Bereavement clearance in Rathfarnham: a practical guide

A bereavement clearance in Rathfarnham is rarely something you have to do quickly. Start with the papers and keepsakes, check with the solicitor that the contents can be cleared, agree who is taking what, and only then book a crew to empty the rest. The house can wait while you grieve, and a good clearance is one where nothing important leaves by mistake.

This guide is for families clearing the home of a parent or relative in Rathfarnham, often from a distance. It is general, practical guidance, not legal advice. For anything to do with the estate, the solicitor or executor is the person to ask. Our guide to clearing a house after a bereavement covers the first visit more broadly, and our bereavement clearance page explains how we work with families. This guide is about the Rathfarnham house in particular and the practical steps from start to finish.

What kind of house are you probably clearing?

Rathfarnham has two layers of housing. Around the village, Rathfarnham Castle, Loreto Abbey and the older roads near the Dodder there are period houses and early twentieth-century villas. Spreading out from there towards Marlay Park, Ballyroan, Ely’s Arch, Butterfield Avenue and Willbrook are the estates of the 1960s, 70s and 80s: semi-detached and detached family homes with a driveway, a garage, a shed and a decent garden.

Most bereavement clearances here are in that second layer. The original owners bought when the estates were new and stayed for forty or fifty years, and the house is now being cleared by their children. That means every room, the attic, the garage and the shed, with far more in them than the family expected.

It also means a house full of a long life. The practical job is real, but so is the emotional one, and it helps to treat them separately.

There is no deadline in the first weeks

People often feel they have to clear the house immediately. Usually nothing forces that. The pressure comes later, from outside: a sale, a letting, a closing date, a nursing home bill, or simply the cost of heating and insuring an empty house.

In the first weeks, the sensible things are:

• Secure the house. Check the doors and windows and make sure keys are with someone reliable.
• Tell the home insurer. Many policies have conditions about a house left unoccupied for more than a set period, such as regular inspections or the water being turned off. Ring them and get any conditions in writing.
• Talk to the solicitor about what can be touched and when.
• Forward the post, or arrange for a neighbour to collect it.
• Do not make large decisions about the contents until the family has had time together.

If the house is in good order and secure, there is no harm in leaving it for a few weeks, or longer, while you work out what you want to do.

Check before you clear

Before anything leaves the house, check with the solicitor or whoever is administering the estate. Questions to ask:

1. Can the contents be cleared now, or do they need to be left until the estate is sorted?
2. Is there a will or a list of specific gifts, such as a piece of jewellery or furniture left to a named person?
3. Does anything need to be valued first, such as antiques, art, jewellery or a collection?
4. Who has the authority to give instructions to the crew?
5. Is the house to be sold, let or kept, and when?

If you are told to wait, wait. Getting this wrong is far more expensive than a delay. When you do get the go-ahead, ask for it in an email, so you have a record.

The first visit: find, do not clear

Make the first visit one for finding and deciding, not clearing. Take a few hours, a notebook and a box. Do not start filling bags.

Papers. Wills, deeds, bank and building society books, pension papers, insurance policies, passports, certificates, medical and tax records. Look in the sideboard, bureau, wardrobe, under beds, in handbags and between the pages of books. Put everything in a labelled box.

Money and valuables. Jewellery, watches, coins, savings certificates and cash. Tins, coat pockets, shoes, drawer linings and the hot press are common hiding places.

Keys. House, shed, garage, car and meter-box keys, plus any you do not recognise. An unmarked key often belongs to a cash box, a cabinet or a safe.

Photographs and letters. They turn up in wardrobes, in suitcases in the attic and between old books. Box them up and take them home to go through later.

Medication. Take it to a pharmacy for disposal. It should not go into a bag for the van.

Phones, laptops and tablets. Keep them or wipe them, and think about online accounts and photos stored in them.

Anything locked. Open safes and cash boxes yourself, or use a locksmith, rather than letting a locked box leave the house unchecked.

