HOW TO AVOID SCAM CLEARANCE COMPANIES
Getting a clearance company to clear your house can sometimes be messier than the house you wanted to clean out in the first place. As with many contractors, there are scams that need to be avoided. Before you invest in a house clearance company there are some things you need to be aware of to avoid being taken advantage of. Read on to see how you can be sure to get a good company that will take care of your house clearance without taking your hard-earned money.
- Are they licensed waste carriers?
- Are they a Limited company?
- Will they provide a written quote?
- Will they invoice on completion of the job?
- Will they accept bank transfer?
House to Clear often gets called when things have gone wrong. All to often money is taken up front by house clearance (and I say the word loosely) companies, who then fail to attend or complete the job. Worst still we have known cases where the rubbish has been fly tipped and property owners pursued by the Local authority.
Free House Clearance
Free house clearance, “we clear it all for free”. Is it possible? In some cases yes if items that need to be cleared out value the cost of removing waste and items of no value.
Unfortunately, most of the adverts claiming to offer a free house clearance are just a way of getting initial contact. Every week House To Clear visit customers who have been lured by a service for free house clearance and been badly let down. Examples of which are:
- Offering a free house clearance and taking anything of value and never to be seen again.
- Offer a free house clearance service but request money up front to cover fuel cost only to disappear.
- Offer a free house clearance but start to sell items directly from the property.
- Offer a free house clearance but with no intention of doing the job if nothing is of value.
Free charity House clearance
Charities offer great service clearing items of value free of charge, with the added benefit of selling the article with the full proceeds going to the charity.
This is great if you have a few items of use, where the service fails is if the furniture or electrical goods don’t meet current safety regulations, or are not of commercial value. Not only will you have to wait for the collection you’re then left with items after they have cherry picked.
Charities rarely will do a complete house clearance including carpets; they don’t have the workforce or time. Unscrupulous companies often trade under the guise of charity. Always check with the Charity commision who you’re letting into the house.
House To Clear is very transparent. Certain items that can be sold are taken to local charity warehouses, Including British Heart Foundation , Willowbrook and other local charities that accept items. All other items go to commercial recycling centres for further sorting.
Fly Tipping
The legislation tackling fly-tipping can be found in the Environmental Protection Act 1990, as amended by the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005.
Fly-tipping legislation deals with ‘controlled waste’. ‘Controlled waste’ means household, industrial and commercial waste including:
- General household waste and goods
- Larger domestic items, such as fridges and mattresses
- Garden refuse
- Commercial waste such as builders waste
Fly-tipping is a criminal offence which is committed if controlled waste is:
- Deposited, or caused or allowed to be deposited
It is an offence to transport controlled waste without being registered under Section 1 of the Control of Pollution (Amendment) Act 1989. There is also a Fixed Penalty Notice of up to £300 for failure to produce registration documents on request.
Another frustrating trick played by scam house clearance companies is accepting a job then not attending, while no monetary loss, the hassle of arranging a reputable company takes time.
House to clear has quality feedback. Offers fixed written quotes. Is fully licensed waste carrier and registered at companies house, and accepts payment on completion of the job.