Quotation

What quotation means in practice

A realistic quotation is built from volume, labour, access, disposal class and cleaning. Guessing any of those is how a cheap headline figure becomes an awkward conversation on the day.

We would rather see photographs or visit than price blind, and we would rather stage a job across two visits than quote for a single day that cannot realistically be delivered.

Whatever is agreed is written down before work starts, including what would change it.

Why quotation matters in a hoarding clearance

Because an unclear price is the main reason households delay for months while conditions worsen.

Because funding often comes from a third party — family, landlord, estate or council — who needs a written figure before anything can start.

How Hoarders Cleaners handles quotation

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

• A free, no-obligation quotation with no charge for the visit.
• Volume estimated in cubic yards, with access and disposal class priced separately and visibly.
• Staged options offered where a single visit is not affordable or not appropriate.
• A fixed figure confirmed in writing before the date is held.
• Any variation agreed with the client before extra work is carried out.
• Payment on completion, with a receipt and full waste documentation.

What this looks like on a London job

London pricing is affected by parking suspensions, stair access and disposal costs, all of which we set out separately so nothing looks like a mystery line. A single room typically takes a day; a full property with a loft and garden usually runs two to four.

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 quotation 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.

• Comparing quotes that do not include disposal.
• Choosing a figure given over the phone with no sight of the property.
• Not asking what would change the price.
• Paying in full up front.
• Ignoring the cost of doing nothing — pests, damp and enforcement all get more expensive.

Questions we are asked about quotation

Is the quotation really free?

Yes. There is no charge for the call, the photographs or the visit, and no obligation afterwards.

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

Finally, consider what the alternative costs. Rescheduled inspections, repeat pest treatments, damp damage to plaster and joinery, storage fees and, at the far end, the loss of a tenancy or a delayed probate sale all carry a price. Set against those, a properly specified clearance with documented disposal is usually the cheaper decision as well as the calmer one.

Terminology should never be a barrier to asking for help. If a housing officer, surveyor or family member has used quotation 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.

If you are comparing providers, three questions separate the specialists from the general clearance trade: can you see a waste carrier registration, is there public liability cover in place, and will the team work to the household's salvage instructions rather than their own timetable. We answer yes to all three, in writing, before a date is booked.

We cover London and the surrounding counties, including Hackney, Enfield, Haringey, Barnet, Barking and Dagenham, Southgate, Becontree, Hertfordshire and Middlesex. Visits to our address at 430 Hackney Rd, London E2 6QL are by appointment only, so please call ahead if you would like to meet in person.