Clearing out a parent's home: a calm guide, step by step
When a parent dies or moves into care, their home often has to be cleared within a few months. This guide helps you do things in the right order: deadlines first, then papers, keepsakes and the rest.
Clearing out a parent's home is hard. There are memories in every drawer, and often a deadline at the same time. Doing things in the right order makes it a little easier. This is the order we suggest.
1. Find out how much time you have
If the home was rented, look for the rental contract first.
- After a death: if nobody else takes over the tenancy, it passes to the heirs. The heirs can end it with the legal notice period of about three months. They have to do this within one month of learning of the death and that nobody is taking over the flat.
- When a parent moves into care: the normal notice period for tenants applies, which is also about three months.
There are exceptions, so if you are unsure, ask the landlord or a tenants' association (Mieterverein). If the home is owned, there is no notice period, but the running costs continue.
2. Not sure about the inheritance? Wait before you give things away
In Germany, heirs can turn down an inheritance, for example when there are debts. This has to be done within six weeks of learning that you are an heir. If you aren't sure yet, get advice from the probate court (Nachlassgericht) or a lawyer before you sell or give away anything from the home.
3. Look for papers and valuables first
Before anything leaves the home, go through it for papers and valuables. Check folders, drawers, books, coat pockets and old handbags. Look for:
- ID card and passport
- a will, contracts and insurance papers
- bank, pension and tax letters
- the rental contract or the property papers
- keys, jewellery, cash and family photos
Keep everything you find in one box, so nothing gets lost again.
4. Let the family choose
Give everyone a fair chance to choose keepsakes before the clear-out. A simple way: each person marks what they want with stickers in their own colour. Family members who live far away can choose from photos in a family chat. Agree on a date by which everything chosen is collected.
5. Sell, give away or let go
- Furniture and household goods in good condition can go to second-hand shops, social shops or neighbours who need them. The city of Nuremberg also runs a swap and give-away exchange (Tausch- und Verschenkbörse).
- Things with resale value can lower the price of a clear-out: we credit them against the cost. Mention them in your request.
- Selling takes time. If the deadline is close, it is often wiser to let things go.
6. The city helps after a death
After a death, relatives in Nuremberg don't have to wait for a bulky-waste pickup date. With the original death certificate, they can take the bulky waste from the household to the city's recycling centres (Wertstoffhöfe) free of charge. The details are on the city's bulky-waste page.
7. Leave the rest to a team
When the family has what it wants, the rest can go in one go. We carry everything out, take it away and leave the rooms swept clean, ready for the hand-over to the landlord or the new owner.
When you are ready, send us a few photos of the home and tell us your deadline. We'll send you a free, no-obligation quote.