Clearing a Loved One's Home After a Death: A Guide for Families in Dublin

October 5, 2026

Emptying a home that belonged to someone you loved is rarely only a practical job. Every drawer and shelf holds a bit of them, and the physical work can feel almost impossible on top of everything else a death brings. If you are in that position, there is no right pace and no correct way to feel. This guide sets out the practical side as gently and clearly as we can, so that the job feels more manageable and you can decide what to do yourselves.

It is written for families, including those living outside Dublin or abroad, and for executors who are also family. It is general information rather than legal advice, and the solicitor handling the estate is the right person to check the legal side with. If you are the executor, our executor's checklist and our guide to clearing a house before probate cover it in more detail.

Where to Start: What Cannot Wait, and What Can

It helps to separate the urgent from the important. The urgent items are usually few:

• Keep the property secure. Make sure doors and windows are locked, keys are accounted for, and someone checks the house from time to time.
• Deal with perishables. Empty the fridge and freezer and take out bins, so the house does not become a problem in its own right.
• Tell the insurer. Homes that stand empty can be treated differently by insurers, so contact the home insurer rather than assume cover continues unchanged.
• Check whether the home was rented. If the person was a tenant, contact the landlord or the housing authority early, because this may set a deadline for returning the keys.
• Redirect the post. An Post offers a redirection service for the estate of a person who has died, and the documents they ask for depend on whether probate has been granted. See the An Post redirection page.

Almost everything else, including the clearance itself, can wait until the family is ready or until the legal position is clear.

Decide Who Decides

The most useful single step is agreeing, early and kindly, who is making the decisions. Where there is a will, the executor named in it is usually the person who deals with the estate; where there is no will, an administrator (usually the next of kin) takes on that role once appointed. Even so, most families find the clearance goes best when brothers, sisters and other close relatives talk things through together before anything is moved.

A few things make that conversation easier:

• Agree a time when everyone who wants to can walk through the house once, before anything is touched.
• Agree how keepsakes will be shared (more on this below).
• Agree who will be the main contact for the clearance team, so instructions do not come from five directions.
• If there is any doubt about what the will says or how the estate is to be divided, speak to the solicitor before disposing of anything of value.

The Law Society of Ireland explains that until the Probate Office issues a grant of representation, the personal representatives are generally unable to deal with the assets of the person who has died. That is why we always suggest asking the solicitor handling the estate before anything of value is disposed of. Our own approach is to hold off on anything you are unsure about. You can read the Law Society's explanation on its administration of estates page.

Sort in Rounds, Not All at Once

Trying to decide about every item in one go is exhausting. It tends to work better in rounds:

1. The walk-through. Walk the house with the people who matter most. Nothing is decided yet. Notice what stands out, what you want to talk about, and which rooms feel hardest.
2. The essentials. Find the documents and valuables first (see below), because they are the things that cannot be replaced and that other people may need.
3. The keepsakes. Family members choose the things that matter to them. Photographs, letters, jewellery, a particular chair or set of cups.
4. The useful things. Furniture, kitchenware, linen, tools and clothing in good condition that someone could use.
5. Everything else. What is left is what a clearance team takes away.

Work through one room at a time rather than one category at a time. It keeps the job visible and stops the house feeling as though it is disappearing all at once.

What to Look For Before Anything Is Cleared

In a family home that has been lived in for decades, important things are often not where you would expect. The following is a suggested list rather than a legal one, but it covers the things families most often wish they had checked first:

• Legal and financial papers: a will, house deeds, insurance policies, pension and bank paperwork, tax letters, savings books, share certificates and credit union books.
• Identity documents: passports, birth and marriage certificates, medical cards.
• Valuables: jewellery, watches, coins, medals, cash, and small items kept in drawers, coat pockets, handbags and old tins.
• Photographs, letters and diaries: often in wardrobes, attics, under beds, or in boxes marked for something else.
• Phones, tablets and computers: these may hold accounts, photographs and contacts. Keep them safe and do not wipe them until the family is sure what is on them.
• Keys: for sheds, garages, safes, post boxes or storage units, which may need to be found before they can be cleared.
• The attic, garage, shed and any storage unit: these are the places that are most often forgotten and that sometimes hold the most.

Our crews set aside anything that looks as though it might matter, such as documents, photographs, jewellery or small items that are easy to overlook in a full house, so the family has the chance to look through them before they go. If you already know something specific is somewhere, tell us and we will look for it.

Sharing Keepsakes Without Falling Out

Disagreements over belongings are very common, even in close families, and rarely about money. They are about feeling. A few approaches that families find helpful:

• Photograph before you decide. Pictures of the items give people who cannot be there a fair chance to speak up.
• Take turns choosing. One item each in rotation can feel fairer than a free-for-all.
• Name the difficult things out loud. If two people want the same item, say so early and talk about it, rather than letting it grow.
• Keep a "not yet" box. Anything nobody can decide on goes in a box that is kept for a few months. That is better than regret.
• Include relatives who live abroad. A video call walking through the rooms, or a shared folder of photographs, means nobody finds out afterwards that the house has been emptied.

