Seller guide
Clearing a site when a business closes or moves
Site clearances almost always run out of time, and equipment that would have sold comfortably ends up in a skip because the keys go back on Friday. The recoverable value is decided weeks earlier, by when the process starts rather than by what the equipment is.
Start before you think you need to
Work back from the date the premises must be empty, not from the date trading stops. Equipment needs time to be listed, viewed, paid for, dismantled and collected, and the last two are usually the slowest.
Six weeks is comfortable. Two weeks means accepting whatever is offered. One week means paying someone to take it away.
Sort by what the market actually wants
- Equipment with a live resale market: sell first, it funds the rest.
- Matched quantities of furniture and fixtures: worth more as a lot than piecemeal.
- Items on lease, finance or retention of title: these are not yours to sell, so identify them early.
- Genuinely worthless or hazardous items: budget for proper disposal rather than hoping.
Settle access before you advertise
Confirm what the landlord permits, when the building is accessible, whether there is a loading bay or lift, and whether anything has to be reinstated. Buyers withdraw when collection turns out to be impossible, and you will have lost the time as well as the sale.
Establish who is paying for dismantling before you quote a price, not after a buyer has committed.
Keep the paperwork as you go
Record what was sold, to whom, for how much and when it left. If the closure later involves accountants, insolvency practitioners or a dispute with a landlord, that record is what demonstrates the equipment was disposed of properly and at a reasonable value.