-bedroom house that has been half-emptied by the family will come in below its row; one with a loft, a garage and a shed all full will come in above it.
What moves the price
- Volume. The number of van loads is the price. Everything else adjusts it.
- Access. Stairs without a lift, a long carry to where the van can park, or everything coming out through the house rather than a side door — all crew time, all charged.
- Weight. Soil, rubble, broken patio and hardcore go to different tips at different rates. A garage full of paving slabs can cost more than a lounge full of furniture.
- Hazardous waste. Asbestos-cement sheds and garage roofs, paint, chemicals and fridges need a specialist disposal route. Say so when you describe the job.
- Resale value. Where there is furniture, tools or antiques worth having, some firms will offset the bill. Agree it before the day, not after.
- Timing. A clearance that has to happen this week costs more than one that can happen when a firm has a gap.
What is included — and the paperwork that should be
A house clearance takes furniture, white goods, carpets, soft furnishings, the contents of lofts and garages, garden waste and sheds — almost anything you point at. The firm loads, transports and disposes; it does not deep-clean unless you have paid for that too. Two documents should come with the job: the firm's waste carrier licence number, which you can check on the Environment Agency, SEPA or Natural Resources Wales register, and a waste transfer note afterwards recording what was taken and where it went. Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 you carry a duty of care for your own waste; the licence and the note are what pass it to the firm.
Garden clearance cost
Garden clearance is priced the same way — volume, weight, access — and tends to be cheaper than a house: roughly £100–£145 for a small garden or single shed, £205–£305 for an average garden with some overgrowth and decking, and £370–£540 for a large or badly overgrown one with rubble or soil. Green waste is the cheap part; soil and broken patio are the expensive part.
Garden clearance, in full — what it covers, what it is not, and the firms near youProbate clearance
Clearing a relative's home is the same job with a different pace. Do not clear before the estate has been valued — HMRC needs date-of-death values for the contents — and use a firm that sorts rather than skips, sets documents and valuables aside, and receipts donations. Expect the price to sit at the top of the property's row, or above it for a large or long-occupied home.
Probate house clearance: a sensitive guide — what to do first, and what not to throw awayHow to pay less
- Sell or give away the good pieces first. Some charities will collect furniture in reusable condition for free, and every item that goes that way is one the firm is not charging to move.
- Use the council for a handful of bulky items. Most councils run a bulky-waste collection for a small fee per item — slower than a firm, cheaper for three things, not for thirty.
- Be honest about volume and access when you describe the job. A quote given on an accurate description holds; one given on a rosy one gets revised on the day.
- Ask about resale offsets before you accept a price, and get any offset in writing.
- Compare quotes on the same brief. Clearance firms price the same house differently, and the spread is often more than £100.
- Give a flexible date if you can. A firm filling a gap will price it as a gap.
Questions people ask
How much does it cost to clear a 3-bedroom house?
Typically £375–£550 in 2026 for a three-bedroom house at a UK average, a full day for a small crew. A house with a full loft, garage and shed, or one in London, will come in above that; a family that has already taken what they want will come in below it.
Will a clearance firm take everything?
Almost everything — furniture, appliances, carpets, garden waste, sheds, the lot. Hazardous items such as asbestos, paint and chemicals need a specialist route and cost extra, so mention them when you describe the job.
Can house clearance be free?
Occasionally, where the contents are worth more than the cost of clearing them — a house full of good furniture or antiques. Some firms will offset resale value against the bill, and a few will clear for nothing in that case. Most homes do not qualify; ask, but do not plan on it.
How long does a house clearance take?
A flat in half a day, an average house in a day, a large or hoarded property in two or more. Firms quote the crew and the days as part of the price, so the timing comes with the quote.
How much does garden clearance cost?
Roughly £100–£145 for a small garden or a shed, £205–£305 for an average garden, and £370–£540 for a large or badly overgrown one. Soil, rubble and broken patio are priced by weight and are the part that pushes it up.
Does the price include the waste transfer note?
It should — it is a legal document the firm produces as part of the job, not an extra. If a firm cannot give you a waste carrier licence number and a transfer note, it is not a firm to use, however cheap.
Ready to move?
