Office Clearance Costs UK: What You'll Actually Pay in 2026

"How much does office clearance cost?" is the most common question we hear — and the hardest to answer without seeing the space. Costs depend on volume, location, access and what's being cleared. This guide gives you realistic UK pricing based on real jobs, so you know what to expect before you pick up the phone.

Pricing by Office Size

These ranges are based on typical UK office clearances outside London. Prices include all disposal, documentation and a broom-clean finish. For London and the South East, add 20–30%.

Want a rough figure for your specific situation? Try our office clearance cost estimator — it factors in your office size, location and contents.

What Affects the Price

Eight main factors determine what you'll pay. Understanding these helps you compare quotes properly and spot hidden charges.

1. Volume — the biggest factor by far. More furniture, more equipment, more waste = higher cost. A densely packed floor with storage rooms full of old files costs significantly more than the same floor with just desks and chairs
2. Location — London and the South East are 20–30% above the national average (see below). Regional cities are closer to the national average. Rural locations may carry a travel surcharge
3. Floor level — ground floor with drive-up access is cheapest. Upper floors with slow goods lifts, narrow corridors or limited lift availability add time and cost. Walk-up buildings with no lift access carry a significant premium
4. Working hours — standard business hours are cheapest. If the building management restricts clearance to evenings or weekends (common in multi-tenant buildings), expect a 25–50% premium for out-of-hours work
5. IT and WEEE — large volumes of IT equipment require specialist WEEE handling and data destruction. A server room or floor full of monitors adds both cost and time
6. Hazardous materials — POPs-contaminated upholstery (pre-2019 office chairs and sofas) must be incinerated at £800–£1,500 per tonne. Fluorescent tubes, batteries and chemicals also require specialist disposal
7. Urgency — a standard 2–4 week lead time gives the clearance company scheduling flexibility. Rush jobs (under 1 week) typically carry a 20–30% premium
8. Access — loading bay availability, parking permits, building management restrictions, security requirements and method statements all affect the logistics and timeline

What Can Bring Costs Down

You have more control over clearance costs than you might think. These tactics genuinely reduce bills:

• Furniture resale offset — quality branded furniture (Herman Miller, Steelcase, Vitra, Humanscale) has significant resale value through trade channels. This is typically offset against your bill, reducing it by 10–30% on jobs with good stock. Only around 14% of end-of-life desks (roughly 200,000 per year in the UK) are actually reused, so quality items are in demand
• Flexible timing — if you can give the clearance company 3–4 weeks' notice and flexibility on the exact dates, they can schedule around their quieter periods. This often shaves 10–15% off the quote
• Pre-sorting — if your team separates items into "keeping", "waste" and "unknown" before the clearance company arrives, it saves their team sorting time. Label items clearly
• Good access — ground floor with loading bay access and nearby parking is the cheapest scenario. If you can arrange dedicated lift access or keep corridors clear, the job runs faster
• Combined services — if you need both clearance and removals, using one company for both often brings a package discount. It also eliminates coordination delays between contractors
• Off-peak timing — January to March and the summer months are typically quieter for clearance companies. Quarter-end months (March, June, September, December) tend to be busiest due to lease expiries

London and South East Premium

Office clearance in London and the South East typically costs 20–30% more than the national average. The premium comes from several factors:

• Congestion and ULEZ charges — large vehicles face ULEZ daily charges (currently £12.50) plus congestion charges in central London (£15/day). Multi-day jobs multiply these costs
• Parking and loading permits — council parking suspensions in London boroughs cost £50–£200+ per bay per day. Some boroughs require 5+ days' notice
• Restricted access hours — central London buildings frequently restrict loading to early morning or evening windows, requiring out-of-hours working
• Waste disposal costs — licensed disposal facilities in London and the South East charge more due to higher land and operating costs
• Labour costs — clearance team wages are higher in London, reflecting the broader cost of living

A clearance that would cost £3,000 in Manchester or Birmingham might cost £3,600–£4,000 in outer London and £4,000–£5,000+ in central London, primarily due to access complexity and working restrictions.

