As spring draws in there seems to be no signs of slowing down for Probate Property Services. This month has really shown the diversity of the properties we work on. Both stunning detached houses with riches inside and decrepit hoarder houses barely standing. Probate Property Services have seen it all this month.
The hoarder house
In some instances properties take longer to clear than others. This was one such instance. This probate property took a whopping 3 weeks to clear due to extreme levels of hoarding. PPS are no strangers to hoarder houses, and these are often our biggest jobs. For those unaware, a hoarder house is a house owned by someone who will keep anything and everything no matter how insignificant. Hoarding is a medical condition where the hoarder will find significance and importance in even things like litter and waste, unable to dispose of them. When the habit gets so bad, houses are filled top to bottom with clutter making it nearly impossible to move in the property. This particular property would represent that perfectly with even the floorboards stuffed with rubbish and items.
Our initial stage 1 clearance is the process of searching for important documents. This includes wills which can deeply impact a case for our sister companies. Due to the extensivity of the hoarding a full stage 2 clearance had to take place. Our team could not even move in the property, let alone search for documents. After the bulk of the clearance took place, we were able to begin searching for documents. At this point we noticed that the floorboards were loose and raised where even they had been stuffed with clutter. This is where we found the Will for the deceased. Where in many cases, you wouldn’t even think to search for a will under floorboards, the excessive hoarding actually came of some use.
The high-class probate property
On the other side of the coin, our team has also visited a stunning detached property which was described as “a palace” by our clearance team. This property was also filled but this time with treasures which only enhanced the value of the estate. For instance, this property had an impressive model railway collection which on face value could add tens of thousands of pounds to this estate. That is not to mention the other high value items in the property like jewellery. In total the property is estimated to be worth over £500,000. Compared to the previous property mentioned, this house despite being larger in size, took far less time to clear. Only 3 days in total for a full property clearance and deep clean.
If you know of any empty or abandoned properties, please contact us. Stay tuned for more news and stories about the probate properties we clear.
