SITUATION
Estates and the notaire
Settling an estate is not a house move. The property has to be emptied, but in an order that protects the heir: whatever has documentary or sentimental weight comes out first, the rest afterwards, and nothing leaves without a written trace. That order is the difference between a clearance and an estate clearance.
The inventory always comes before the removal
Before a single piece of furniture leaves, we photograph room by room and item by item, and we list what we see. The inventory is given to you, and sent to the notaire if they ask for it. It is not a valuation — we make none — but a dated record of what was there, which lets you decide from a distance and lets you prove later what the property contained.
What the notaire expects of us
French notaires generally want three things: that nothing is removed before your standing as an heir is established, that an inventory exists, and that the waste transfer notes are issued in the agreed name — yours or the office’s. Where you prefer, we correspond with the notaire directly, which spares you having to relay everything from abroad.
Joint inheritance, and what happens if one heir objects
Until every joint heir has agreed in writing, we remove nothing. This is not excessive caution: a clearance carried out without everyone’s agreement exposes whoever ordered it. We can still make the visit, prepare the quote and produce the inventory while the matter is resolved — so that on the day the agreement comes, everything is ready to go.
What you will need
- The death certificate
- Proof of identity of the heir giving instructions
- The notaire’s certificate establishing you as an heir
- Where there are joint heirs: written agreement from each of them
- Where applicable, a letter from the notaire setting out the scope of the work
A guide, not a rule. Some offices ask for more and some for less; we follow yours.
Questions specific to this situation
Can the notaire instruct you directly?
Yes, and it is common. Their letter then sets out the scope of the work and the name in which the disposal notes are to be issued. It does not replace the heirs’ agreement where there is more than one: the notaire instructs us, but the joint heirs decide.
What happens to anything that looks valuable?
Nothing leaves. We buy no contents and we give no valuations: a company that clears a property cannot buy what it is clearing. If there is any doubt, bring in a commissaire-priseur — a licensed French auctioneer — before us. We will wait for them, at no change to the quote.
Can anything start before the estate is settled?
The visit and the quote, yes, and it is often useful to know the cost before decisions are made. The removal, no: that requires your standing as an heir to be established and, with joint heirs, everyone’s written agreement.
The other situations
Write to us, even if you are not sure.
You do not need to have gathered every document before calling. We will tell you what is missing, and neither the visit nor the quote commits you to anything.
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