Estate / Probate Clearance in Geneva

Sorting documents: why it is the heart of the work

In an ordinary clearance you remove things. In an estate you search first — and that is a difference in kind, not in degree. It is why sorting documents and personal effects is included by default in our service.

What we always set aside, in identified boxes handed to those entitled: every paper without exception, including those that appear uninteresting — insurance contracts, pension policies, bank statements, securities, official correspondence, deeds, wills, invoices, service records, tax documents. We do not read their content and we do not judge their usefulness: that is not our role and we do not have the information to do it.

We also set aside photographs, albums, personal letters, notebooks, jewellery even of apparently low value, medals and decorations, religious items, keys whose purpose we do not know, and digital media — USB sticks, hard drives, phones, cameras. Those last almost always contain family photographs and they go out far too easily with the electronics when nobody is paying attention.

A useful reminder, because it comes up regularly: important papers are not always in a file. We check drawers, the backs of furniture, envelopes slipped inside books, biscuit tins, the bottoms of wardrobes and coat pockets. That is not excessive zeal: cash, jewellery and notarised documents turn up in those places more often than people imagine.

Taking resaleable items: a deduction, not a favour

This line deserves explaining because it is rare in this trade and it changes the amount in your favour. On our standard-flat example it brings the total from CHF 1'450 to CHF 1'290.

The principle is simple: if the property contains items with real resale value, we take them and that value is deducted from the quote. We do it because the alternative is dishonest — recovering valuable items without mentioning them while charging the full clearance rate. That happens, and it is precisely what we do not want to do.

What falls into this category: antique or quality furniture, sought-after decorative objects, professional tools, working musical instruments, watches and clocks, antiquarian books, quality crockery and silverware, vintage photographic and hi-fi equipment, bicycles, some recent appliances.

What does not fall into it, and we should be clear to avoid disappointment: ordinary crockery even in a full set, paperback books, flat-pack furniture, televisions more than five years old, worn clothing, encyclopaedias, mass-produced ornaments. These no longer have market value, even in very good condition. Many families spend weeks trying to sell them.

An honest note about genuinely valuable items: we are not experts. If the property contains a painting, a piece of fine horology, an antique oriental rug, a collection or period furniture, our advice is to have it valued independently before the clearance. We point them out when we see them, and we do not offer to take such pieces: a valuation by a specialist in that field serves your interests better than our estimate.

Several heirs: what to settle before the clearance

This is the main source of hold-ups on this type of case, and it is not a technical one. We cannot and will not arbitrate between heirs, so here is what needs to be settled before we come.

First, who gives the instruction. We ask for a single point of contact and a clear agreement to proceed. Where several people have rights over the contents, a clearance started by one without the others' agreement creates a problem we could not put right — the items have gone. We would rather wait another week than act in an ambiguous situation.

Next, what has been allocated. The list of what stays, what goes to whom, and what is to be removed. The most effective approach is physical marking: coloured labels per person, applied before we arrive. It is simple, it prevents any discussion on the day, and it lets us work without interrupting someone every ten minutes.

On legal matters — joint ownership of an estate, accepting or renouncing an inheritance, official inventories, deadlines — we give no opinion. Those questions belong to the notary handling the estate or to a legal adviser, and the rules cannot be summed up in a sentence. If you are not certain you are entitled to have the property cleared, ask the notary before calling us: that is the only useful answer we can give.

Calendar pressure: lease, managing agent, sale

An estate rarely proceeds at the pace one would want, because an external calendar imposes itself. Understanding which one avoids unnecessary cost.

The most frequent case is a rented property. The lease continues to run and the rent remains due until it actually ends. Every month of delay in the clearance is therefore a month of rent paid for an empty property — and in Geneva that often exceeds the cost of the clearance itself. It is a cold calculation, but it is worth doing when the question 'do we still have time?' comes up.

The second case is handing back to the managing agent. The requirements are the same as for any end of tenancy: empty, clean, undamaged. A property handed back cluttered is charged at whatever rate the agent chooses, invariably higher than the cost of an organised clearance.

The third case is the sale of the property. The date is set by the deed and does not move; the property must be handed over clear of all furniture. We recommend arranging the clearance at least a week beforehand, with margin — in an estate there is almost always one element that takes half a day longer than expected.

