Key takeaways
- Secure the property and confirm the executor's authority first. Don't remove, give away or dispose of anything valuable until the executor agrees.
- Sort belongings into five groups: keep, sell, donate, recycle, dispose. Documents, devices and valuables go to the executor first.
- Australia has no single national deadline to empty the house, but insurance, ongoing costs and the ATO's two-year capital gains tax rule create practical deadlines.
- Get professional help when the volume, safety risks, distance or timing are more than family can manage.
Losing someone is hard enough. Then comes the house: decades of belongings, paperwork that may matter, and decisions that can strain even close families.
This checklist walks executors, family members and trustees through the practical side of a deceased estate property in the order it usually needs to happen. It’s general information, not legal, financial or tax advice, so confirm the details with the estate’s solicitor and accountant.
What is a deceased estate? A deceased estate is everything a person owned when they died, including property, money and belongings, along with any debts. It’s managed and distributed under their will or, if there’s no will, under state or territory law.
What should you do first when a loved one's home needs to be dealt with?
Secure the property, find the will, confirm who the executor is, and hold off removing anything until the executor has authority. Work through these in order:
- Secure the home. Lock all doors and windows, redirect or collect the mail, remove perishable food and take dated photos of every room. Those photos become your baseline record.
- Find the will and identify the executor. Check with a solicitor, the Public Trustee in your state or territory, or the person’s own papers.
- Call the home insurer. Many policies restrict cover once a property has been unoccupied for a set period, so check the terms of your policy now, not later.
- Register the death and get certified copies of the death certificate. Once the death is registered, you can use the free Australian Death Notification Service to notify multiple organisations at once.
- Hold valuables and paperwork safely. Move cash, jewellery, keys, devices and original documents to a secure place and list what you moved.
In many cases, contents can be sorted before a grant of probate is issued. But that is a question for the estate’s solicitor, so ask before anything leaves the property, and keep a written record of what goes where.
Who is responsible for clearing out a deceased estate property?
The executor named in the will, or an administrator appointed if there’s no will, is generally responsible. They can delegate the physical work to family or professionals, but they remain accountable for the outcome. Reasonable clearing and cleaning costs are commonly paid from the estate. Confirm this with the solicitor, and keep every invoice and receipt.
How long do you have to clear a deceased estate house?
There’s no single legal deadline to empty the property, but several practical deadlines apply. These are the most common:
The ATO can extend the two-year period in some circumstances. Its guidance says it grants an extension automatically if you meet all five listed conditions, and you can request a discretionary extension if you don’t. Check the ATO’s extension rules with your accountant before relying on one.
How do you sort a deceased person's belongings?
Work room by room and sort every item into one of five groups: keep, sell, donate, recycle or dispose.
Tips that keep families on the same page:
- Start with the least emotional spaces, such as the garage, laundry and linen cupboard, before moving to bedrooms and personal papers.
- Agree a process in writing before anyone takes anything. Photograph and list items, and let the executor approve who receives what.
- Search before you discard. Cash, share certificates, old bank books, coins, keys and spare wills turn up in coat pockets, books, freezers and tins.
- Don’t shred financial or legal papers until the solicitor confirms they aren’t needed.
- Look at devices and digital accounts. Phones, laptops and cloud accounts can hold photos, banking access and important records.
Which items need special handling?
Some items can’t simply go in a skip. Handle these with care:
- Medications: take them to a pharmacy. Don’t bin or flush them.
- Firearms: if you find any, don’t move them. Contact your state or territory police firearms registry.
- Paint, chemicals, gas bottles and batteries: use your council’s hazardous waste drop-off.
- Asbestos: homes built or renovated before the 1990s may contain it. Don’t drill, sand or break suspect materials.
- Personal documents: these carry identity theft risk, so shred them only once the executor agrees.
What if the house is in poor condition?
If the home has heavy accumulation, biological hazards, mould or strong odours, a general clear-out isn’t enough. These situations need specialist assessment and equipment:
- Rooms packed to the point of blocked access, or long-term neglect, may call for specialist hoarding and squalor clean-up.
- Where a person has died at home and has not been found for some time, trauma cleaning deals with biological contamination safely.
- Visible growth, musty smells or water damage point to mould remediation.
