Student move-out in London: clearing a shared house
The end of a tenancy is busy enough without a hallway full of broken chairs and bin bags. Here is a simple plan for clearing a student room or shared house in London, without stress on the last day.
Two weeks before you leave
- Check the inventory from the start of the tenancy. Anything that belongs to the landlord stays.
- Agree with housemates what is going, what is being sold and who is keeping what.
- Sell or give away anything still useful: desks, lamps, kitchen kit and bikes.
The week before
- Book your collection early. The end of term is one of the busiest times of the year for junk removal near universities.
- Use up food, and give away anything unopened.
- Keep rubbish bagged so the house stays clear for viewings.
On collection day
Someone needs to be at the house to let us in and point out what goes. We carry everything out ourselves, including down stairs, and load it straight onto the van. You get a waste transfer note, which is useful if your landlord asks where the rubbish went.
Splitting the cost
The price is for the whole job, so one person pays and you split it between you. A shared house clear-out is often a quarter or half van. Mattresses are priced as extras.
Leave it ready for checkout
Leaving rubbish or broken furniture behind can lead to deductions from your deposit. Once everything has gone, give the rooms a final clean and take dated photos of each room for your records.
Tips for inner London houses
Most student areas, like Camden, Islington, Southwark, Tower Hamlets and Lewisham, have permit parking and plenty of stairs. Tell us the floor and whether there is a lift. Outside central London, Kingston gets busy at the end of the university year too.
Quick price: student move-out clearance starts with a guide price in about a minute.