Checklist for relatives abroad
When the flat is in Munich and you live elsewhere: what to do and when.
Checklist for relatives abroad →Household clearance
Full household clearance in Munich
A household clearance means dissolving an entire household — usually after a death, a move into care, or a tenancy ending. We work room by room, set documents and valuables aside, and bill by the hour: €65.45 per person per hour including VAT. Much of this work we do in English.
What does a full household clearance in Munich cost?
A complete household clearance in Munich usually costs €1,200 to €2,500 for a flat and €3,000 to €7,000 for a house, including VAT and disposal. It sits above a plain clearance because every item is checked individually rather than removed wholesale.
The difference is time, not material. A clearance removes what is to go; a household clearance goes through everything. Every drawer, every file, every coat pocket — because that is exactly where savings books, insurance policies, jewellery and photographs turn up, and none of those can be replaced. Budget roughly a third more hours than clearing the same flat would take.
Beyond that, the price is driven by the usual things: the floor, the lift, the carry to the vehicle and the disposal weight. A household built up over decades reaches two tonnes easily, which is €952 of disposal on its own.
What is the difference between a clearance and a household clearance?
A clearance removes what needs to go. A household clearance dissolves an entire household, including reviewing paperwork, separating estate items and handing the property back. In practice: more time per square metre, on the same billing basis.
Who pays for a household clearance after a death?
Normally the heirs, out of the estate. If the inheritance is disclaimed, responsibility passes to the landlord or the estate administrator. Settle this before placing an order — whoever signs the order is liable for the invoice, regardless of who inherits.
How quickly must a flat be cleared after a death?
A tenancy does not end with the tenant's death. Under § 580 BGB heirs may terminate within one month of learning of the death, giving the statutory notice period — normally to the end of the month after next. So you usually have several weeks, considerably more than most relatives believe in the first week.
What happens to documents, photographs and valuables?
They are set aside and handed to you in full, even when they are lying among the rubbish. That covers files, insurance paperwork, savings books, ID documents, certificates, jewellery, cash and photo albums. None of it goes into a container, and we do not decide for ourselves what matters.
In practice we set up a box in one room and everything that is paper, value or personal memory goes into it. You go through it whenever you like — including later, if you are not in Munich; we post it to you or keep it safe.
If you cannot or would rather not be there, that is entirely fine and is the normal case for us. Many of our clients live in another country and arrange everything by phone. On request we document the work with photographs so you can see what was found and in what condition.
Can you carry out the clearance discreetly?
Yes. We arrive in plain work clothing, our vehicles carry no signage announcing the occasion, and nobody discusses in the stairwell why we are there. On request we start outside the usual hours so as little of the building as possible notices what is happening.
Discretion is not an add-on for this job; it is a precondition. A death is nobody else's business, and a flat that has been neglected for years even less so. Our people do not comment, on site or afterwards.
Do you deduct the value of the household contents?
No. We do not subtract resale value from the price and therefore never promise it. The second-hand market for standard furniture and household goods in Munich simply does not cover the cost of collecting, storing and selling them.
If a provider advertises a value deduction on a household clearance, one question is worth asking: what is the price without the deduction, and what happens if nothing sellable is found? As a rule the starting price is set higher to match, and the deduction evaporates on the day.
Genuine valuables — antiques, art, coin collections, fine jewellery — we treat differently: we do not touch them. They are set aside, and we suggest getting a valuation before the clearance. Anything with an auction value does not belong on a clearance invoice.
What a household clearance covers
The entire household
Furniture, household goods, clothing, books, crockery, appliances — the whole contents.
Reviewing paperwork
Files, contracts, policies and savings books are set aside and handed to you.
Cellar, attic, garage
Part of the household, and in our experience they hold the most.
Outbuildings and garden
Garden shed, outhouse, terrace — including legacy items such as old paint and oil.
Broom-clean handover
Cleared, swept, cupboards empty. A full final clean is available as a separate item.
Documentation
Photographs of the condition before and after, when you cannot be present.
Read on
Why we do not advertise value deductions
What lies behind the promise to offset your furniture's value — and what it actually costs you.
Why we do not advertise value deductions →Difficult cases
Hoarded flats, estates in poor condition, clearance after fire or water damage.
Difficult cases →Questions about household clearance
Do I have to be present?
No. Once we have agreed what is set aside and what is disposed of, handing over the keys is enough. Many of our clients do not live in Munich. On request we document everything with photographs.
What if the inheritance is not yet settled?
Then wait. Clearing a flat before the succession is settled risks interfering with someone else's property. Secure the flat, settle the inheritance, and place the order afterwards — the tenancy notice periods almost always leave enough time.
Can you clear only part of it?
Yes. On a move into care, some furniture often stays because the new room is partly furnished. Tell us what stays, or mark it — the rest is cleared.
Do you destroy files in line with the GDPR?
Yes, with a certificate of destruction on request. That is rarely needed for private households, but regularly for the estates of self-employed people, where retention obligations may still be running.
What happens to medicines and care supplies?
Medicines are disposed of separately; they belong neither in general waste nor down the toilet. Unused care supplies are passed to social organisations on request rather than thrown away.
How long does a household clearance take?
A flat one to two days, a house two to four. Reviewing the paperwork is the part that resists being rushed — and the part where haste is most expensive.
Do you speak English?
Yes, there is a dedicated line for English-speaking customers. With estates where the relatives live abroad, English is the normal case for us.
Rather talk it through?
Two minutes on the phone often replaces half an hour of forms — in English, without a translation app. Tell us what needs clearing and we will tell you what it costs and when we can come.
Monday to Saturday, 08:00–18:00