Our practical advice in all three cases: call early, even if you are not ready to fix a date. Having a quote lets you decide, and knowing the amount often removes the hesitation. We do not charge for a quote and we do not put pressure on the date.

What happens to the contents

In an estate, knowing where things that mattered to someone end up is often as important as the price. Sorting happens on site, into five destinations.

To those entitled: all documents, photographs, letters, jewellery, religious items, digital media and anything clearly personal. In identified boxes, handed over in person or held at your disposal.

Taken in exchange for a deduction on the quote: antique or quality furniture, tools, instruments, horology, antiquarian books, silverware and anything with real resale value.

To reuse: ordinary furniture in good condition, working appliances, usable crockery, clean textiles, books. Geneva has a network of organisations that collect these, and a still-useful piece of furniture does not need to be shredded.

To material recycling: wood, metal, cardboard, paper, glass. Electrical and electronic appliances follow their mandatory take-back channel, separate from ordinary waste.

To bulky waste: only what fits none of the above. That is the share we try to reduce, and in an estate it is often smaller than people expect — the homes of an earlier generation contain proportionally more reusable furniture and far less flat-pack.

Adding the cleaning and handing back the property

End-of-tenancy cleaning straight afterwards takes our standard-flat example from CHF 1'450 to CHF 1'820, or from CHF 1'290 to CHF 1'660 with the resale deduction. In an estate it is almost always the right choice.

The practical reason is the same as everywhere: a property can only be cleaned properly when empty. The reason specific to an estate is different and it matters more — it is one less thing to organise in a period when nobody has the energy to coordinate several companies. One call, one quote, two consecutive interventions, one handover.

The responsibility argument applies too. With two companies a scratch on the floor becomes a blame exchange between them, and it is the estate that pays. With one provider across the clearance and the cleaning, the question does not arise.

We provide a disposal certificate on request, and in an estate we recommend always asking for one. It serves two concrete purposes: with a managing agent disputing the condition of the property, and between heirs, when one wants a record of what was removed and to which channels. It is a simple document that avoids unpleasant conversations months later.

A heavily cluttered property, or one closed up for a long time

Some estates involve properties closed up for several months, or occupied for a very long time by one person with significant accumulation. We handle these regularly and without judgement, but they need to be mentioned in advance.

What changes in practice: the preparation, the equipment, the duration and sometimes the make-up of the team. A property closed up for a long period may raise questions of ventilation, damp, perished food, sometimes pests. That is not an obstacle, but we need to know before arriving — not at the moment of opening the door.

The method we apply is always the same: first clear what is obviously for disposal and takes up volume, to create space, then sort what remains with room around us. Sorting in a saturated property is impossible because there is nowhere to make piles.

On these cases, sorting documents takes longer and matters even more. We deliberately slow down: the risk of a paper or a photograph leaving in a box of bulky waste is real, and that mistake cannot be undone. If the volume requires it, we would rather quote an extra day than work fast.

Finally, if you would rather not be present — entirely understandable and common, particularly if you live abroad — we agree access and we systematically set aside anything that might involve a personal decision. You decide afterwards, without having had to walk through the property.

How to choose a provider for an estate

On this type of case, price is not the right criterion — the gap between two quotes is rarely decisive whereas the difference in method is completely so. Five questions are enough.

First: is sorting of documents and personal effects included, and how is it organised? A vague answer on this point disqualifies an offer whatever the price. With us it is included by default, and removing it would only bring our example from CHF 1'450 to CHF 1'260 — the saving is not worth the risk.

Second: what happens to anything of value? A company that mentions neither taking items nor any deduction may be recovering resaleable goods without saying so. Ask explicitly.

Third: do you provide a disposal certificate? Fourth: are the waste channels separated, and do electrical appliances follow their mandatory channel? Fifth: what happens if an important paper is found after you leave?

One last remark about the quote itself. A provider willing to price an estate over the phone, without seeing the property or asking a single question about sorting, is giving you a figure they will revise. On this type of case a visit is not a sales formality: it is the moment when the method is decided together.

Resale, options and where the contents go

For a painting, a piece of fine horology, an antique oriental rug, a collection or period furniture we do not offer to take the item: we advise an independent valuation by a specialist in that field, which serves your interests better than our estimate. We point these out when we see them.