Guide
How to empty a house after a death
Clearing the home of someone who has died is one of the hardest jobs a family faces. This is a gentle, practical guide to doing it in the right order — and how a respectful clearance takes the heavy part off your hands.
There is no rush, and there is a right order. Emptying a parent's or partner's home is emotional and practical at once — there are legal steps, papers the notary needs, keepsakes that matter, and a house full of a life to sort. Taking it one stage at a time makes it manageable. Here is how, with the difficult lifting handled for you if you want it.
First: don't throw anything away yet
Before anything leaves the house, secure the important things: identity and bank documents, the will, insurance and property papers, keys, jewellery, photographs and anything of obvious value or sentiment. In Belgium an estate is settled through a notary, and the heirs need to agree; until that is clear, nothing of value should be disposed of. Keep a box for papers and a box for keepsakes, and take your time.
The legal side, briefly
A notary (notaris / notaire) handles the succession — identifying the heirs, the estate's assets and any debts. Practical clearing of the furniture and belongings usually waits until the heirs have agreed how to divide what they want to keep. It is worth telling the notary your timeline, especially if the property is rented or being sold, as that sets the deadline for emptying it.
Sorting: keep, share, pass on, clear
Once the family has decided, work room by room into four groups: keep (for family members), share, pass on (donate or sell), and clear. Usable furniture and household goods can be given a second life through reuse charities such as the Kringwinkel and Les Petits Riens rather than thrown away — many families find real comfort in that. You do not have to do this alone or all at once.
How a respectful clearance works
When you are ready, we take on the exhausting part. We work at your pace — the whole house in a day, or room by room over several visits — and we are discreet. As we go, we set aside any documents, photographs or valuables we come across and hand them to you; nothing of that kind is ever discarded. We can coordinate directly with the notary or estate agent, and we leave the property swept and ready for handover or sale. This is our estate and probate clearance service, a gentle version of a full house clearance.
What it costs
An estate clearance is priced by volume, with one fixed, all-in figure covering the crew, the lifting, the transport and all the recycling — no hourly rates at a difficult time. Send a few photos or a short video and we confirm the price. See ranges on the pricing page.
We help families across the region, from Uccle and Woluwe-Saint-Pierre to Waterloo. Reach out whenever you are ready.
When you're ready, no pressure
Whenever the time is right, send a message or a few photos to 0486 54 00 49. We work at your pace and around the notary, with a clear fixed price.