Sparkling Services clears apartments, flats and studios in Brussels, Flanders and Wallonia, with or without a lift. We handle building access, protect the communal areas, empty the private cellar and leave the flat swept before the check-out inspection. The assessment is free usually within 48 hours, the quote is free and without obligation, and there are three options depending on the value of your belongings: free clearance, we pay you, or a fixed price on quotation.
A clearance service designed for apartment buildings
Clearing an apartment is not simply clearing a smaller house: you are dealing with a lift, a shared stairwell, neighbours, a building manager (syndic) and usually a storage cellar in the basement. Our apartment clearance builds all of that into a single price.
What is included
- Room-by-room sorting into what you keep, what is donated and what is recycled.
- Dismantling of beds, wardrobes, bookcases and free-standing kitchen units so they fit through doors and landings.
- Protection of communal areas, with padding inside the lift and care around walls, doors and banisters.
- Private cellar and lock-up in the basement, often forgotten, included in the quote if they need clearing. Only the storage unit to empty? See our cellar and basement storage clearance or lock-up garage clearance.
- Attic room or roof storage belonging to the flat: cleared with the rest, or on its own through our attic and loft clearance.
- Removal and transport to reuse organisations and suitable processing facilities.
- Final sweep, leaving the flat ready for the check-out inspection, a sale or the next tenant.
A studio holds around 10 cubic metres of contents on average, while a well-furnished two-bedroom apartment can easily hold two or three times that. That is why we like to assess the volume, in person or from photos, before quoting.
End of lease, sale, care home: when does an apartment need clearing?
Most apartment clearances come with a deadline: handing the keys back to the landlord, signing the deed of sale or a new tenant moving in. Timings are tight, and that is exactly where an organised clearance team helps.
- End of tenancy: the check-out inspection (état des lieux de sortie / plaatsbeschrijving) compares the flat with its condition at move-in. An empty, clean apartment avoids disputes over your rental deposit.
- Death of a tenant or owner: the family has to free up the apartment, sometimes within a few weeks if it is rented.
- Move into a care home or assisted living: we set aside what goes with your relative, then clear the rest.
- Sale: the buyer expects vacant possession, cellar included.
- Landlords: a previous tenant left furniture behind and the next one is due shortly.
- Student rooms (kots): at the end of the academic year in Leuven, Brussels or Ghent, rooms need clearing quickly.
- Expats leaving Belgium: you fly out with a few suitcases, and everything else must be gone before the keys go back to the agency.
How an apartment clearance works
An apartment clearance has four stages: assessment, fixed quote, clearance day and key handover. A studio is usually cleared in half a day to a day; a large apartment can take up to 1 to 3 days.
- Assessment. A free visit usually within 48 hours, or an estimate from photos and video. We note the floor, the size of the lift, access to the cellar and the distance to the street.
- Fixed quote. One total price including VAT, stating what is included (cellar, lock-up, balcony) and any options, such as end-of-tenancy cleaning.
- Coordination with the building. We inform the syndic or caretaker if the house rules require it, book the lift where possible and request the parking reservation from the municipality.
- Clearance and handover. The crew empties the flat, sweeps, checks it with you or by photo, then returns the keys to the landlord, agency or syndic.
No lift, fifth floor: is that a problem?
Not at all: we also clear apartments with no lift, right up to the top floor. In older buildings in Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent or Liège this is the norm rather than the exception. Carrying simply takes more time and more hands, and that is priced into the quote from the start.
How we adapt to the building
- Narrow staircase: bulky furniture is always dismantled, fragile items are wrapped and the crew carries as a team.
- Small lift: furniture goes down in pieces; in the cramped lifts of many 1960s and 1970s blocks, that is often the only way.
- External furniture lift: when a sofa or wardrobe will not fit down the stairs, or to save time from a certain height, we set up a lift at a window or balcony. This requires a reserved space on the street.
We always check real access before the job, so you know the price in advance whether there is a lift or six flights of stairs.
Where does the furniture from the apartment go?
Sparkling Services sorts everything: reusable furniture and household goods are put to good use or donated to social-economy organisations, and everything else is sorted by material and recycled through suitable channels (recycling parks, sorting centres).
