That was the case for Niki Woods, who bought her cottage in Leeds last year. It had been in probate for some time; the widower had since moved country, and “he didn’t want to come back and deal with it”.
So in their negotiations, when she was asked to up her offer or take on responsibility for the clear-up, “I thought that it would be probably cheaper for me to do the clearance than to get an amount of money agreed upwards. You take some of it to a tip, get some charity shops round.”
Woods has done the job in stages alongside renovating the house. She warns that those who do take on removal jobs hoping that charities will take away bulky items like mattresses or armchairs should check they have fire hazard labels attached, as that’s non-negotiable for collection. Otherwise, someone “might not end up saving loads of money because they’d have to get rid of it themselves”.
Parting with most of the items has been easy – but there have been some unexpected moments of reflection, says Woods, a menopause educator and coach.
The former owner had died unexpectedly during the pandemic, leaving behind running t-shirts and medals, of which Woods has many herself; some of their toiletries were identical. “It just makes you aware of your own mortality in a way – that person’s got the same stuff as you, so it could be you.”
The job of clearing things out is still ongoing, but she has kept one thing: the kitchen table. She assumed it was the former owner’s, but has since seen photos showing that it belonged to the person before, meaning it has been in situ for a quarter of a century.
She is still mulling whether she’d go through the process again. “As long as I knew what I was getting into, [and] it made financial sense, time sense, and I wasn’t going to uncover anything bonkers,” she would sign up for the same – but the decision was purely financial, she adds. “If I had loads more money, I would have made the opposite decision.”
Likewise, Andrews doesn’t hesitate to say she would go through it all a second time over. “We think [it] has been an incredible start to our life here,” she says. She urged others “not to be frightened” of taking on the task. All of their friends have picked an item to keep, and now have a piece of the house – and Mary – with them.
“It’s not a legacy because I didn’t know Mary, but it’s something,” she says of “sympathetically” clearing out the house. “I just hope that she thinks we’ve done a really good job.”
The couple spent another three days last week sorting through the house, but they aren’t hurrying to finish. “There’s still lots more to do, but everything that has got a use or can be treasured will go to the right people.”
