End-of-tenancy clearance: a landlord's guide

What can you do with belongings a tenant leaves behind?

Things a tenant leaves behind still belong to the tenant, so you can't simply throw them out. Bristol City Council's fact sheet on tenants' possessions (external site) explains that the landlord becomes an "involuntary bailee", and that the Torts (Interference with Goods) Act 1977 (external site) lets you deal with the goods as long as you follow the correct procedure. Every official page linked in this guide was checked on 9 October 2026.

The council's sheet sets out the steps:

• Write to the tenant listing the goods you're holding, and say when and how they can be collected.
• Give a time limit that allows the tenant reasonable time to arrange collection.
• Say that anything not collected by then will be sold or otherwise disposed of.
• Send the letter by recorded delivery.
• If you can't trace the tenant after reasonable attempts, no letter is needed.

Schedule 1 of the Act (external site) says a notice of intention to sell must give your name and address, and describe the goods and where they're kept. It must also give the date from which you plan to sell, and go by registered letter or recorded delivery. If you do sell, section 12 says you must account to the tenant for the money, less the costs of the sale. Bristol's sheet adds that goods with no monetary value can be disposed of in some other way.

The sheet also warns that its advice doesn't apply if the tenant may have left without giving notice and you don't have a possession order. Take legal advice before touching anything in that case. Read the tenancy agreement as well, in case it says what happens to belongings left at the end, and speak to a solicitor if you're unsure. This guide is general information, not legal advice.

Can clearance and cleaning costs come out of the deposit?

A deposit is money held as security for the tenant's obligations under the tenancy, as section 212 of the Housing Act 2004 (external site) defines it. Gov.uk's deposits guide (external site) says the tenant gets it back if they meet the terms of the agreement and don't damage the property. If they don't, the landlord can keep some of it, and gov.uk gives rent owed and the cost of repairs as examples.

What the agreement asked of the tenant is the starting point for any clearance or cleaning deduction. The government's Tenant Fees Act guidance (external site) calls the deposit "the tenant's money" and says you'll need evidence to support any deduction at the end of the tenancy. Dated check-out photos set against the check-in inventory show what was left, and the receipt shows what clearing it cost.

You can't add a separate clearance or check-out fee instead. Gov.uk's list of fees you can charge (external site) says you can't charge a tenant any payment that isn't on it, and neither fee is. The same page does let you charge the cost of replacing keys the tenant doesn't return, with written evidence that the cost is reasonable.

Once you and the tenant agree the amount, the deposit must be returned within 10 days (gov.uk (external site)). If you can't agree, the money stays protected in the scheme until the issue is settled, and the scheme's free dispute resolution service (external site) asks both sides for evidence before making a final decision.

What is your duty of care when a contractor takes the waste?

Clearing a let after the tenant has gone isn't treated as household waste. The government's waste duty of care code of practice (external site) says waste from clearing premises after they've been vacated, "such as a landlord or letting agent clearing student housing", is not household waste. That means the duty of care applies to you, the same as it does to a business handing over its waste.

For a landlord or agent, that means:

• Check the carrier is registered before the waste leaves. The public register (external site) lists registered waste carriers, brokers and dealers.
• Complete a waste transfer note (external site) for each load that leaves the property, filled in and signed by you and the carrier.
• Keep a paper or electronic copy of the note for 2 years, and show it to an enforcement officer from the council or the Environment Agency if asked.
• Don't let the carrier dispose of the waste illegally, and report them to Crimestoppers (external site) if they do.

The code says breaking the duty of care is an offence with no upper limit on what a court can fine. A cash collection with no registration number and no paperwork leaves you with nothing to show where the waste went. Our guide to what a waste transfer note is covers what it must record and how long to keep it.

How do you plan a clearance between tenancies?

Most of the work happens before the crew arrives. A tenant has to give notice in writing, and the most notice you can ask for is two months (gov.uk (external site)), so book the clearance as soon as you have a leaving date.

A simple order of work:

• Book the check-out for the day the keys come back, and photograph every room, cupboard, loft and shed against the check-in inventory.
• Mark what's yours. The inventory shows which beds and white goods you supplied, so you can decide what stays.
• Ask the tenant in writing whether they're coming back for anything, and keep the reply with the check-out report.
• Sort access, such as a key safe or a neighbour letting the crew in, plus any entry codes or fobs for the block. Say where a truck can stop.
• Book the clearance before the cleaners and decorators, so they walk into an empty property.

Expect the usual leftovers: a mattress, a broken chest of drawers, bags in the cupboard under the stairs or a fridge the tenant didn't want to move. Mattresses and fridges add to the price, and mattress disposal and white goods removal explain how each is handled. Anything you're keeping is easiest left in one room with the door shut, or labelled. Goods you've written to the tenant about stay out of the clearance, stored safely until the collection date in your letter has passed.

Where does RLE Waste Clearance fit?

RLE Waste Clearance is based in Chislehurst and clears flats and houses across Bromley, Bexley and south-east London, including end-of-tenancy clear-outs for landlords and letting agents. We're a registered upper tier waste carrier, CBDU175566, so you can look us up on the public register before you book.

WhatsApp photos of what's left to 07534 244774 with the postcode, and we'll price it by load, from £60 plus VAT for a minimum load to £360 plus VAT for a full 15 cubic yard truck, with transport and disposal included. As a rough guide, a quarter truck at £130 plus VAT holds a room of bags and small furniture, and a half truck at £180 plus VAT is roughly a one-bed flat's furniture. Each mattress adds £10 plus VAT and each fridge or fridge freezer £60 plus VAT, while washing machines and standard cookers cost no extra. The rest are under extra items. We can collect asbestos that has already been removed if you tell us about it first, but not chemicals or other hazardous waste.

Our two-person crew carries everything down the stairs and does all the loading, and you don't need to be there if access is arranged. Book before 12pm and the job's done the same day. Every job comes with a receipt and a waste transfer note for the property file. Payment is on completion by card, cash, bank transfer or company cheque, and businesses such as letting agents can be invoiced.

Flat clearance and house clearance explain how each job runs, and rubbish removal in Bromley covers the flats and lets in the town centre.