What does clearing a cellar in Munich cost?
An ordinary cellar compartment of 6 to 15 m² costs €250 to €400 including VAT. That covers two to four working hours at 65,45 €55,00 € per person, the vehicle time at 17,85 €15,00 € per hour, and 150 to 300 kilograms of disposal at {{p:disposalPer100Kg}} per 100 kilograms. Hazardous waste is charged separately.
A packed cellar room in a period building with a narrow stairwell can cost twice that. The reason is the core of this article: with a cellar it is not the area that decides but the route out.
One calculation in detail
Take an average compartment, two people, two hours:
- Minimum charge 90,00 €75,63 € — covering the first hour on site with two people
- Second working hour: 65,45 €55,00 €
- Vehicle for two hours: twice 17,85 €15,00 €
- 150 kilograms of disposal: one and a half units of {{p:disposalPer100Kg}}
€328.00 including VAT in total, plus diesel for the distance driven.
After the first hour we bill in 30-minute increments, so a part-hour is not rounded up to a full one.
Why the floor area says almost nothing
Two compartments of identical 10 square metres can differ threefold in effort. What counts is this:
The steps. Every item goes up the cellar stair. Period-building stairs are narrow, they turn, and they often have a handrail that wardrobes will not pass. A straight flight is a different job from a winding one 80 centimetres wide.
The carrying distance. From the cellar exit through the hallway to the vehicle. In Maxvorstadt or Haidhausen, 40 to 60 metres is normal because there is nowhere to park outside. Across 300 individual items that is the difference between four hours and seven.
The density. Living rooms are furnished; cellars are stacked. Ten square metres of cellar floor regularly holds 400 to 600 kilograms — more than a furnished living room of the same size. That feeds straight into disposal.
The share of hazardous waste. No other room holds as many half-full paint tins and oil canisters. Rates and detail are in the article on hazardous waste, paint, oil and chemicals.
The common traps
1. "Just a few boxes." The most frequent self-assessment and almost always wrong. A cellar untouched for twenty years contains three house moves that were never unpacked, winter tyres, a retired bicycle, paint tins and garden furniture. The only route to a reliable estimate: one photo with the door open and the light on.
2. The forgotten second compartment. Many buildings have one compartment in the cellar and an extra store in the loft or the courtyard. If it is missing from the quote it is missing from the schedule too.
3. Old tyres. They carry their own acceptance fee and are charged per tyre. Eight tyres is a noticeable item — give us the number in advance.
4. The cellar key. It sounds trivial but it is the commonest cause of a wasted visit. Check before the appointment that the key works, especially on a compartment unopened for years. For a rusted padlock we bring an angle grinder — if we know.
5. No light. In many cellars the lighting no longer works. Say so beforehand and we bring work lights and battery tools instead of discovering it on site.
How you genuinely save on a cellar
Combine with the neighbours. This is the biggest lever. Travel is charged only once and the vehicle is already there. Three compartments in one building booked together easily saves the participants €200 between them. Ask the building management — for cellar clearances a joint order is the norm, not the exception.
Let paint dry out first. Dried emulsion paint is not hazardous waste and costs no surcharge. Two weeks open, or stir in sawdust. With ten half-full tins that is around €90 saved.
Separate paper and metal. Both are heavy enough to matter on the scales and both are cheaper than general waste. Stacking waste paper separately is worth it; sorting out clothing is not — it barely weighs anything.
Shared basements and bike stores
This is a distinct case, because the property there belongs to other people. We clear shared areas only on instruction from the building management or the owners' association, and only where residents have been notified in writing with a reasonable deadline. What remains in the shared area afterwards may be cleared.
In practice that means:
- A notice in the stairwell with a clear deadline, usually two to four weeks
- A statement that items not removed will be cleared
- Photographic documentation of the condition before clearing — which we do as standard
That documentation protects the management. Without it, a complaint becomes one person's word against another's.
What we take and what we do not
We take: boxes, furniture, shelving, bicycles, sports equipment, tyres, garden furniture, appliances, paints and oils (as hazardous waste), scrap metal, waste paper.
We do not take: asbestos or asbestos-containing materials. Cellars from the 1960s to 1980s regularly contain asbestos floor tiles with black adhesive, old night-storage heaters and corrugated cement sheets. Where it is suspected we stop at that point and refer you to a certified specialist — removal and disposal require documented expertise under TRGS 519.
The fastest route to a price
One photo with the door open, plus which floor the cellar is on and how far it is to the parking space. That is exactly what the quote tool asks, and it returns a range immediately.
The full rate list is in what a clearance in Munich costs, and the process for cellars, attics and garages on the cellar, attic, garage and garden page.