12 clearances have landed in Havering's own postcodes — RM12 at Hornchurch, RM14 in Upminster, RM7 at Romford and RM13 in Rainham.
London that behaves like Essex
Havering is the far eastern edge and the housing shows it: interwar semis with driveways and garages, bungalows in Upminster and Emerson Park, and postwar estates around Harold Hill. Romford town centre is the only genuinely dense part.
Access is rarely the problem. Volume is. These are long-occupancy households with garages, sheds and lofts that have been filling since the houses were built, and a bungalow that looks like a half-day regularly runs to two loads.
What the work is
Predominantly probate. Havering has one of the older populations in London, and most of what we clear here is instructed after a bereavement, often by a family who moved out of the area years ago. We work from a key, invoice the estate or the solicitor, and photograph every room at the end.