House Clearance is usually the result of 1 of 3 things happening. A loved one dying and you having to clear their home, a loved one moving to a secure residence or you moving home and needing someone to clear the items you have decided not to take with you.
All of these carry high levels of stress and any one of these can be fraught with unhappiness, particularly if you choose the wrong house clearance company and there are many to choose from! For example, you could be liable to a £5000 fine if rubbish is fly tipped and traced back to you and councils have developed new ways of tracing rubbish and will prosecute in the majority of cases.
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So how do you find a reputable, insured, environment agency registered and responsible house clearance company in Birmingham? Fortunately there are ways to make this easily achievable and here are some tips to help you make the right choice when picking a house clearance company.
1. Use a search engine i.e. Google and go visit some web pages from a short list of say 4 of 5 companies.
2. Look for testimonial pages or customer reviews/forums where you can verify good service levels.
3. Speak to the best Birmingham house clearance company and arrange for them to visit you FREE of charge to discuss your requirements. If they refuse to visit free and just want to quote you over the phone, move on to the next one.
4. Ask to see some written testimonials when they visit you and phone some clients.
5. Ensure they have third party liability insurance in place AND have a waste carriers licence issued by the environment agency.
The latter is vital to ensure that you avoid fly tipping fines from disreputable clearance companies who dump your rubbish and don’t care if its traced back to you.
Insurance is vital if you need to claim from them should they accidentally smash a window or put a foot through your unboarded loft.
6. Look at their house clearance vehicle and the way they dress. If they have a scruffy old van and don’t look too tidy themselves its fair to say that their service will also fall short of your expectations. Tidy truck and tidy staff usually equal a tidy and efficient clearance.
7. Ensure you get a fixed and firm quote in writing e.g. email and at least 2 alternative quotes to compare it with. Don’t accept verbal quotes as these have a habit of increasing once they start the work. “Sorry madam, didn’t realise there was quite so much so it will cost more” is a common tale.
8. Don’t pay until the end and if they insist on payment give them 25% or so as a gesture of good faith.
9. If you think you have special items that could be worth something go and get them valued. Don’t rely on the honesty of any Birmingham house clearance company to tell you that vase in the loft full of string and spiders is a ming dynasty treasure. They won’t!
10. Finally, before they leave check that they only take what you have designated for house clearance. Once they’ve departed its too late to get items back. Pay particular attention to external items, e.g garden ornaments, pots/shrubs etc.
Remember that anyone with a van and a strong back can call themselves House Clearance professionals and a good website isn’t a guarantee of good service or fair play. Approach your Birmingham house clearance with caution and armed with these tips, you should have a successful outcome.