There isn’t a single price for office clearance. Anyone who gives you a price over the phone without some preliminary questions is making up a guess. Cost depends on the clearance job. A small, single office clearance with a direct line to the clearance van is a fraction of the price of a full office clearance that requires multiple trips up and down the stairs, plus a half-day suspension of office parking. In the meantime, here are some good indicators of cost.
Volume: How Much Stuff There Is
This one is pretty obvious. More furniture and equipment means a larger clearance crew and larger disposal services. Many clearance firms charge based on the amount of stuff that needs to be cleared, and often the price is based on cubic yards or the volume of stuff that fits in a single clearance van. A rough rule of thumb is, a single small office may clear a single clearance van, while an entire office floor may clear several vans. A good way to reduce price is to clear obvious waste and thin down office supplies before the clearance.
Access, or how easy it is to get it out
This is likely to be the most important factor for most clearances, but is often overlooked. Ground floor with a loading bay next to the van is one price. Fourth floor with a lift that only fits four chairs, or no lift, is a lengthy and labour-intensive job. A long carry to the street? A narrow doorway? Tight stairs? Everything adds time, and time is costly. Inform the clearance team of the access at the outset. A surprise on the day is a surprise on the bill.
Parking and timing
In Central London, you often can’t park right outside the building. It may require a parking suspension and reserving a parking bay with the council, which incurs a cost and requires notice. Some buildings will only allow clearances before or after business hours, and will require an early or late start to the clearance, which also incurs a cost. It is worth finding out the rules from your building manager.
What is being cleared
Not everything being cleared can be disposed of at one cost. Clearances, general waste, recycling and electricals differ in cost and how they are routed. Old IT and electricals are governed by WEEE and cost more than clear dumping. The upside is that anything that can be used or sold has value. A good clearance firm will sell or donate what they can to reduce the net cost, so do not assume everything is a disposal charge. It is always good to ask how they split the jobs.
Data and Documents
Uncleared company documents and data from old PCs need to be dealt with securely. Do not throw them into a skip. Certified data destruction and shredding are worth every penny because they are secure. When data destruction is certified, you get a record of what was destroyed.
How much will certified shredding cost?
Well, without a proper assessment a guess will have to suffice, which I’m sure you can agree, is not ideal. Typically, to get the best price, companies have been more lenient and are offering a quick on-site visit or a video walk-through to price shredding. Beware a price is given without one of these two options. A few suggestions:
When you’re getting quotes, try and get three. Provide the exact same info so you get the same scope.
A quote is meaningless if it doesn’t have shredding data included, transportation, waste, labor, and data shredding, so the cheapest quote isn’t necessarily the best.
Ask for their shredding license. If they don’t have it, your waste is still your responsibility after they’ve taken it.
You can clear out before shredding to save on transportation.
Get the shredding service price in writing so you know exactly what to expect.
A clearance done well should happen quickly and unobtrusively. The cost will always follow the job, so the more information you give a firm about the space and the access, the more accurate the quote will be to the final bill.
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