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It can be tempting to use your local council to help with your property clearance – but in many ways it’s better to use a professional clearance company. Why? ASAP Clearances, who can help if you need a house clearance in Barnet, Highbury, Highgate or other parts of North London and Hertfordshire, share some of the advantages of going private.
The Level of Service
Many councils don’t offer a house clearance service at all, and those that do will often only take certain larger items away, or they only offer it for certain low-income households.
The alternative – assuming all your items won’t fit in your bins – is to take larger items down your local waste site. However, you may find the council won’t always accept them as a matter of policy, usually on environmental grounds.
If your local authority does offer a clearance service, they may insist that you leave items in a certain area outside the property, so you may have to do a large amount of the heavy lifting yourself. This can create problems if you live in an upstairs block of flats. In contrast, professional clearance companies are usually able to take on the more arduous and physical aspects of the job themselves.
The Flexibility
Not only may you need to have items ready for collection, but councils tend to stick rigidly to normal working hours – so your items may have to be ready and waiting for them first thing in the morning (a bit like your normal refuse collections). They may also not be able to specify a precise collection time either.
Clearance companies may be a bit more flexible when it comes to timings – many, including ASAP Clearances, can usually carry out clearances at a time that suits you, such as later in the day. The same applies to office clearances, which can be undertaken outside normal office hours so the business is not disrupted.
And you may have to wait a while if you go down the local authority route, as councils often have lengthy waiting lists for removing larger items - much longer than the average private business.
Fewer Restrictions
Both councils and clearance companies place restrictions on what hazardous materials they are prepared to, or allowed to, handle. Paint, asbestos, and other chemicals are often on the ‘banned’ list, even if they have a Waste Carriers’ Licence.
However, with local authorities the restrictions can be greater – for example, some won’t touch furniture which has rips or tears in it (because workers could be exposed to persistent organic pollutants such as leather, foam or other fabric). Many local councils also won’t touch anything in the garden, such as sheds or greenhouses, nor any equipment inside them.
Professional clearance companies can usually include these or offer a special service – for example, at ASAP Clearances we offer garden clearing services in Highgate, Hampstead and across North London. This means we can dismantle and clear sheds and greenhouses and remove garden furniture, trampolines and hot tubs.
Just as Good for the Environment
Local authorities have access to recycling facilities, so everything they pick up doesn’t need to go to landfill. However, the same applies to professional clearing companies, and ASAP Clearances in particular.
We always donate as much as possible to individuals and charities so as little as possible either goes to landfill or ends up being incinerated (some local authorities also take this route these days instead of landfill).
House Clearances in Barnet and across North London from ASAP Clearances
Whatever you need a property clearance for – whether it's a house clearance in Barnet, garden clearing in Highgate, or a probate house clearance in Bushey, you can rely on ASAP Clearances for a prompt, professional and comprehensive service.
You can contact us by following this link and completing the online form, or by calling us on 020 3475 0508.