Please be advised that the Anti Fly-Tipping Association offers a more comprehensive analysis guide on the cost of house clearance which you can find on their website. How Much Does House Clearance Cost? – Anti Fly-Tipping Association
If you’re planning on hiring a company for house clearance, you may be wondering about the prices for such a service. The cost of house clearance in the UK can vary, depending on several factors such as the type of service you require, the amount of waste that needs to be disposed of, and the duration of the clearance.
House Clearance Prices - Intro
It’s essential to hire a legitimate and licensed house clearance company to avoid legal problems and ensure that the waste is disposed of responsibly. While unlicensed or “cowboy” companies may offer cheaper prices, it’s important to consider the expenses that legitimate companies incur to provide a high-quality, legitimate service. We will go over house clearance prices incurred by a legitimate company and why using a reputable company will, for good reason, cost more money than using a unlicensed company, and the dangers of using a company that gives you a “too good to be true” price.
Expenses Of A Legitimate House Clearance
So, how much can you expect to pay for a legitimate house clearance service in the UK? Let’s take a closer look at the main expenses associated with such a service.
House Clearance Prices: Recycling Waste Legally
Disposing of waste legally is a crucial part of any house clearance service. Legitimate house clearance companies must comply with strict regulations, which means they need to take waste to authorized recycling centers. This process is the most costly expense of a legit house clearance company as recycling centers typically charge around £200-£300 +vat per van load.
House Clearance Prices: Staff Wages
Paying the correct wage to the house clearance staff is another significant expense for legitimate house clearance companies. The average wage for a house clearance team in the UK is around £215 per day (based on a team of three staff members).
House Clearance Prices: Vehicle Costs
House clearance companies use large vans to transport waste and other items from the property to recycling centers, landfills, or charity organizations. These vehicles require regular maintenance and fuel, and the company has to pay road tax to use them legally. On average, house clearance vehicle costs typically add up to around £100 per day, but can be more or slightly less, depending on the distances involved.
House Clearance Prices: General Business Costs
Finally, legitimate house clearance companies incur general costs associated with running a business, including licenses, website fees, office rent, and insurance costs. These expenses add up to around £90 per day.
On Average How Much Does House Clearance Cost
All of these expenses can add up to around £600 per day for a legitimate house clearance company to do the job properly and legally and that is based off of 1-2 van loads. This explains why the prices for using a fully licensed and reputable company are higher than those of unlicensed companies. So you should expected to be quoted around about this number, some times a bit less or a bit more depending on the actual property in question. A typical quote for a fully licensed professional house clearance company to clear a property will range from £450 – £650 for the first van load then half price for any additional van loads, if required.
*IMPORTANT NOTICE* If a company quotes you a price that seems “too good to be true” then 99% of times that is the case and they are most likely unlicensed or disposing of the waste illegally. It’s extremely important to keep this in mind because if you use a company who fly-tips the waste, it can be traced back to you and you will get the same, or in some cases a worse penalty than the fly-tipping company that you hired.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it’s essential to choose a reputable and licensed house clearance company to ensure that the waste is disposed of legally and responsibly. While legitimate companies may charge more, it’s important to consider the expenses they incur to provide a high-quality service. If you’re planning a house clearance, be sure to choose a company that can provide you with a fair and transparent quote for their services, and remember to air on the side of caution if your offered a low price as it most likely indicates that the company is not legitimate.
As well as being fully licensed with the UK environment Agency, we have also joined forces with AFTA – The Anti Fly-Tipping Association of the UK to do our part in putting an end to companies that feel it is ok to illegally fly-tip their waste.
