Public liability insurance

What public liability insurance means in practice

Handled properly, public liability insurance is invisible to the household — no drama, no lectures, just a team that arrives equipped for what is actually inside. Handled badly, it produces injuries, contaminated vehicles and a job that stops halfway through.

Every property is different, so the controls are set per job rather than copied. Dust and spores, unstable stacks, hidden sharps, blocked exits, unknown liquids and unlit rooms are all considered before anyone starts loading.

Crews are briefed on the day, and anything unexpected halts work until it has been assessed. That is not caution for show; a stack collapsing on a stairwell can end a clearance and a tenancy in the same afternoon.

Why public liability insurance matters in a hoarding clearance

Because hoarded interiors contain hazards that are simply not present in ordinary removals, and because everyone in the property — crew, resident and visiting officers — is exposed to them.

Because an incident stops the clearance. A safe job is also the fastest job.

How Hoarders Cleaners handles public liability insurance

Our approach is deliberately unremarkable — the same steps, every time, adjusted to the property in front of us.

• A written risk assessment for the property, not a generic template.
• Crew briefing on arrival covering hazards, escape routes and stop conditions.
• Correct protective equipment issued for the conditions found, including respiratory protection where dust or spores are present.
• Rigid containers for sharps and separate handling for anything hazardous or unidentified.
• Loads built low and stable, with stairs and hallways kept walkable throughout.
• Work paused and reassessed if anything unexpected is uncovered.

What this looks like on a London job

On London jobs the safety questions are practical: can two people carry a wardrobe down a turning staircase, is the loft hatch sound, is the electricity on, and is there a working alarm on each floor. We answer those on the survey rather than at 8am on the day with a van outside.

Costs, timescales and paperwork

Cost follows volume, labour and disposal. As a guide, a single heavily filled room is usually a one-day job for a small team, a two-bedroom flat two days, and a whole house with loft, garage and garden three to five. Where public liability insurance adds specialist requirements — protective equipment, pest treatment, mould work, separate hazardous streams or extra cleaning — that is priced as a named line rather than folded into a vague total. Every quotation is free, written and fixed unless the property turns out to be materially different from what was described, in which case we agree the change with you before continuing.

Mistakes worth avoiding

These come up often enough to be worth naming.

• Treating a hoarded property like an ordinary house move.
• Working without respiratory protection where dust or spores are obvious.
• Stacking loads above head height on stairs.
• Handling unidentified containers or sharps by hand.
• Blocking the only escape route with bagged waste.

Questions we are asked about public liability insurance

Is the property safe for me to be in while you work?

Usually yes, in the areas we are not actively clearing. Where dust, mould or pests are significant we will ask you to stay in a different room or step out for a period, and we will explain exactly why.

Do I have to be there while you work?

No. Many people stay for the first hour, agree the ground rules and then leave the team to it; others stay throughout. Both work. What matters is that the decisions about what stays are made by you or by someone you have asked to decide.

Will anyone know you have been?

Our vehicles and clothing are unbranded, we do not discuss the job on the doorstep, and we keep the front of the property tidy between loads. Neighbours generally assume a house move.

How quickly can you start?

Most jobs are booked within a week, and urgent work — an inspection, a re-let deadline, a health risk — is usually accommodated sooner. Call 0794 455 7700 and we will tell you honestly what is possible.

A note on getting started

Insurance matters here too. Any contractor working inside a hoarded property should hold public liability cover and be able to show it on request, along with waste carrier registration. If a company cannot produce either within a few minutes of being asked, that is the answer to whether they should be lifting anything out of your hallway.

Terminology should never be a barrier to asking for help. If a housing officer, surveyor or family member has used PPE in a letter or an email and you are not sure what it means for you, the answer is usually simpler and less alarming than it sounds. A ten-minute phone call will normally tell you what needs to happen, roughly what it costs and how long it takes.

Hoarding is common, it is not a character flaw, and it responds far better to a plan than to pressure. Whether you are the person living in the property, a relative trying to help from a distance, or a professional with a case to close, the work is the same: agree what a good outcome looks like, protect what matters, and move at a pace that makes the result stick.

Every job we take is quoted in writing and carried out by our own trained staff rather than a subcontracted crew hired for the day. That matters for consistency: the person who surveys the property briefs the team, and the team knows the salvage rules before they walk through the door.

Terminology should never be a barrier to asking for help. If a housing officer, surveyor or family member has used pest control in a letter or an email and you are not sure what it means for you, the answer is usually simpler and less alarming than it sounds. A ten-minute phone call will normally tell you what needs to happen, roughly what it costs and how long it takes.