When someone close to you dies, the practical tasks can arrive long before you are ready for them. This family had lost a loved one who lived in a council flat in Poole, and the council needed the property handed back in an empty condition. On top of the grief, they had a home full of furniture, belongings and a lifetime of everyday things to deal with.
What the family needed
They asked us to take the whole job off their hands. Every room had to be emptied: the living room with its two sofas, the bedroom, the kitchen, the cupboards, the outside store and the garden storage box. The flat then needed to be left clean enough to return to the council without any comeback.
How we handled it
We worked through the flat room by room, carefully separating what could be reused from what could not. Good-quality pieces such as the sofas, the solid oak chests of drawers, the bed, the bedside cabinets and the kitchen appliances were set aside to be rehomed.
Most of the furniture found a good home. We donated it to local charities and passed it on to people who needed it, so it is still being used rather than sitting in landfill. Anything that could not be reused was taken for responsible disposal as a registered waste carrier.
Once the flat was empty, we swept every floor, wiped down the cupboards and surfaces, and left the kitchen and bathroom clean. The after photos show the flat exactly as it was handed back.
The result
The family got an empty, clean flat, ready to return to the council, without having to lift a box themselves. They also knew that their loved one's furniture was helping other people. That mattered to them, and it matters to us.
If you are facing a clearance after a bereavement in Poole, Bournemouth or anywhere nearby, call Rob for a calm, no-pressure chat about what is involved.
