Lifestyle & Entertainment
21 February, 2025
Managing deceased estate clean-ups in inner city suburbs
This guide will help you manage a deceased estate clean-up.
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On the list of overwhelming tasks in life, managing the estate of a deceased loved one is right at the top.
It often arrives at your door unannounced, carrying heavy emotional baggage.
Along with arranging a funeral, if the recently deceased was living closer to the city, you'll likely need to plan multiple trips from the country to sort things out.
To help avoid unnecessary back-and-forth, we've prepared a guide to help you manage deceased estate clean-ups in inner city suburbs.
If you go into the job with a solid plan, you'll make things easier, both physically and emotionally.
So, keep reading as we share our advice on managing deceased estate clean-ups in inner city suburbs.
1. Remove rubbish and household waste
Before you can start to get into the physical and emotional labour of managing the property, you must first clear it of rubbish and waste.
This is important not only to provide a clearer space from which to sort through belongings, but also to keep the property sanitary and hygienic in between your visits. There are dedicated deceased estate rubbish removal services in Melbourne to help clear the house of junk, from general rubbish to broken furniture or excess items.
Working with trained professionals will help remove some of the strain of handling this task by yourself, removing the need for heavy lifting and a trip to the tip, as well as guiding you through the emotional process.
Keeping the property clear of large amounts of rubbish will also help prevent thieves and burglars from identifying that it is no longer occupied - which is essential if you won't always be around to keep an eye on things yourself.
2. Notify all relevant parties
It's an obvious task, but in the wake of losing a family member, it's easy to forget certain individuals or groups when delivering the news.
Look past family and friends and determine who else played a significant role in the deceased's life, such as carers, employers, and business partners. Be patient and thorough with this step.
Don't forget to notify legal associations such as banks, utility companies and tax authorities so you can stop post and bills coming to the property, and to apply for a death certificate. You can use the Australian Death Notification Service to notify multiple organisations at once.
Note: who has legal authority over a deceased estate?
Before you take any decisive actions over the property, you must first find out if a will exists, and if so, who is named executor to carry out the deceased's wishes and manage their estate. If no will exists (and this is a common occurrence), you will need to appoint an administrator. Typically, this is the next available senior next of kin.
Before you proceed further, hire an estate lawyer to help with matters. Why? Because this is when the emotional can clash with the legal.
You might be next of kin but your estranged younger sibling has been named executor. Or, the immediate next of kin named administrator lives in a nursing home and is unable to perform the role.
Make sure you have sound legal advice to steer the ship forward in an equitable manner.
Gather and certify documents
The Grant of Probate (if a will exists) or Letters of Administration (if no will exists) are the first documents you'll need to obtain to continue managing the property.
This process validates the executor or administrator to manage the estate. Whilst waiting for its arrival, there is no need to make frequent trips into the city relating to the property.
After that, it's a matter of obtaining every other required document. The size of your document list will depend upon the size of the estate.
That said, documents relating to life, health and funeral insurance mortgages, bank accounts, deeds, and property ownership must be collected and distributed accordingly.
Distribute sentimental items together
If you were close to the deceased, your grief will manifest any way it wants. Coping with grief is a unique and life-long path everyone must walk at some point in their lives.
As you start to comb through the deceased's belongings, it can be helpful to take on the task with a family member.
Try to fairly and reasonably distribute the most valuable and personal items to individuals with strong personal connections.
If you're scattered around Victoria or even interstate, try to plan a weekend where the closest members can congregate at the inner city property to work through it together.
For those unable to make it, video calls can help them feel included in the process.
Remember that managing a deceased estate is not a race.
Trying to tie up every loose end in a short burst of time at the expense of acknowledging your grief won't help in the long run.
If focusing intently on the estate helps you cope, that's okay. If it only exacerbates how you're feeling, consider speaking with a grief counsellor, or seeking solace from friends or family who are slightly removed from the emotional toll.
Evaluate and clean the rest of the estate
Now it's time to manage the future of the estate. Create an inventory list of everything in it, including any garden space or shed items.
Regardless of whether you're dealing with a five-bedroom mansion in Toorak or a studio flat in Carlton, be meticulous and thorough. If you believe some of the items left in the estate are commercially valuable, consider hiring an appraiser to determine their exact value.
Decide whether you want to sell, donate or dispose of all the items in the inventory. Communicate this list to all necessary parties to avoid disputes.
Once again, you can enlist the help of a professional rubbish removal expert to respectfully dispose of all that's left over.
If you're going to sell or lease out the property, it will need to be empty by the time you've finished, apart from any furnishings you want to include as part of the agreement.
Stay organised during deceased estate clean-ups
Managing a deceased estate is a tough task, and it's even harder when you're not living close to the property and have to factor in logistical and transport arrangements.
One of the silver linings is that once you leave the city, you can remove it from the front of your mind until the next time you return. As long as you have secured the property, you can take your time. Don't let internal or external pressure undermine the selfless task you're doing. The more thoroughly you manage the estate, the better you can handle this chapter in your family's history.
Whether you decide to sell, lease or move into the property, we hope this guide has given you more confidence to take on managing a deceased estate.