House clearance in Orpington

What size load is a typical Orpington semi?

A typical Orpington semi with its loft and garage fills a full truck of 15 cubic yards, and a well-filled family home can need a second load. Semis are the most common home in Orpington ward, at 47.8% of households in the 2021 Census (external site), and another 21.4% are detached. These sizes follow our load table. They're guides, not quotes, because two houses the same size can hold very different amounts.

• An armchair and a few bags left after a move: a minimum load of 1 cubic yard at £60 plus VAT.
• A single garage of tools, bikes and boxes: roughly half a truck, 7.5 cubic yards, at £180 plus VAT.

Fridges, TVs and mattresses go on top of the load price. If a loft carry or a long garden path takes us past the loading time built into the load, extra labour is £30 plus VAT per 30 minutes, and we'll tell you when we price it. Lofts are priced from photos like everything else, so send a couple taken from the hatch.

How does clearing a long-held Orpington family home work?

A long-held Orpington family home is usually cleared all at once, with every room, the loft and the garage emptied together. Outright ownership is the biggest tenure in Orpington ward, at 39.5% of households (external site), and in Farnborough & Crofton it's about 45%. A lot of those owners have lived in the same semi or detached house for a long time, so a sale, or a move in with family or into care, means emptying the whole house.

Keys and decisions usually matter more than speed. You don't need to be in Orpington on the day: with a key safe or a neighbour holding the keys, and the things you're keeping labelled or photographed, the house can be cleared without you. We agree the price from your photos first, and you get a waste transfer note and a receipt from an upper tier registered waste carrier, broker and dealer. When the clearance is part of settling an estate, set aside papers, photos and anything going to family before the crew arrives, and see probate house clearance for the rest.

Would Bromley's bulky collection do for an Orpington house?

Bromley's bulky collection suits a few big items, not a whole Orpington house. The council's bulky waste collection (external site) starts at £43, priced by the number and type of items, and collects within 10 working days of payment. Households on Universal Credit or Housing Benefit get one free collection a year, up to £43. It only lifts from the front of the property, though, so the furniture has to be carried out first.

For a whole home, two of us carry everything out and take it away in one visit. A skip on the road needs a £50 Bromley licence that only a registered skip firm can apply for, and we don't hire skips. Bulky waste collection in Bromley compares the council service with ours, and the alternative to skip hire page sets out how a loaded clearance differs from a skip.

Which parts of BR5 and BR6 do you clear houses in?

We clear houses right across BR5 and BR6, from Crofton, Broom Hill and Goddington to Green Street Green, Chelsfield and Pratt's Bottom. Next door, rubbish removal in Petts Wood covers the Petts Wood side, and our own base is in Chislehurst, about 6 km from Orpington centre, with rubbish removal in Chislehurst covering BR7.

Bromley's collections and parking near Orpington station are covered on rubbish removal in Orpington.