Our preparation checklist covers this in more detail.

Sharing things out between family members

This is often the hardest part, and it is better done before the crew comes than on the day. A few approaches that work:

• Do a walk-round together, in person or on video, with everyone who wants something. Each person names what they would like.
• Photograph everything that is wanted by more than one person and agree a way to decide, such as taking turns choosing.
• Be generous with small things and careful with big ones. Sentimental small items are rarely worth an argument, but furniture and jewellery sometimes are.
• Write it down. A list of who is taking what, agreed by email or message, prevents disagreements later.
• Set a date after which unclaimed things are cleared, and tell everyone.
• Move wanted items into one room and close the door. If something cannot be moved, mark it clearly.

If the family is spread across several countries, a shared album of photographs and a group chat for decisions is very effective. Mark the items “keep” and the items “going” so there is no confusion on the day.

What about valuable items?

Not everything of value is obvious. Before a full clearance, consider whether any of the following should be looked at:

• Antique or period furniture. Older houses can hold pieces worth more than they look.
• Paintings, prints and mirrors.
• Jewellery, watches and silver.
• Collections: coins, stamps, medals, records, books, figurines.
• Musical instruments.

If you think something might be valuable, a local auctioneer or a specialist dealer can advise, and may collect it. Do this before the clearance, because once an item is in the van it is on its way. The solicitor may also want an inventory or valuation for the estate, so ask.

Choosing a date and booking

Once the solicitor has given the go-ahead, the keepsakes are out and valuable items are dealt with, you can book a crew. The practical steps:

1. Send photos of every room, the attic hatch, the garage and the shed, plus the front of the house and the driveway, to 085 202 1222 on WhatsApp, with the Eircode.
2. Tell us what stays and where it is.
3. Tell us about the family’s circumstances if that helps, such as someone living abroad or a closing date.
4. Receive a fixed quote from the photos, with the travel and loading included.
5. Agree a date and who will hold the keys.

We do not use pressure or deadlines. If you need a day or two to decide, say so.

How big will the job be?

A Rathfarnham family house tends to be a full job. Our van load planner gives every item a share of a full box van, where a full van is 100. A 3-seater sofa is 10, an armchair 4, a double bed with mattress 8, a single bed 5, a wardrobe 8, a chest of drawers 3, a table and chairs 7, a fridge-freezer 4, a washing machine 2, a cooker 3, a TV 1, a bookcase 3, and a bag or box 0.5.

A smaller family home with a double bed, a single bed, two wardrobes, two chests of drawers, a 3-seater sofa, two armchairs, a table and chairs, a fridge-freezer, a washing machine, a cooker, a TV, a bookcase, 12 bags and 16 boxes comes to 87. That is the top of the planner’s three-quarters band. Add a garage, a shed or an attic and it is more than a full van.

A living room alone, with a 3-seater, two armchairs, a table and chairs, a TV, a bookcase, a chest of drawers and six bags, comes to 35.

The bands run from under 12 as a small load, through about a quarter, half and three-quarters, to roughly a full van at 88 to 105. Above that, the planner says more than one load. These are rough guides. We always confirm the price from photos, and the planner on our home page can send your list into the quote form.

What the day looks like

The crew arrives at the agreed time and walks the house with you or whoever holds the keys. This takes a few minutes, and it is the moment to point out the keep room and anything you have had second thoughts about.

Then the work goes room by room, usually starting upstairs. Items are carried by hand to the van and sorted there into reuse, recycling and waste. The crew keeps anything that looks personal to one side rather than loading it: a letter, a photograph, a small box. They work quietly and without comment on the contents.

You can stay or go. Some people want to be there for the last walk-through, and others prefer to hand over the keys and come back when it is done. If you do stay, you are welcome to stop the crew at any time.

At the end, the crew sweeps the cleared rooms, checks every cupboard and the attic hatch, and hands back the keys. A sweep is not a clean. If the house needs cleaning before sale, that is a separate job for a cleaning company.