- Lingering smoke, pet or nicotine smells may need professional odour removal.
Don’t push through these alone. Sharps, contaminated materials and unstable stacks put your health at risk.
Should you do it yourself or hire professionals?
Do it yourself when the job is small, safe and local. Hire professionals when volume, risk, distance or timing outweigh what your family can manage.
A dedicated estate and home clear-out service sorts, clears and cleans the property under your instructions, and works with executors who can’t be on site.
Before you hire anyone, ask:
- Are you IICRC-certified? The Australian cleaning and restoration industry is largely unregulated, so certification is a useful signal.
- Will you follow my written instructions on what to keep, donate or dispose of?
- What happens to valuables or documents you find?
- How do you handle donation, recycling and disposal?
- Will you provide a written scope and quote?
- Can you work with an interstate executor using photos, video and updates?
How much does clearing a deceased estate cost?
The cost depends on the property’s size, the volume of contents, access, sorting time, disposal needs and whether cleaning is included. Photos of each room help any provider quote accurately. For more detail, see AllAces’ guide to what affects deceased estate clean-up costs and the pricing page.
Meet the specialists behind sensitive property work
When a clear-out involves hoarding, biohazards or emotionally difficult circumstances, who does the work matters. AllAces is an IICRC-certified firm with more than 35 years of experience, and every job is matched to a technician with the right specialty.
Two of our subject matter experts often support properties like these:
- Joe Toghian, our Hoarding and Squalor Clean Up Expert in Victoria, brings a practical, compassionate approach to complex clean-up environments and supports teams across QLD, NSW and VIC.
- Marc Christie, our Trauma and Biohazard Cleaning Expert in Queensland, is IICRC-certified and leads field teams on sensitive, complex work.
Meet all of our experts to see who they are, what they specialise in and how we match a technician to your job.
What happens after the house is cleared?
Once the property is empty and clean, the executor can list it for sale, hand it to a property manager or keep it. Keep the settlement date in mind, book the final clean before inspections and return all keys with a written record. Keep your photos, receipts and lists together, because your solicitor and accountant will need them.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, support is available. Griefline offers free, confidential support.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need probate before clearing a deceased person's house?
Not always. Many executors sort and clear contents before a grant of probate is issued, but formal authority is usually needed to sell the property or deal with certain assets. Check with the estate’s solicitor first, keep a record of what is removed, and don’t dispose of anything valuable until the executor agrees.
Who pays for clearing a deceased estate?
Reasonable clearing and cleaning costs are commonly paid from the estate’s funds, but the executor should confirm this with the estate’s solicitor and keep all invoices and receipts. If estate accounts are restricted while probate is pending, executors sometimes pay first and are reimbursed later.
Can family members take items before the estate is finalised?
Only with the executor’s agreement. Taking items informally can cause disputes and, for valuable items, may affect how the estate is distributed. Agree on a process in writing, photograph and list items, and let the executor approve who receives what.
What can you do with belongings that nobody wants?
Sell valuable items through auction or online marketplaces, donate usable goods to charities, recycle metals, e-waste and textiles where possible, and dispose of the rest at licensed facilities. A professional clear-out team can arrange donation and responsible disposal.
Can you organise a house clear-out from interstate?
Yes. Executors living interstate or overseas commonly rely on photos, video walkthroughs and written instructions, with a professional team doing the physical sorting and clearing and reporting back before anything is disposed of.
Need a hand with the house?
You don’t have to do this alone. AllAces’ estate and home clear-out team works across NSW, QLD, VIC and TAS. Talk to an expert or call 1800 00 10 10. Photos of the property help us scope the job.
Related reading: leaving a deceased estate house empty · preparing a deceased estate for sale
Sources and further reading: Australian Death Notification Service · Services Australia: Who to tell when someone dies · ATO: Inherited property and CGT · IICRC Australia
This article is general information only and isn’t legal, financial or tax advice. Rules vary by state and territory and by individual circumstances.
How this guide was put together
Written by Joe Toghian, AllAces’ hoarding and squalor clean-up expert (VIC), with technical input from Marc Christie, IICRC-certified trauma and biohazard cleaning expert (QLD). Meet the AllAces experts.
General information only. References reviewed September 2026. Next review March 2027.
