Losing a loved one is a painful, difficult experience. Having to sort through and pack up the deceased’s life’s possessions can add to this difficulty. Clearing a loved one’s house to prepare it for sale or settlement means dealing with this by deciding what to keep and what to get rid of. There are some tough decisions to be made.

Here are some guidelines to help manage this painful process and to make it less overwhelming.

  1. The Will is crucial to how this process unfolds. It details who gets what, and if it is drafted professionally and executed properly there should be no conflict between the heirs or difficulty in administering it. So the first thing to do is to go through the house and find any important documents. These will include the title deeds of the property, bank cards and financial records, insurance policies, tax returns, bills and accounts for utilities, and the contact details for all the relevant family and friends.
  2. Is there a deadline for when the house clearance needs to be finished? Maybe the lease is expiring, or the house is being sold. Planning when there is a deadline to meet is sometimes easier as there is an end in sight to this process. Creating a timeline for when tasks need to be completed will reduce the pressure.
  3. Get the family members and other heirs to fetch the items that have been left to them in the Will. This will begin the clearing-out process. They can also remove those extra items that are left over. The goal here is to get rid of as many of those extra items as possible, and not get bogged down and overwhelmed by the number of things to sort.
  4. Sorting out and packing up household contents is a lot of work, and if it is the property of a loved one, it only adds to the emotional pain and stress. Finding family members or people to help you will lessen the pressure on you. So instead of taking it all on yourself, share the load.

The Ways that Self Storage can Help

  • If you feel that you are not ready to make any final decisions regarding furniture or other items, hire a self storage unit and store them until you are ready.
  • If there is a deadline looming where you need to have the house emptied out for selling, packing items away into a self storage unit will allow you to meet the deadline.
  • Instead of making hurried decisions regarding about what to keep or what to get rid of, a few months in storage will give you a bit of extra time to be more confident about your decisions.

Other Ways of Dispensing of Household Contents

Once the beneficiaries of the Estate have removed their stuff and you see what you are left with, there are ways of getting rid of these items..

  1. Sell the household contents

    Selling them individually is very time-consuming. It is also difficult to know the value of the items. Something that you think may be valuable is no longer because lifestyles have changed and items that were once fashionable no longer are. So it is better to single out specific items of higher value, such as an antique or an artwork by a well-known artist, have them valued by a professional, before proceeding.

  2. Use Second Hand dealers or auction houses

    They will take anything that is saleable but remember that they take their cut, or they may offer a lower price to you as they need to add their mark up.

  3. Donate the household contents

    This is an option to consider when you are sure that there are no claims on the items that you wish to donate. Don’t rush this decision – getting rid of everything too quickly is something that you could live to regret later. Rather place these items in a self storage unit and make permanent decisions in your own good time.

  4. Those unwanted items

    These can be removed by the local council or alternatively, you could engage the services of a waste removal company.

One problem that could happen at this time is disagreement between beneficiaries. This can get so serious that it may result in destroying family relationships. So can arguments over sentimental items be avoided, and how can these be solved?

One of the ways to avoid this conflict is for the estate owner to gift as much as possible before death. This works for the elderly or if they had already downscaled to a smaller property and had to get rid of belongings. But if that didn’t happen, and the heirs cannot reach agreement, as a last resort, everything may have to be sold, and the cash proceeds divided amongst the heirs.

Why Use Stop & Store Lowestoft?

If you have an inherited home and belongings to sort out, there is a long emotional road to walk. But hiring a self storage unit will allow you to take control of the procedure of storing those belongings until you feel that you are able to make permanent decisions about them. You can rent a self storage unit to keep these belongings safe for as long as you need to.

Here are some of the reasons why Stop & Store Lowestoft is such a good choice as a storage facility.

  • The security of your belongings are our priority, so our storage facility is fully secured with monitored CCTV and intruder alarms. You can therefore be assured that your belongings will be safe from being stolen.
  • Stop & Store Lowestoft is conveniently situated, and is easily accessible.
  • We offer easy access to the units for convenient loading and off-loading.
  • Our units, which vary in size from 12 sq. ft. to 200 sq. ft., are modern, steel partitioned rooms which are clean, dry, and secure.
  • Rentals are available from one month to as long as you need.
  • If you are not sure how much space you need, make use of our handy Space Calculator on our website. Otherwise please contact us for any assistance.
  • Enquire, book, and pay online using our simple, fully automated operating system, which you can do anytime. Once you have paid you get access to your unit.
  • Our units are affordable. Please check our website for any specials we may be running and for reviews left by our customers.

Please contact us on 01502 580005. We look forward to hearing from you!