Our Office Furniture Clearance Guide

A thorough planning and project management strategy are required for an office clearance. This office clearance guide offers a few helpful tips and guidance on how to start the process.

Identify the items you want to keep or want to get rid and dispose of

To state the obvious, before you begin an office clearance operation, you must first determine what items have to go or be kept. Before you hire an office clearance specialist, the only items left in your office should be those you want to get rid of. If not, you should take the time to figure out what you will take with you and what you will leave behind. Without this information, the clearance firm will be unable to provide an accurate estimate for the time and cost of the clearance and you may be unable to obtain competitive estimates from other contractors.

When must your office clearance be completed?

When must the property be entirely cleared? Set a date and work backwards. To begin, leave extra time at the end as a buffer in case the clearance takes longer than expected. The bigger the clearance, the more contingency is necessary. Then there’s the time it takes to get an office clearance. Naturally, this will depend on the size of the property and the number of items that need to be cleaned – but, assuming you are not under any time constraints, a fair guideline would be to allow one day for every three Luton van loads (about six builders’ skips) of garbage cleared.

You should also allow at least a week for contractors to prepare quotations and appropriate resources in their operational calendar to complete the clearance. Seeking quotes faster than this and expecting clearance companies to start and finish the job in shorter timeframes will not only add significant stress and increase the likelihood of deadlines not being met, but it will also limit your choice of contractor to those firms that are not already busy – which typically means the worst in the market! Because the reuse market is generally undynamic, it will also considerably diminish your prospects of attaining major reuse (either through sale to second-hand office furniture dealers or donation to charities).

Choosing the right Office Clearance Company for the job

Once you’ve determined what items need to be removed and how much time you have, you’ll need to hire an office clearance specialist to do the job. The key to finding the right organisation is to consider the four ‘R’s: references, resources, rapport, and rates. First, references: if your clearing is extensive and complicated, deal with a business that has actual experience with this kind of job and can offer reliable testimonials for it. References should not only be glowing but also recent.

Secondly, verify their resources to ensure they have the necessary resources to complete the clearing. It’s fine if an office clearance firm hires a couple of temporary employees to help with a huge job, but the project manager, the majority of the clearance teams, and the site team supervisor all need to know what they’re doing. Next, there is rapport. Before granting the office clearance contract, make it a point to speak with the operational staff (not simply the business development manager). It’s bound to get a little tense at some point during the clearance, so you need to be working with people you get along with and who communicate well.

Lastly, rates. How much will they charge? To ensure you receive comparative and informed quotations, ask contractors to submit not only a total project pricing but also a fee per van or truckload, the cubic capacity of their collection vehicle(s), and an estimate of how many loads they believe the clearance will be. This latter figure will also give you an idea of how experienced the office clearance business is. It may appear that a bad volume estimate resulting in a low price proposal is a desirable thing, but in fact, an incorrectly priced quote is more likely to result in project overruns, unpleasant requests for additional payments, and general extra distress.

The Sale of Second-hand Office and IT Equipment

Any reputable office clearance company will have access to a network of specialised second-hand dealers, charities, and recycling groups for reselling office furniture and IT equipment. So, once they’ve visited your location, don’t be afraid to ask them what they’re thinking about in terms of reuse and recycling, and whether rebates are likely to be available. They should at the very least be discussing the separation of cargoes into distinct streams such as wood, paper, metal, and general mixed rubbish. At best, they will allude to the number of products that can be reused and ask whether you prefer charitable contribution or straightforward selling.

In addition, the market for used office furniture such as desks, chairs, filing cabinets, and pedestals is relatively uncertain, often slow-moving, and only works well for big numbers of the same item in good shape. Selling or giving tiny amounts of various furnishings takes time, and the prices available, unless the item is exceptionally valuable, mean that you will increase your costs rather than reduce them. So, if you have 20 old office chairs of various quality, specifications, and conditions, you’re not going to Barbados on the back of your winnings if you try to sell them! However, 100 modern desks of the same type and condition are likely to be of interest to the used office furniture market, though you may have to wait a few weeks to find a buyer willing to take them.

Working IT equipment, particularly PCs, is also resalable. However, redundant computer monitors (CRTs) and appliances containing refrigerants (CFCs), such as air conditioning units and refrigerators, are hazardous trash and, as a result, highly expensive to dispose of because they must be disposed of in a certain manner. Remember that the disposal of any waste electronics and electrical equipment (WEEE) is a specialised and highly regulated field, so always ensure that the organisation you are working with can provide you with necessary documentation and evidence of where the WEEE is being taken.

Reporting and compliance with regard to waste

You have a responsibility to ensure that your waste is appropriately disposed of. If you hire a contractor to remove your garbage only for it to be fly-tipped or illegally exported, you could face criminal charges as well as civil claims for any damage caused to third parties.

To begin, ensure that the clearance firm is a licenced waste carrier (carriers with a main office in Scotland are normally registered with SEPA, although any officially recognised registration is acceptable) and that it has appropriate insurances, health and safety rules, and practises in place for this type of work. A risk assessment for the project is unquestionably required.

Once the clearance has begun, you should obtain a waste transfer note for each collection (vanload, skip, or roll-on roll-off [RORO] container) of rubbish made by the office clearance business from your site. The waste transfer note should include the date, the collection address, the waste being removed, including its volume and/or weight, and the names of your organisation and the waste contractor performing the collection.

If any hazardous waste items are removed (most typically computer monitors, refrigerators, and air conditioners), you should receive a hazardous waste consignment notice detailing the same.

Remember that items passed on for reuse are not rubbish and hence do not require a waste transfer note. However, for your own internal records, always request a receipt for any reuse collection, specifying what things were taken, when they were removed, and which organisation they were meant for.

Although it is not yet a legal necessity, it is becoming more typical for organisations performing an office clearance to be presented with a final report detailing what was removed, where it was transported, and how much was reused, repurposed, or disposed of. If materials are sent for recycling or disposed of as general waste, they are typically described in terms of waste type (e.g. paper & cardboard) and overall weight and volume (e.g. 1350kg, 25 cubic yards). The contractor should also provide information on which waste facilities each garbage load was delivered to and what the facility’s reported % landfill diversion rates are.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Office Clearances and Junk Removal services provide essential solutions for businesses looking to manage the transition from old to new office spaces seamlessly. These services encompass the removal of office furniture, including desks, and offer a comprehensive office furniture clearance service. By leveraging these services, businesses can efficiently clear their offices, freeing up valuable office space and creating an environment conducive to productivity in their new office. So, when it’s time to clear your office, consider the advantages of an office clearance service to simplify the process and optimise your workspace.

Contact Us Today!

Ready to transform your cluttered office into a clean, organised space? Don’t wait any longer! Contact Jettison Express, your trusted partner for office clearances, at 0333 880 6800. Let us help you reclaim your office space and streamline your operations. Don’t let waste hold you back; take action today and experience the Jettison Express difference! Your more efficient and productive office awaits.