Help with a bereavement of a loved one in London

Have you lost someone close to you and now need to sort through their belongings or home?

Making decisions about someone’s possessions can feel incredibly difficult when everything has a memory attached to it. You may know the clearout needs to happen but have absolutely no idea where to begin.

I can help you go through belongings gently and practically, keeping what really matters to you and your family while deciding what can be passed on, donated, recycled or disposed of.

I can also help you find and organise important paperwork, including documents needed for probate and other practical tasks after a bereavement.

I know from personal experience how difficult these decisions can be, and I will never rush you into making them.

• You have lost someone close to you and cannot face sorting through their belongings alone
• You walk into the room or home and simply do not know where to start
• Every object feels important because of the person attached to it
• You need to find paperwork but do not know where anything is
• You are helping clear a relative’s home and feel overwhelmed by the amount that needs doing

There is no right or wrong way to approach a bereavement clearout. We can take it one cupboard, one category or one room at a time and work at a pace that suits you.

I am Juliette Harding, a professional declutterer and organiser in North London.My role is not to arrive and start throwing things away. I am there to help you work through what is in front of you, make decisions at a pace you can manage and bring some order to a situation that may currently feel overwhelming.We can talk about what needs to happen first, what absolutely does not need to happen yet and what you would like the home or room to look like at the end.I am discreet, trustworthy and completely non-judgemental. If you need to stop and talk about an item, we stop. If there are things you are simply not ready to decide about, we put them aside.

Depending on what you need, I can help you with:

• Clothes, shoes and personal belongings
• Photos, letters and sentimental items
• Books and collections
• Kitchen cupboards and household possessions
• Paperwork, files and important documents
• Separating belongings for different family members
• Deciding what to keep, donate, recycle or dispose of
• Preparing donations for charity
• Clearing cupboards, drawers, individual rooms or a whole home
• Creating an organised place for documents and belongings you are keeping

We will start by talking about what needs doing and, just as importantly, how you feel about doing it.

We can then choose somewhere sensible to begin rather than trying to tackle everything at once.

As we work, we will sort belongings into clear groups such as things to keep, things for family, donations, recycling and items that still need a decision.

I will help keep things moving, but the decisions remain yours.

You do not need to tidy before I arrive. Really. That is what I am there for.

Every bereavement clearout is different.

Some clients need one focused session to help them make a start. Others prefer a series of visits, particularly if there is a whole property to sort or if making decisions is understandably emotional.

We can work out what feels manageable once I know more about the home and what you need help with.

I can help you find, sort and organise paperwork connected with probate and other administration.

I cannot give legal, probate, tax or financial advice. Where professional advice is required, the documents will hopefully be much easier for you or your solicitor to deal with once they have been found and organised.

And if there is something you are not ready to part with, you do not have to and we can look at how you can preserve/keep the items you keeping safe.