When someone owned their home, the family usually has months to deal with the house. Probate takes time, and nobody is waiting on the keys. When the home was rented from the council or a housing association, it's a very different picture. The tenancy has to be ended, the property handed back empty, and in many cases rent keeps building up until it is. A lot of the calls we take across Rochdale and Oldham start with someone who has just realised how little time they've got.
What usually happens to the tenancy
If nobody else living in the home has the right to take the tenancy over, the next of kin or executor normally needs to give the landlord notice to end it. Every landlord has its own process, and the notice period and charges are set out in the tenancy agreement, so the first job is a phone call to the housing officer. Ask them three things: how much notice they need, what you'll be charged for in the meantime, and what condition they expect the property to be left in.
Most landlords will want the home empty of furniture and belongings, carpets included in some cases, by the date the tenancy ends. Anything left behind is generally cleared by the landlord and the cost recharged to the estate, usually at a higher rate than arranging it yourself.
Ask for more time if you need it
Housing officers deal with bereavements all the time, and many will be flexible if you explain your situation early. If family need to travel, or you simply can't face the house yet, say so at the start. It's much easier to agree a few extra days at the beginning than to ask for them the week the keys are due.
Don't forget council tax
Council tax works differently for homes left empty after a death, and you'll need to let the council know. Rochdale Council's page on council tax for empty properties is a good starting point if the home was in the borough, and the team there can tell you what applies in your case.
Getting the home cleared in time
With a deadline on the keys, the order you do things in matters.
- Take what the family wants to keep first, even if it's only photos and paperwork for now.
- Ask relatives to say what they'd like within a set number of days, so nothing holds up the clearance.
- Book the clearance for a few days before the keys are due, not on the day itself, so there's room for anything unexpected.
- Check what the landlord wants doing with flooring, curtains and white goods.
- Get a Waste Transfer Note, so you have proof everything was disposed of properly.
Most rented homes we clear are done in a single day. We check every room for personal items before anything is loaded, and anything in good condition is passed on for reuse where we can.
Where we work
We clear council and housing association homes all over the area, including house clearances in Rochdale, Middleton, Littleborough, Heywood and Oldham. There's more about how we handle this work on our bereavement house clearance page.
If the keys are due back soon and you need help, call the office on 0161 464 6106 or email enquiries@seniorwaste.com and we'll tell you honestly how quickly we can get it done.