How to clear a deceased estate in Sydney, step by step

Clearing a deceased estate in NSW starts with the executor, not the rubbish skip. Secure the house and its valuables, find the papers, notify organisations through the free Australian Death Notification Service, and redirect the mail. Then sort the home room by room, let family choose keepsakes before anything of value leaves, and only then book donations, council collections, rubbish removal and cleaning.

1. Start with the executor

The person named in the will as executor is responsible for the estate. The NSW Government's guide for executors says their job is to find, protect and prepare a list of the estate's assets, including household and personal goods. It also says the executor should store valuables such as jewellery, ornaments and paintings, arrange any insurance, and can be legally responsible for damage to property that hasn't been secured or insured.

In practice that means three early jobs: lock up and check the house, tell the home and contents insurer that the owner has died and the house may be empty, and gather jewellery, cash, documents and anything valuable into one secure place. The same guide says an executor shouldn't distribute an estate earlier than six months after the date of death, so ask the executor's solicitor before anything of value is sold or given away.

2. Find the papers before anything goes

Important papers turn up in kitchen drawers, wardrobes, books and shoeboxes, so search before any bag goes in a bin. Look for:

• The will, and any letters from a solicitor
• Bank, term deposit, credit card and superannuation statements
• Insurance policies (home, contents, car, life and health)
• Property titles, rates notices, leases and car registration papers
• The last tax return and recent tax records
• Medicare, pension and concession cards
• Photographs, letters and anything family may want

Keep a box for "executor: do not throw out". The ATO asks individuals to keep tax records for five years from lodgement, so tax papers stay with the executor until their accountant says otherwise.

3. Notify organisations and redirect the mail

One notification, many organisations. The Australian Death Notification Service is free and lets you tell several organisations at once, such as participating banks, utilities, telcos and super funds. You need the death certificate first. Organisations that don't take part still have to be contacted directly.

Mail. Australia Post offers up to 12 months of free mail redirection to the executor or administrator of an estate. Apply in person at any post office with a grant of probate, letters of administration, or a death certificate with a statutory declaration, plus the redirection form and your own ID. Redirected mail is also how many missing accounts and bills come to light.

4. Agree how keepsakes will be shared

In our experience, disagreements over a house often start with small things that carry big memories. Agree the process before anyone starts sorting:

• A set-aside room or corner for anything a family member might want
• Photos of furniture, collections and keepsakes sent to family who can't be there
• A deadline for claims, then the executor decides
• Possibly valuable items (jewellery, art, antiques, collections) kept together for a valuer

5. Sort room by room

Start with low-emotion rooms: the laundry, the linen cupboard, the garage. Early progress makes the bedroom and the photographs easier. Every item goes to one of six places: family, donate, sell, recycle, dispose, or the executor's box. Shorter sessions with a clear end time are kinder than a weekend marathon, especially for a partner or adult children who are grieving.

Leave cleaning, rubbish removal and any skip until the sorting is done. Otherwise papers and keepsakes end up in the skip.

6. Get things out of the house

• Furniture in good condition: family first, then sale or donation. Vinnies NSW takes furniture pick-up bookings online, subject to availability.
• Bulky items on the Northern Beaches: mainland households can pre-book two council collections within 12 months. Full rules in our Northern Beaches bulky goods guide.
• Bulky items on the North Shore: each council differs. See the North Shore council clean-up guide.
• Paint, TVs, computers and batteries: Kimbriki at Ingleside takes these free. Garage and pool chemicals go to the NSW EPA's free Household Chemical CleanOut.

If the home was rented

The Tenants' Union of NSW says a tenant's death does not end the tenancy on its own, and that the estate's rent stops once the executor hands the property back. That usually makes the timetable shorter than for an owned home. For the notice steps, contact NSW Fair Trading or a Tenants Advice and Advocacy Service.