Hoarded & Void Property Clearance

Specialist Cleaning Limited provide comprehensive hoarder clearance and cleaning services, as well as void property clearance services, for private clients, councils, facilities management companies, lettings agencies and landlords.

These services are offered nationwide, and can be provided in vastly improved time-scales, due to our dedication to extreme cleaning services only.

Hoarded Properties

It is important that a hoarder clearance and clean up is handled with sensitivity, compassion and care.
Hoarding is a recognised mental health disorder, characterised by someone acquiring an excessive amount of items, stored with little to no discernible organisation.
Hoarding can lead to an unsanitary and unhealthy environment to live in, therefore it is important to use a professional specialist cleaning service to restore the property back to a safe and pleasant condition.
Whilst hoarding may start as a harmless collection of seemingly valuable items, it can quickly get out of hand.
Hoarding becomes a problem when the ability to maintain a normal lifestyle within your home is impacted. This may involve being unable to use facilities such as your kitchen or bathroom. Impacts on your physical health may follow, as your ability to maintain cleanliness is severely impacted, and pests begin to congregate.
There are also other safety risks associated with hoarding, as the behaviour may increase the risk of property fires, and make evacuation difficult.
Information and help relating to hoarding is available via the NHS website.
The first step is a chat with one of our friendly team and to arrange a visit. This is important so that we fully understand your needs and the work required. We can then provide an accurate estimate for the work, and begin to make a plan:
1. There will likely be items which you would wish to keep - these can be documented and a plan made to organise the items, move them to a separate room for storage, or remove them from the home temporarily whilst the clearance takes place.
2. Next we consider the clearance of unwanted hoarded items and waste. Depending on the quantity of items to be removed from the property, we may recommend the use of skip(s) or waste collections. These will be organised on your behalf and charged at cost.
3. The property will then be deep-cleaned and disinfected. A hoard of items can often cover up extensive grime build-up, so this is often the most time-consuming part of the process.
We may have further discussions around the items you do not wish to keep - as a responsible and environmentally-conscious business, we consider that some items can be reused, sold or donated to charity for onward sale. Your wishes will be paramount when these decisions are made.
We are sympathetic to the value people have attached to hoarded items, and understand that a company coming to your home and emptying it with impunity could be very upsetting.
Whilst we may voice any concerns we have, relating to items that are damaged or otherwise hazardous, your wishes will always be respected.
We maintain clear communication with our clients at every step of the process. This may be your home, or a family members, and therefore working with you towards a mutual goal is important.
We will work with you, to build a plan to tackle the work, whilst reassuring you and remaining supportive throughout the process.
Where you feel you cannot address the problem, and would like us to manage the process entirely, we are happy to do so. We will pay special attention to your wishes, and treat all of your property with respect, leaving you with a clean slate on which to rebuild your life.
No matter the size or condition of your property, our experienced teams are ready to help.

Void Properties

A void property refers to a home or business premises which has been vacated, either voluntarily or forcibly, which then remains vacant due to being ‘uninhabitable’ through the previous tenants actions or general disrepair.
The tenant may have abandoned the property (leaving it open to squatters), exhibited hoarding behaviours, have allowed the property’s condition to decline over time through a lack of maintenance, or allowed it to be used for illicit activities.
In our context, ‘void property’ is an umbrella term for any property that is empty and, to a reasonable person, not suitable for tenancy, such as:
- Squatter properties
- Derelict properties
- Abandoned properties
- Properties subject to closure order (under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014)
Void Properties
Properties which have been left empty for a long time can deteriorate or become vandalised, resulting in potentially dangerous environments which present risks to you, your staff and indeed those wishing to clear and clean the property.
Void properties may contain biohazards, such as human waste or substance abuse paraphernalia (e.g. needles, sharps). There may also be damage to fixtures, fittings and the properties structure.
Often they are infested by pests, which present problems of their own due to harmful pathogens.
Squatter properties
Safety can be a real concern when dealing with properties affected by squatters or those who have abused a property. Drug paraphernalia is more likely to be present, and may have been left in positions intentionally designed to cause harm. Extreme caution must therefore be taken by anyone entering the property, and our team is trained in the safest practices.
Post-eviction properties
In some cases, properties may have been deliberately damaged or left in disarray, in protest of eviction. These properties present their own risks, often dependent on the reason for eviction. For example, the property may have been used as a cannabis-farm, drug den, cuckoo-house, or for other illegal activities.
A primary concern is hypodermic needles and other drug paraphernalia left by drug users.
Our services are available to all types of property, including houses, flats, shops, pubs, restaurants and public buildings.
As a specialist in biohazard and extreme cleaning, we have the expertise and experience to manage the risks that void properties pose. We provide void property clearance and cleaning services to the highest standard in compliance with health and safety regulations.
Specialist Cleaning Limited are registered as upper-tier waste carriers, and all waste is disposed of in accordance with current waste disposal regulations.
We use a variety of waste disposal methods, including the use of waste collections, skips and removal by our own cleaning teams, depending on the quantity of waste and any hazardous classifications.
Waste may be recycled, sent to landfill or incinerated depending on it’s type and any risk it poses to health or the environment.