House clearance: getting it cleared legally, by one firm in Malta

The price for a clearance depends on the volume, how much of it can be sold or donated, how easy access is, and what share goes for disposal at a permitted site. Stairs without a lift, a long walk from the van, a full loft or cellar, and items that need special handling all add time.

Some firms offset the value of saleable furniture, antiques or metal against the cost. That can be fair, but ask for it to be itemised, and remove anything of sentimental or financial value first. Photographs, documents, keys and jewellery are easy to lose in a full clearance.

• which rooms and outbuildings are included, and whether the loft, cellar and garden are part of it
• what is sold, donated, recycled and disposed of, and any value credited to you
• how sofas, armchairs, mattresses, fridges and other electricals are handled
• whether the property is left swept or cleaned, and whether that is an extra
• parking arrangements, the number of loads and the date the work is finished

Old upholstered seating such as sofas, armchairs and sofa beds may contain persistent organic pollutants from flame retardants. A sofa in good condition that is passed on for reuse is treated differently. Ask the clearance firm how it handles upholstered furniture.

Fridges, freezers, televisions and other electrical items count as waste electrical and electronic equipment and must go to an authorised treatment route. When you buy a new appliance, the retailer may take the old one back like for like. Paint, solvents, gas bottles and chemicals are hazardous and need separate handling; tell the firm about them in advance.

Garages and sheds in older properties sometimes contain asbestos, for example in cement roof sheets, old boards or floor tiles. Do not break it up or bag it yourself. A clearance firm should refuse to handle suspected asbestos without the right arrangements and point you to a specialist.

When clearing the home of someone who has died, the executor or administrator decides what happens to the contents. Wait until that person agrees before anything is sold or disposed of, and look for wills, bank documents, pension papers and keys before the clearance begins. Some families take what they want first and then have the rest cleared in one visit.

Landlords clearing belongings left by a former tenant should take advice on the legal position before disposing of anything, because goods left behind can still belong to the former tenant and there may be notice steps to follow first. Commercial clearances bring their own questions, such as confidential records and electrical equipment containing data.

The GDPR applies to your move or clearance; in Malta the Information and Data Protection Commissioner (IDPC) is the supervisory authority. If a supplier processes personal data on your behalf, you need a data processing agreement.

Maltese companies are registered with the Malta Business Registry. Ask suppliers for their company and VAT numbers, and whether they work in English, Maltese or both.

Source: idpc.org.mt · eur-lex.europa.eu · mbr.mt

You confirm your mobile number with a text code and your email address with a link. We then show the request to businesses in your area, without your name or contact details. Only one business can take it on; it pays Offrano for the request, and it costs you nothing.

Before that business sees your details, we email you its name, address and phone number. We check only that it is a registered business, for example through its Malta Business Registry entry or VAT number, not the quality of its work. We cannot promise that a business will respond; if nobody takes the request within 21 days, we withdraw it. Offrano is not a party to any contract for the work.