Support for Accountants and Tax Advisers Handling Estates

Inheritance tax reporting depends on an accurate picture of what an estate contained, and contents valuations, even modest ones, form part of that picture. A clearance carried out purely for speed can undermine this, particularly if items are removed before anyone has had a chance to record or value them.

We approach clearances instructed by, or on behalf of, accountants and tax advisers with that reporting requirement in mind from the outset, rather than treating the property simply as a job to empty as quickly as possible.

• We can hold off disposing of contents until a named valuer has attended, if that has not happened before our involvement begins.
• Paperwork, financial documents and anything resembling estate records are kept aside rather than discarded, for your review or the executor's.
• We can provide a written note of what was cleared and when, useful as a supporting record alongside the formal valuation.
• Sets of items that might need specialist valuation, such as jewellery, watches, art, antiques or collections, are separated out rather than bundled with general household contents.
• We do not offer valuations, tax advice or opinions on reportable value; that remains firmly with you or a qualified valuer.

Supporting the contents valuation process

Where a formal valuation for probate has not yet taken place, we always recommend it happens before a full clearance, and we are glad to build our timeline around a valuer's availability rather than pushing to clear the property first. If a valuer needs access alongside our team, or before we begin, we can coordinate scheduling directly with them.

In cases where a low-value estate does not warrant a full professional valuation but you still want a documented record of contents for HMRC's low-value estate procedures, we can photograph rooms and note obviously distinguishable items as part of the clearance, though we would stress this is a practical record, not a valuation, and should not be treated as one.

Handling paperwork and financial records found on site

Estates often contain paper records that matter for tax purposes long after the obvious valuables have been dealt with: old share certificates, premium bond documents, correspondence with HMRC, pension statements, or years of bank statements that might evidence gifts made in the years before death, which is relevant to inheritance tax calculations involving lifetime transfers. Rather than treating paper as clutter, we set aside anything resembling financial or official correspondence for your review, boxed and left at the property or delivered to an address you specify, rather than assuming it can be recycled.

This is a small thing operationally, but it avoids the genuinely difficult problem of a document mattering for a tax return after it has already gone to landfill.

Timing around HMRC deadlines

Accountants working on inheritance tax returns are often working against firm deadlines, and a property clearance sitting in the middle of that timeline needs to happen at the right moment, not simply as soon as possible. We can plan a clearance date around your reporting schedule, whether that means holding off until a valuation is confirmed, or moving relatively quickly once you have what you need from the contents so that the property can be sold and the estate wound up.

If your priority shifts partway through, for example because a valuation is delayed, we can adjust scheduling without difficulty, since we understand the property side of the work is only one part of a wider process you are managing.

Estates with unusual or overlooked assets

Some estates contain items that are easy to miss during a quick walkthrough but matter a great deal for a complete tax return: a coin collection kept in a drawer, an old insurance policy document, premium bonds never cashed in, or foreign currency left over from years of travel. We approach every clearance with the awareness that an accountant further down the chain needs the full picture, not just the obviously valuable furniture and jewellery, so we take a methodical approach to less visible spaces such as drawers, cupboards and storage boxes rather than assuming they contain nothing of note.

Where we find something that looks financially relevant but is not obviously valuable in itself, such as an old share certificate or a savings account passbook, we still set it aside for your attention rather than making a judgement call ourselves about whether it matters.

Working with smaller and larger practices alike

Sole-practitioner accountants handling the occasional estate for a long-standing client have different needs from larger firms with a dedicated private client or trust and estates team managing several probate cases at once. We adjust our level of process accordingly: a simpler, single point of contact and a plain written summary usually suits a smaller practice, while larger teams often prefer a more structured scope document and completion report that fits into their own file-management system.

Either way, the underlying standard of care around records and valuable items stays the same.

How the work runs

We usually start with a call or email from the accountant, tax adviser or the executor they are advising, describing the property and where estate reporting currently stands. We then assess the property and set out a written plan, including cost, which depends on volume, access and disposal requirements, and confirm whether a valuer needs to attend before we do.

Once agreed, we carry out the clearance on the confirmed date, keeping aside anything flagged for review, and provide a written confirmation of completion, along with any records or photographs you have asked for. Invoices and documentation can be addressed to the accountant's firm, the executor, or both, depending on how you would like the file organised.

Estates with business assets or mixed-use property

Some estates include a property used partly for business purposes, such as a home with a workshop, a let annexe, or stock and equipment connected to a sole trader's business that ceased on death, and these situations often carry additional tax considerations around business relief or ongoing obligations that sit squarely within your expertise rather than ours. Where a clearance involves this kind of mixed-use property, we take particular care to separate anything that looks like it relates to a business activity, such as invoices, stock records or equipment, and hold it aside for your review rather than treating it as ordinary household contents.

Gifts, chattels and lifetime transfers

Inheritance tax reporting sometimes needs to account for gifts made during the deceased's lifetime, and evidence of those gifts can occasionally still be found within a property, whether that is a note referring to an item given to a family member, or correspondence about a transfer of value that took place years earlier. We do not attempt to interpret what we find in this respect, but we do flag anything that looks like it might relate to a gift or lifetime transfer, leaving the judgement about its relevance to you or the executor.

Estates spanning more than one property or location

Occasionally an estate you are advising on includes a property outside London, perhaps a holiday home or a second residence, and you would still like a single, consistent approach to clearance and record-keeping across every property in the estate. While our main coverage is London and the surrounding area, we are happy to discuss estates involving a property further afield, either arranging that work ourselves where practical or coordinating closely with a local provider so that reporting remains consistent across the whole estate rather than fragmented between different suppliers.

Common questions

Can you value items for probate purposes?

No. We are not valuers and do not provide figures for probate or IHT reporting.

We can, however, hold back items for a qualified valuer to assess before anything is disposed of.

What if the estate valuation has already been completed?

That is the most straightforward scenario. Once a valuation is in hand, we can proceed with a full clearance, still keeping aside anything unusual we come across that was not part of the original valuation, in case it needs a second look.

Can you provide a written record for our file?

Yes. We can provide a written note of the clearance date, a general description of contents removed, and photographs if useful, which some accountants like to keep alongside the formal valuation as a supporting record.

Do you deal directly with the executor or only with us?

Either is fine. Some accountants prefer to manage the relationship themselves and pass instructions to us, while others prefer we liaise directly with the executor and copy the accountant on updates.

What happens to financial paperwork found in the property?

We do not dispose of anything resembling financial or official documents without instruction. These are boxed and either left securely at the property or delivered to an address you specify.

Can the clearance be delayed until after a specific reporting deadline?

Yes. We can hold a provisional date and adjust it around your reporting timeline, since we understand the clearance often needs to fit around, rather than dictate, the wider tax process.