What to Do With Furniture and Household Goods

Many families find real comfort in knowing that the furniture, bedding and kitchenware are going to someone who needs them. Some options:

• Family and friends. Often the first and best home for things.
• Charities. Not every charity shop takes furniture, and those that do may have conditions, so check first. For example, the Society of St Vincent de Paul lists the shops that accept furniture and, for donors in the Dublin area, the shops that will organise collection.
• Selling. Occasionally worthwhile for good or antique items, though it takes time and effort. Ask the executor before selling anything.
• Through your clearance team. If donation matters to you, tell the team. We set aside furniture, clothing and household items in good condition for donation or resale where that is realistic, and what remains is recycled or disposed of through licensed waste transfer stations.

What a Bereavement Clearance Looks Like

Families sometimes tell us they did not know what to expect. In broad terms:

1. A first conversation. You tell us about the property and the situation, and any items you want kept or looked at first. Photographs or a short video of each room help us give a realistic quote without a visit. If you cannot visit yourself, a relative or the solicitor can send them.
2. A free, no-obligation quote. There is no pressure to book. If you are not ready, that is fine.
3. A date that suits you. That might be quickly, because of a sale or a tenancy, or a long time from now.
4. The clearance. The crew works quietly and respectfully. You can be there for some or all of it, or you can arrange keys and access and leave us to it. Neither is better.
5. The property left tidy. We leave the cleared space swept and presentable, ready for its next step: a sale, a new tenant, or simply being closed up.

A job that involves a three-bedroom family home, a garage and a shed is a bigger undertaking than a single apartment. Most single-property clearances are completed in one visit, and a number of our customers describe jobs completed in a day or two. If the job is bigger, we will tell you.

“Ciprian and Brian and Willie were great. They cleared out our mom's house after she passed away last year. Professional, organized, empathetic and resourceful. It was a job we were dreading but they did it quickly with no fuss. I've never made an effort to make a recommendation online but Ciprian exceeded expectations.”

— Denis Nolan, Google review

Different Kinds of Home, Different Considerations

• A family house. Usually the largest job, often including an attic, garage and shed. See our house clearance page for how a full clearance works.
• An apartment or flat. Access is usually the main factor: stairs, lifts, parking and any rules the building's management company has about moving things. Our apartment clearance page covers this.
• A rented home. The landlord's deadline may drive the timing. Tell us the date you need to hand back the keys.
• A home with a lot of belongings. Some homes hold decades of belongings, and some families are dealing with a great deal. See our guide to hoarder clearance in Dublin, which is written without judgement.
• A business or office. If the person ran a business, there may be records and equipment with their own rules. See clearing a deceased relative's business or office.

What It Costs, Without the Surprises

We do not publish a fixed price list, because a bereavement clearance depends on the size of the property, the volume of belongings, how easy the property is to reach, and how much flexibility there is on timing. The honest answer to "how much?" is that it depends, and that you will be told before anything is booked. Our guide to what drives clearance costs in Dublin explains each factor, and photographs are the quickest route to an accurate figure.

Questions Worth Asking a Clearance Company

• Can items be set aside for the family to look through first?
• Will you coordinate with the solicitor or executor on timing and access?
• Can we donate what is in good condition?
• How will you handle keys, and who will have access to the house?
• Do you hold a waste collection permit and public liability insurance?
• Can we stay, or leave you to it, whichever suits us?

Our guide to choosing a house clearance company in Ireland explains how to check the permit and what else to ask.

A Few Words on Privacy and Respect

A person's home contains their private life. A good clearance team handles that quietly, does not comment on what it finds, does not share details of your family's circumstances, and treats the property as the home it was. If a clearance company seems casual about that, it is not the right one for this job.

If You Would Like to Talk It Through

There is no pressure to book anything. If it would help to talk through what needs doing, or to get a quote so you know where you stand, we are glad to help, whenever you are ready. You can also print our bereavement clearance checklist to work through with the family.

Sources: Law Society of Ireland, administration of estates; Citizens Information, dealing with a deceased person's money and property; An Post redirection; SVP shops that accept furniture.

Frequently Asked Questions

How soon after a death should we clear the house?

There is no set time. Secure the property and deal with perishables straight away, then clear when the family is ready and the legal position allows. If the home was rented, or a sale has a closing date, those may set a deadline. Otherwise there is usually no need to rush.

Can we clear the house before probate is granted?

That depends on the estate and is a question for the solicitor handling it. The Law Society says that until a grant issues, the personal representatives are generally unable to deal with the deceased's assets. We are happy to wait, to start with perishables and tidying, or to clear in stages. See our guide to clearing before probate.

Do we have to be there?

No. Many families, executors and solicitors arrange access and let us get on with it. If you would rather be there to point out what is staying, that is also fine.

What if we find something valuable or personal?

We set aside anything that looks as though it might matter, such as documents, photographs and jewellery, so the family can look through it before it goes. Tell us if there is something specific you are hoping to find.

Can things be donated instead of thrown away?

Yes. Tell us that donation matters and we will prioritise it for anything in suitable condition.

Is there any problem if relatives live abroad?

No. We can work from photographs and a short video, arrange access through a relative or the solicitor, and you can have a free quote without being in Ireland.

Get a Free, No-Obligation Quote

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