Where the contents go

Furniture and household goods that still have a life in them are set aside for reuse or donation. Metal, cardboard and timber are separated for recycling, electricals go through the WEEE scheme, and the rest goes to a licensed waste transfer station under our waste collection permit, NWCPO-25-13287-01. Our guide to what happens to items after a house clearance follows a van load from the door to its destination.

For many families it matters that a mother’s good sideboard or a father’s tools go on to someone who will use them. We recycle, donate or reuse as much as we can.

If you live abroad or far away

Many families arranging a Rathfarnham clearance live elsewhere. It can be done without being there.

• Photos and video of every room, taken by a relative or neighbour, are enough for a quote.
• A key holder can be a neighbour, a relative, an estate agent or the solicitor.
• Photos on the day can be sent as rooms are emptied.
• A final video walk-through at the end confirms the house is empty.
• Payment and confirmation are arranged by phone or message.

Clothes and personal belongings

Clothes are often the hardest thing to part with, and there is no rule about how to do it. Some families keep a few favourite items, such as a coat, a scarf or a jumper, and let the rest go. Others ask a relative or friend to help. A few options:

• Keep a small number of pieces that mean something, rather than a wardrobe-full.
• Donate clothes in good condition to a charity shop. We set clothes and books in good condition aside for donation where possible, but if you want a particular charity to have them, take them yourself before the day.
• Check pockets before anything goes: coats and jackets are where tickets, notes, keys and small items turn up.
• Handbags, wallets and purses are worth emptying carefully, as cards, receipts and cash are often inside.
• Shoes and bags go with the clothes.
• Toiletries and personal care items can simply go with the general waste.

If you cannot face the wardrobes, say so. We can leave them for last, or for a second visit, or you can ask a friend to do the first pass.

Room by room in a Rathfarnham family house

A short checklist for each part of a typical estate house helps you avoid missing anything.

Main bedroom. Bedside drawers, wardrobe tops, handbags, jewellery boxes, shoeboxes at the back of the wardrobe, under the bed, behind the headboard.

Other bedrooms. Often used as stores. Look in the wardrobes, under the beds and in the built-in cupboards. Old schoolbooks, toys and trophies may be wanted by siblings.

Living room. The sideboard, the bureau, the cabinet, the shelves behind the glass, photographs on the walls and the mantelpiece. Check inside the books for papers.

Kitchen. Drawers, cupboards over the fridge, the tin where the spare keys live. Food in the fridge and freezer should be cleared out before the day, and the fridge defrosted.

Hot press and landing. Towels, bedding and, in older houses, shelves above the tank that hold papers and shoeboxes of photographs.

Hall and under the stairs. Coats, umbrellas, the vacuum cleaner and, often, the electric meter and a store of old paperwork.

Attic. Boxes, suitcases, decorations, children’s things and documents. Ask a relative to look before the crew does.

Garage. Tools, bikes, boxes, timber, paint and chemicals. Anything unusual is worth a photo and a question first.

Shed and garden. Mower, hoses, garden furniture, plant pots. Nothing here usually needs deciding, but a father’s tools or a mother’s garden furniture may matter to someone.

The attic, garage and shed

In Rathfarnham’s estates these three spaces often hold as much as the house itself. They are also the part of the job that can be done first, because nobody has strong feelings about a garden hose. If the family is not ready to deal with the house, it can make sense to clear the outbuildings and attic first, which creates space and shows what is left. Our garage clearance guide and attic clearance guide explain what turns up in each and what cannot go in the van.

Paint, chemicals, gas bottles and asbestos are not carried, so ask us about anything unusual before the day.

A simple timeline

This is a guide, not a rule, and it can be shortened if a date forces it.

First weeks. Secure the house, tell the insurer, speak to the solicitor, forward the post.

Weeks two to four. First visit to find papers and valuables. Family walk-round to agree who takes what. Take medication to a pharmacy.

