Property Clear Out in Dublin 2: Georgian Houses From Basement to Attic

A house that has been several things at once

The Georgian and Victorian terraces of Dublin 2 were built as family houses and have been almost everything since. A typical building today might have storage in the basement, a flat on the hall floor, offices on the two floors above and rooms under the roof that nobody has opened in years. When it is sold, inherited, re-let or refurbished, all of it has to be emptied.

That is what we mean by a property clear out: not one flat or one office, but the whole building, from the basement to the attic, under one instruction and one price. It is a different job from clearing a single apartment in a managed block, which our Dublin 2 and Docklands apartment guide covers, and the general service is described on the property clearance page.

PropertyClearance.ie is based in Athy, Co. Kildare, and works across Dublin six days a week. Call 083 090 4545 or send photos for a price. Nothing here is legal advice; anything to do with tenants' belongings, leases or an estate is for the owner's solicitor.

Floor by floor: what each level usually holds

Every building is different, but the same things turn up on the same floors often enough to plan around:

The basement

The basement is where the job is won or lost. It is usually the fullest level, the hardest to get out of and the one with the most surprises.

• Access. Most basements are reached by steps down from the street behind railings, by an inside stair from the hall, or both. Tell us which, and send a photo of each.
• Damp. Furniture, carpets and boxes that have sat in a damp basement are rarely fit for reuse, and wet paper is heavy. Say if there has been water in it.
• Cellars under the footpath. Many of these houses have coal cellars opening off the basement area. Open them before you take photos; they are often full.
• What we cannot take. Paint, solvents, oils, fuel, chemicals, batteries and gas cylinders are common in basements and are not things we collect. If old pipework or a boiler is wrapped in lagging that could contain asbestos, leave it alone and tell the building's surveyor. We do not disturb it.

Basement work is described in more detail on our basement clearance page.

The stairs, and the order of work

A Georgian staircase is wide and shallow on the main floors and narrows sharply above them. That shapes the order we work in.

We start at the top. The small rooms under the roof are emptied first, while the stairs below are clear, and each floor is finished before the one beneath it is started. Large furniture is taken apart where the top flights need it. The basement is done last or alongside, through its own door, so the two streams of work do not cross on the stairs.

Many of these buildings are protected structures, and even where they are not, the stairs, handrails, doors and plasterwork are the most valuable thing in them. Floors and stairs are covered where needed, and items are carried, not dragged. If there are original features you are concerned about, point them out before we start.

How a whole-building clear out is arranged

From first contact to keys back, in the order it usually happens:

1. Photos of every floor. Each room from the doorway, the basement, the stairs at their narrowest and the street outside the front door.
2. A list of what stays. Fitted items, anything belonging to a tenant, and anything an agent or solicitor has said must be kept.
3. One fixed price. In writing, for the whole property. For a large or complicated building we arrange a visit before pricing.
4. A plan for the street. Where the truck can stop, at what times, and whether the rear of the building can be used.
5. Top floor down, basement last. Each level emptied, checked and swept before the next is started.
6. Photographs and keys. Every floor photographed empty, and the keys returned to you or your agent.

Loading on a city-centre street

We will not guess at the loading and parking arrangements outside your building, because they change from one street to the next and from one time of day to another. What we ask for is simple:

• A photo of the street outside the door, showing the kerb and any signs on the nearest poles
• A photo of the rear, if there is a lane, a gate or a yard
• Any times when the building, the street or the neighbours would prefer not to have a truck at the door

Where the truck cannot wait outside, everything is brought down to the hall first and loaded in short, full runs. We start at 8am, and for a building with offices next door an early start usually suits everyone.

What is checked before anything leaves

A building that has had several uses holds several people's things. Before anything is removed, we need to know whose it is.

• Tenants' belongings. If a flat or an office was let, anything a tenant left behind is not automatically the owner's to dispose of. Photograph it, list it and take advice from your solicitor. We can clear everything else and leave those items in one room.
• Paper files. Offices leave archive boxes. If the files are confidential, arrange secure shredding before the clear out or tell us to leave them. Tell us which boxes are files so they are dealt with as you instruct.
• Computers and phones. We take them for recycling but do not wipe them. Have drives removed or wiped first if that matters.
• Personal papers and photographs. In a house that was also someone's home, these are set aside as they are found and handed to you.
• Fittings. Fireplaces, shutters, doors, light fittings and anything fixed stay unless the owner tells us in writing that they are to go.

What the building needs next

Why the building is being emptied changes what 'finished' means, so tell us which applies.

For a sale, the agent needs every room visible for photographs and viewings, including the basement and the top floor. For a letting, the floors being let need to be empty and the common stairs clear. For a refurbishment, the contractor needs the whole building empty before starting, and it helps to know their start date. In each case the rooms are left empty and swept. We do not offer a deep clean or any building work.

What PropertyClearance.ie does in a building like this

A whole-building clear out brings most of our services together under one instruction:

• Property clearance: the whole building for an owner, executor, landlord or managing agent.
• Basement clearance: stored furniture, boxes and shelving from the lowest level and the cellars.
• Apartment clearance and end of tenancy clearance: flats on the hall floor or above.
• Office clearance: desks, chairs, cabinets and equipment from the working floors.
• Attic clearance: the rooms and roof space at the top of the house.
• Furniture removal: individual large pieces, where most of the building is already empty.

Reusable furniture goes to reuse where possible, metals and electrical items are recycled, and the rest goes to authorised waste facilities. PropertyClearance.ie is operated by Krystal Klean Express Limited, an authorised waste carrier under Waste Collection Permit No. NWCPO-25-13287-01, and is fully insured. We work Monday to Saturday, 8am to 5pm.

Dublin 2 and the neighbouring districts

We clear period buildings across Dublin 2 and the districts beside it, including Portobello, Ranelagh, Ballsbridge and Ringsend. For a family home rather than a mixed-use building, see our guide to clearing a period home in Donnybrook.