Hidden Costs to Watch For

When comparing quotes, check for these charges that may not be included in the headline price:

• VAT — any VAT-registered clearance company (turnover above £90,000) must charge 20% VAT. A "£5,000" quote becomes £6,000 inclusive. Always ask whether prices are plus VAT or VAT-inclusive
• Hazardous waste surcharges — POPs-contaminated upholstery, WEEE, asbestos and other hazardous materials often carry separate charges that aren't in the base quote
• Weekend and evening premiums — out-of-hours work typically costs 25–50% more. If the building restricts clearance to evenings, this needs to be factored in from the start
• POPs incineration — this is the biggest hidden cost most businesses don't expect. Pre-2019 upholstered chairs with POPs-contaminated foam cost £800–£1,500 per tonne at specialist incineration facilities. A floor of 50 old office chairs could add £400–£800 to your bill
• Parking and permits — some companies include these, others don't. In central London, parking suspensions alone can add £200–£500+ to a job
• Data destruction — check whether hard drive destruction is included or charged per device (typically £5–£15 each). On a job with 50+ computers, this adds up

The best protection is a detailed written quote that lists what's included and what's extra. Any reputable company will do a free site visit and provide a fixed-price quote that covers everything.

How Pricing Works

Clearance companies price jobs in different ways. Understanding the models helps you compare quotes on a like-for-like basis.

• Fixed quote (most common) — the company visits your office, assesses the volume and provides a single all-inclusive price. This is the most predictable option and the one we'd recommend for most jobs. No surprises on the bill
• Per-load pricing — you pay a set rate per van/lorry load removed. This works for smaller jobs but can become unpredictable on larger clearances where volume is hard to estimate
• Day rate — you pay for the team's time (typically £800–£1,500 per day for a team of 3–4). Disposal costs may be separate. This model makes sense for phased clearances spread over several weeks
• Per-item pricing — individual charges for specific items (e.g. £15 per desk, £10 per chair). Transparent but adds up quickly and makes budgeting harder on large jobs

Whichever model is used, always get the quote in writing and confirm what's included (waste disposal, documentation, data destruction, final clean). Verbal quotes are not worth the breath they're spoken with.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why can't clearance companies quote over the phone?

Because the main cost driver is volume, and volume is almost impossible to estimate remotely. Photos help, but they rarely capture the full picture — the storage cupboard, the server room, the basement that hasn't been opened in three years. A 20-person office with 10 years of accumulated storage looks very different from one that was decluttered last year.

Most reputable companies offer free, no-obligation site visits. They'll walk the space, check access (lifts, loading bays, parking), and assess the contents. A 30-minute visit leads to a much more accurate quote than an hour-long phone call. If a company quotes confidently over the phone without seeing the space, be cautious — the price will likely change when they arrive.

Is VAT included in clearance quotes?

It depends on the company. Any clearance company with annual turnover above £90,000 must be VAT-registered and charge VAT at 20%. Most established companies are VAT-registered. Always ask whether a quoted price is "plus VAT" or "VAT-inclusive" — on a £5,000 clearance, the difference is £1,000.

Very small operators may not be VAT-registered, making their headline prices look lower. But they may also lack the scale, insurance and documentation capability of larger firms. Compare quotes on a VAT-inclusive basis to see the true cost. And remember — if you're VAT-registered yourself, you can reclaim the VAT on the clearance invoice.

Can furniture resale offset clearance costs?

Yes, and on the right job, the offset can be substantial. Quality furniture from recognised brands — Herman Miller, Steelcase, Vitra, Humanscale, Senator — holds its value well on the secondhand market. We've seen resale offsets reduce clearance bills by 10–30% on jobs with good-quality stock.

The UK sends roughly 1.2 million desks and 1.8 million chairs to landfill every year, but only around 14% of end-of-life desks are reused. Good-condition branded furniture is in demand precisely because so much of it gets unnecessarily scrapped. Your clearance company should tell you upfront what they expect to recover and how much they'll offset. If they can't give you a clear answer, they're probably not reselling anything.

Is office clearance tax deductible?

Yes. Office clearance costs are generally an allowable business expense for corporation tax and income tax purposes. They fall under premises costs or, if part of a wider relocation, under relocation expenses. This applies to the clearance itself, skip hire, data destruction fees and any associated waste disposal charges.

Keep all invoices, waste transfer notes, data destruction certificates and ESG reports as supporting documentation. If the clearance is part of a wider office move, speak to your accountant about the specific tax treatment — the rules differ slightly for sole traders, partnerships and limited companies, and some relocation costs may qualify for enhanced relief.