When the solicitor says the contents can be cleared. Ask for a valuation of anything that might be worth it. Send photos for a quote and agree a date.

The week before. Move keep items into one room. Take final photographs. Arrange who holds the keys.

The day. Walk the house with the crew. Hand over the keys. Take meter readings.

Afterwards. Collect the keys, walk through the empty house, arrange cleaning if needed and pass the property to the agent or buyer.

Rathfarnham logistics

Access is the easy part of Rathfarnham. Estate houses have driveways, so the van parks off the road and we load from the garage door or the front step. The roads around Ballyroan, Butterfield and Willbrook are wide and a box van turns without difficulty.

The village is tighter. The older roads near the castle and Loreto Abbey have on-street parking and narrower frontages, and we may park on the road with hazards on and carry a bit further. Marlay Park brings weekend traffic to Grange Road and the surrounding roads, so Saturday jobs start early. Rathfarnham sits a few minutes from the M50, so a second load is straightforward.

Looking after yourself

A few honest things, because this is not only a logistics problem.

• Do it in short sessions. A few hours at a time is more sustainable than a long day.
• Bring someone. Sorting alone is harder than sorting with a sibling, a friend or a neighbour.
• Expect surprises. Finding a letter or a photograph can stop you for an hour, and that is fine.
• You do not have to keep everything. Photographs of items can hold memories as well as the items themselves.
• You can stop and ask for help. A call to a crew to talk through the options costs nothing.

What happens after the clearance

When the house is empty, a few things remain: meter readings, keys, cleaning if needed, and handing over to the estate agent or buyer. Take the meter readings on the day, collect all the keys including shed and meter-box keys, and decide whether the property needs cleaning before it is shown.

What customers say

This is a review from a real customer, quoted exactly as it was written.

Junk Removal could not have been more helpful during what was a challenging period, simplifying the task of clearing my late father’s flat to the fullest extent. Junk Removal comes highly recommended by us.

Anne, Sandymount

Frequently asked questions

How soon after a death can the house be cleared?

That depends on the estate rather than on us. Check with the solicitor first. If the contents can be cleared, there is no minimum waiting period from our side, and many families wait weeks or months.

Do I have to be in Rathfarnham on the day?

No. Keys can be held by a neighbour, a relative, an agent or the solicitor, and we send photos as rooms are emptied. Many families arrange everything by phone and WhatsApp.

What if a sibling wants something after we have booked?

Tell us as soon as you know. Items in the keep room are not touched, and we can pull something back if it has not left the house.

Will the crew keep personal items to one side?

Yes. Anything that looks personal, such as letters, photographs or small boxes, is put aside rather than loaded. Even so, take papers and keepsakes out yourself first, because the crew cannot know what matters to you.

How long does a bereavement clearance take?

It depends on the load. A smaller family home can be a day, while a full house with a garage, attic and shed can need a second load. We say what we expect when we quote.

What should we do about medication?

Take it to a pharmacy for disposal. Sharps and clinical items are not carried, so ask the pharmacy or a healthcare provider how to dispose of them.

What should I do while I wait for the solicitor’s go-ahead?

Use the time for the gentle jobs: find the papers, agree who wants what, and arrange valuations. Nothing needs to leave the house yet, and photographing each room now makes the later quote quicker.

What if the house is very full or hard to move around in?

Tell us honestly when you send photos. A heavily cluttered house is cleared without judgement, and our hoarder clearance page explains the approach.

Is the price fixed?

The quote is fixed from your photos. Send extra photos as soon as you find more, and we update it before the day.

Do you offer cleaning after the clearance?

No. We clear and sweep. If the house needs cleaning before it is sold or let, book a cleaning company for after we finish.

Can I just ask questions without booking?

Yes. You can send a few photos and ask what is possible without committing to anything, and we go at your pace.

Next step

Send photos to 085 202 1222 on WhatsApp, or request a free quote online. Our bereavement clearance page explains how we work with families, and the house clearance page covers the general process.