House Clearance Costs & Prices In London
People searching for house clearance costs, house clearance prices or house clearance charges usually want one thing: a realistic idea of what they will pay before they invite a team to the property.
There is no honest single price for every house clearance. A few bags and one wardrobe are not the same job as a full probate property, a furnished flat with no lift or a hoarded house requiring several loads. The most useful way to understand the price is to separate the job into volume, labour, access, loading time and specialist disposal items.
| Load guide | Current price | Typical use | Included labour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum load | £120 + VAT | Small partial clearance, a few bags or individual household items. | 1 hour |
| Quarter load | £180 + VAT | Small room, light furniture or a modest partial clearance. | 2 hours |
| Half load | £270 + VAT | Several rooms or a larger mix of household contents. | 2 hours |
| ¾ load | £380 + VAT | Large partial property clearance. | 3 hours |
| Full cage-van load | £450 + VAT | Up to roughly 13–18 cubic yards of suitable mixed household waste, subject to weight and access. | 4 hours |
Where the customer wants to sell antiques, collectables or other valuable contents, London Waste Van can assess selected items for purchase or an agreed cost offset. Values are never assumed automatically: they must be assessed and agreed before the clearance.
Antiques & Valuable Contents
If a weekend clearance also starts after 5pm, both £200 + VAT surcharges apply. Parking permits/visitor authorisations must be arranged where required. Parking tickets or PCNs incurred at the required parking position are recharged to the customer under the booking terms.
| Rule | Charge / allowance |
|---|---|
| Minimum load labour | Up to 1 hour included |
| Quarter load labour | Up to 2 hours included |
| Half load labour | Up to 2 hours included |
| ¾ load labour | Up to 3 hours included |
| Full load labour | Up to 4 hours included |
| Additional labourer where required | £150 + VAT |
| Flat without lift, half-load to full-load+ | Two people required; £150 + VAT additional labourer |
| Loft clearance | Two people required |
| Two-person time beyond 4 hours | £100 + VAT per additional hour |
| Saturday / Sunday clearance | + £200 + VAT |
| Clearance starting after 5pm | + £200 + VAT |
Confirmed Labour & Timing Charges
What Changes The Cost Of A House Clearance?
1. How much is actually being removed
Volume is usually the biggest price driver. A customer may describe a job as a “three-bedroom house clearance”, but one three-bedroom house can be almost empty while another has furniture, loft contents, garage items, garden waste and years of stored possessions. This is why room count alone is a poor way to quote.
2. Stairs, lifts and loading distance
A ground-floor property with parking by the door can be cleared much faster than a fourth-floor flat with no lift. Long hallways, basement stairs, loft access and a van parked a long distance from the entrance all increase loading time.
3. Furniture that needs dismantling
Large wardrobes, bed frames, shelving and bulky furniture may need to be dismantled before they can be safely removed. Tell us in advance if large items cannot fit through doors or stairwells.
4. Sofas, mattresses, fridges and specialist items
Some items need separate disposal or treatment. Current London Waste Van additional charges include £30 + VAT for a single mattress, £40 + VAT for other mattress sizes, £60 + VAT for a two-seat sofa, £75 + VAT for a three-seat sofa, £90 + VAT for a corner sofa and from £40 + VAT for a standard fridge/freezer.
5. Multiple loads
A full house can easily exceed one van load. If the video shows that one load will not be enough, it is better to plan the job correctly in advance than quote one load and surprise the customer later.
How Much Does A Full House Clearance Cost?
The phrase “full house clearance cost” sounds simple, but a full property is not a fixed quantity of waste. The best approach is to send a video walkthrough from the front door through every room, including cupboards, loft, garage, garden and any outbuildings. Show the stairs, lift and parking position as well. We can then estimate how many loads and how much labour are likely to be required.
Send a continuous video walkthrough and your postcode. We can usually assess the likely load size much more accurately than from a room count alone.
Get A House Clearance QuoteHouse Clearance Price Examples: How To Think About The Job
These are not fixed quotations; they show why apparently similar jobs can price differently.
| Scenario | Main cost drivers |
|---|---|
| Few unwanted items before a move | Mostly volume; often a minimum or quarter load if access is simple. |
| Part-furnished one-bedroom flat | Volume plus stairs/lift, loading distance and bulky furniture. |
| Full family home | Number of loads, labour hours, garage/loft contents and specialist items. |
| Probate or bereavement property | Volume plus any staged sorting, retained items and family instructions. |
| Hoarded property | High volume, bagging, loading time, access, PPE requirements and multiple loads. |
Can House Clearance Companies Take Items For Resale?
Some clearances contain furniture or household items with resale or donation value. Do not assume this automatically makes a clearance free. Ask how any value is assessed and whether it is genuinely being offset against the quote. If an item is important or valuable, separate it before collection rather than relying on a clearance crew to value it during loading.
House Clearance Cost Versus Skip Hire
A skip can make sense if you are happy to do all the carrying and loading yourself and have somewhere suitable to place it. A house-clearance van service is different: the team enters the property, carries the contents out, loads the vehicle and removes the waste. For flats, time-sensitive moves, probate homes or properties where a skip permit is awkward, the labour-inclusive option can be much simpler.
How To Get An Accurate House Clearance Quote
- Photograph or video every room being cleared.
- Show lofts, basements, garages and gardens if included.
- Show stairs, lifts and door access.
- Give the full postcode and explain where the van can park.
- Point out mattresses, sofas, fridges/freezers, paint, gas bottles or other unusual items.
- Tell us what must stay so it is not included in the quote.
- Explain your deadline if the property must be empty for keys, sale or new tenants.
Prices By Property Size
Trying to estimate a specific home? See our House Clearance Prices By Property Size guide for 1-bed, 2-bed, 3-bed and larger properties, including why room count is only a starting point.
