Everything you need, in one place. Practical Australian help for planning ahead, death, funerals, estates and life after loss.

Clearing & Looking After the Home

Practical help with emptying, cleaning, repairing and securing a home after a death or a permanent move into care — with genuinely free and charity options shown first.

Before you clear anything

Read this first. Once something leaves the house it is usually gone for good, and some items may be needed to sort out the estate.

1
Keep the Will and legal papers
Do not bin the original Will, powers of attorney, court papers or anything about the estate. These may be needed to prove who has authority to deal with everything else.
2
Keep identity documents
Passport, birth, marriage and death certificates, Medicare card, driver licence, tax file records and citizenship papers.
3
Keep financial records
Bank statements, superannuation, insurance policies, share certificates, tax returns, loan papers and anything showing money owed or owing.
4
Collect every key
House, car, shed, letterbox, safe and padlocks — plus any key-safe or alarm codes. Keys are easy to throw out with a drawer full of odds and ends.
5
Secure valuables first
Jewellery, cash, watches, art, antiques, tools and collections. Photograph them and move them somewhere safe before anyone starts clearing.
6
Set sentimental items aside first
Photos, letters, diaries, medals and clothing you may want to keep. Put them in one labelled box and decide later — you cannot undo a throw-out.
7
Handle medications safely
Return unwanted medicines to a pharmacy for safe disposal. Do not bin, flush or keep them.
8
Keep digital devices and the data on them
Phones, tablets, laptops, hard drives, SIM cards and memory cards. These hold photos, contacts, messages and account access, and can also hold passwords. Do not wipe, reset or give them away until the data has been checked and backed up.
9
Everything belongs to the estate
The contents of the home are estate property until the executor or administrator deals with them. They are not yours to give away, even if you are family.
10
Ownership may be unclear
Some items may belong to someone else, be jointly owned, be on loan, or be promised to someone in the Will. If it is unclear, put it aside and ask before it goes anywhere.
11
Check your authority before disposing of anything
If probate or letters of administration are needed, the executor or administrator may need that authority before estate assets are sold, donated or disposed of. When in doubt, get advice before the truck arrives.

ELUMMA gives general information only — it is not legal advice. If you are unsure about your authority to deal with estate property, check with the executor, the Public Trustee in your state or a solicitor before anything is sold, donated or removed.

The order to do it in

Work down the list. The first steps protect the things that cannot be replaced or undone, so they come before anyone is booked to clear anything.

1
Secure the property, and check insurance, locks, mail and utilities
Lock up, and change the locks if any keys are unaccounted for. Tell the insurer in writing that the home is empty — many policies limit cover once a home is unoccupied for a period, and you want that answer before anything happens. Redirect the mail, and decide which utilities stay on for security, safety and the insurance conditions. Arrange for someone to check the property regularly.
2
Photograph rooms and contents before anything is cleared
Where it would help, photograph each room and anything valuable, unusual or disputed before it is moved. Photographs help later with valuations, with insurance, with dividing things between family, and with remembering what was where. They cost nothing and take an afternoon.
3
Stop and preserve — the things that must not leave the house
Set aside in one safe place: the Will and legal papers; death and identity documents; financial, share, super and insurance records; every key; valuables, jewellery and cash; photos and sentimental items; medications; digital devices and the data on them; and anything whose ownership is unclear. The full list is in “Before you clear anything” above. Once something leaves the house it is usually gone for good.
4
Check who has authority before estate assets are disposed of
Work out whether you are the executor or administrator, and whether probate or letters of administration is needed before estate assets are sold, donated or given away. If items are jointly owned, or belong to someone else, or were promised to someone in the Will, that changes who can decide. Get advice before the truck arrives.
Legal & Estate Administration
5
Keepsakes and disputed items — record the decisions
Ask family and beneficiaries what they would like kept, and write down what was decided, who decided it, and where the item went. Put disputed items aside rather than resolving them on the day — nothing should be casually discarded because it is inconvenient or because no one spoke up. If a Will gives something to someone in particular, follow that.
6
Charity, donation and free collection options first
Usable clothing, furniture, kitchenware, tools and household goods can usually be donated at no cost, and some charities collect. It costs nothing, keeps things out of landfill, and helps someone else. These options appear before any paid service on this page, and payment never changes that order.
See charity & donation options
7
Recycling, e-waste, medications and council options
Check the council where the property is before paying anyone. Many councils offer booked kerbside clean-ups, free or discounted tip passes, e-waste drop-off and recycling. Return unwanted medicines to a pharmacy for safe disposal — do not bin, flush or keep them. Scrap metal and some appliances can be recycled instead of dumped.
Recycling, e-waste & council options
8
Paid clearing, cleaning, rubbish removal, skip bins, removalists and storage
Once the free and charity options have been used, paid services can do the rest: deceased-estate cleaning, house clearance, rubbish removal, skip bins, removalists and storage. Get written quotes, confirm exactly what is included and what is excluded, and check whether the quote covers disposal fees. Do not let anyone clear a room before the steps above are done.
Find clearing & removal services
9
Ongoing property care while the home is still held
A property that sits empty deteriorates and loses value. Keep the insurance current, keep the utilities needed for safety and for the sale, keep the lawns and gardens under control, maintain security, and deal with leaks and pests promptly. Arrange inspections so a small problem does not become an expensive one. Keep every receipt — these are holding costs of the estate.
Gardeners & property maintenance
10
Repairs and trades before a sale, where appropriate
Repairs before a sale are a judgement call, not a rule. Ask an agent or valuer whether the work would actually be recovered in the price, get written quotes, and confirm who is authorising the work and who is paying for it. Where the estate cannot cover its debts, get advice before committing estate money to repairs.
Builders & larger trades

Two things change the answer here. First, authority and ownership: the contents of a home may belong to the estate, to someone else, or be jointly owned, and who may dispose of them depends on who has authority over the estate. Second, location: state and territory rules differ, and council services — hard waste, tip passes, kerbside collection and recycling — differ from one council to the next. Check with the council where the property is.

Free & charity options first

Donating usable goods and using free or council services costs nothing and keeps things out of landfill. Each option shows what it actually covers and who it is for.

Free and charity options are never reordered because an organisation pays ELUMMA. Paid providers appear separately, lower down and clearly labelled.

Australian Red Cross — Red Cross Shops

FREE

Can help with: Red Cross Shops accept good-quality clothing and smaller household items. Proceeds support Red Cross programs in Australia.

Australia-wide

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