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Clearing a deceased estate: where to start

Big cleanouts · 10 minute read

Clearing a deceased person's home is one of the harder practical tasks most people encounter, and it usually arrives alongside grief and administrative pressure. This guide covers the practical sequence. It isn't legal advice — for questions about authority, probate or entitlements, speak to the estate's solicitor.

Before anything is moved

Establish who has authority. The executor named in the will, or an administrator appointed by the court, is the person entitled to deal with the estate's property. Family members clearing a house without that authority — however well-intentioned — can create real disputes. If there's any uncertainty, wait.

Secure the property. Change locks if keys are unaccounted for, and check what the insurer requires. Standard home insurance is often affected once a property becomes unoccupied, and many policies have vacancy clauses that reduce or void cover after a set period. Notify the insurer.

Photograph everything. Room-by-room photos before anything moves protect the executor and settle later questions about what was there.

Find the documents first

Before any bulk clearing, search deliberately for: the will, title deeds, insurance policies, bank and superannuation statements, share certificates, tax records, funeral bonds, and cemetery or memorial documentation. These turn up in unexpected places — taped inside wardrobes, in freezer bags, between book pages, in biscuit tins. So does cash and jewellery.

Don't rush the sentimental sorting

Photographs, letters, films and handwritten material are irreplaceable and easily lost in a fast clearance. Set aside a single box for anything of this kind as you go, and deal with it separately later. Families rarely regret taking longer here; they frequently regret speed.

Valuables

Jewellery, antiques, coins, stamps, artwork, tools and quality furniture may have significant value. If the estate has multiple beneficiaries or the value is unclear, a valuation before disposal protects the executor. Auction houses provide appraisals, and specialist dealers will assess collections. Be cautious of anyone offering to buy the contents of a house sight-unseen at a flat price.

Sorting the rest

A workable method is four categories, room by room:

• Keep — for family, clearly allocated
• Sell — auction, marketplace or dealer
• Donate — clean, functional, genuinely usable
• Dispose — everything else

Work one room at a time and finish it before starting another. Kitchens and bathrooms are quickest and build momentum; sheds, garages and paperwork are slowest, so leave them for when you've found your rhythm.

The things that need special handling

Older properties commonly contain material that can't go in a general load: paint and chemicals in the shed, gas bottles, old fuel, medications, firearms and ammunition (which must go to police), and potentially asbestos in fibro sheeting or eaves. Set these aside rather than assuming a removal crew will take them.

Booking the clearance

When you're ready, a full house clearance is usually a one-day job for a crew. Useful things to arrange: confirm the operator can provide completion photos, ask them to sort for donation rather than sending everything to landfill, and if the estate has multiple beneficiaries, keep a record of what was disposed of and when.

If the property is hoarded

Hoarded properties need a different approach — safety assessment first, staged clearing, and a slower search process because valuables and documents are genuinely buried. Don't attempt it as a weekend family project. There's a separate guide on this.

Pace

Unless there's a settlement date or an insurance issue forcing the timeline, there is usually less urgency than families feel. Rushing produces decisions people regret. If you can take three weekends instead of one, take them.