Apartment contents are often ideal for reuse. Side tables, chairs, crockery, bedding, lamps and working appliances can find a second life with organisations (for example Les Petits Riens, Oxfam, Terre or De Kringwinkel), depending on the region and on what they are accepting at the time.
- Wood and chipboard from damaged furniture goes for wood recycling.
- Metal, such as bed bases, clothes airers and bicycles from the cellar, is collected separately.
- Electrical appliances go into the WEEE take-back network.
- Mattresses, textiles, paper and cardboard are kept apart wherever possible.
The value of reusable or resaleable items is deducted from the price: it can make the clearance free, and if it exceeds the cost of the clearance, we pay you the difference. Otherwise you pay a fixed price on quotation.
How much does apartment clearance cost?
We do not publish rates: the price depends on what is in your apartment. Depending on the value of reusable or resaleable goods, there are three options. A studio averages around 10 m³.
| Option | When? | What you pay |
|---|---|---|
| Free clearance | The value of reusable or resaleable items covers the cost of the clearance | Nothing |
| We pay you | The value of the goods exceeds the cost of the clearance | Nothing: we pay you the difference |
| You pay | Few or no items of value | A fixed price on quotation |
What changes the quote
- The total volume, including the cellar and balcony.
- The floor and whether there is a lift large enough for furniture.
- The distance between the building entrance and the van.
- Whether an external furniture lift is needed.
- Optional end-of-tenancy cleaning, useful before the inspection.
The visit and the quote are free and without obligation; a few photos sent by WhatsApp or through the form are often enough for an estimate. The price set in the quote does not change on the day of the job.
Co-ownership rules, the syndic and parking
Before clearing a flat in a co-owned building, check the house rules (règlement d'ordre intérieur / huishoudelijk reglement): many buildings set hours for removals, require the syndic to be informed or insist that the lift is protected. We can take care of this for you.
Parking outside the building
In town, the van has to park close to the entrance. In Brussels each municipality manages its own parking reservations; in Flemish and Walloon cities the request goes to the town hall, sometimes via the local police. We submit the request for you, ideally one to two weeks in advance.
Clearing a flat while you are abroad
Keys for the apartment, the main entrance and the cellar can be passed to us by the agency, the syndic, the caretaker or the notary. You receive photos of every empty room and, if you wish, we hand the keys directly to the landlord or the inspector carrying out the check-out.
Documents and personal items
While sorting, we set aside passports, bank and tax papers, letters, photographs, keys and jewellery. They are packed in labelled boxes and handed to you, your family or the notary, or posted abroad on request.
Care home room or assisted-living flat: a tailored clearance
A care home room or an assisted-living flat holds little volume, but the job calls for method and tact: other residents live next door, staff work in the corridors and the home sets its own access rules.
The deadline for vacating the room, after a death or a move to another home, is set by the establishment: it is normally stated in the residence agreement or the house rules. Ask as early as possible, and check whether the daily rate is still charged while belongings remain in the room.
How we go about it
- Arrangements with the home: time slot, entrance, lift and, if management asks for it, written authorisation from the family.
- Estimate: from photos or at a visit; you know the fixed VAT-inclusive price before the job.
- Sorting on site: papers, photos, jewellery and personal items go to the person you name; furniture owned by the home stays in place.
- Discreet removal: closed boxes, little time spent in the corridors, room handed back empty and swept.
The room can be cleared at the same time as the resident's former home, on one quote. We work seven days a week, from 07:00 to 20:00, within the hours the home allows.
Why choose Sparkling Services for your apartment
Sparkling Services clears apartments with the same care as entire houses, with real consideration for neighbours and shared spaces.
- Fixed price, floor and lift included: no surprises on the day.
- Respect for the building: lift protected, stairwell preserved, minimal disruption.
- Three options: the value of reusable items is deducted from the price, can make the clearance free, or we pay you the difference.
- Short lead times to fit lease ends and key handovers.
- English-speaking, and equally at home in French and Dutch with landlords, agencies and syndics.
Call +32 485 39 99 41 or write to us through the contact form: a few photos are enough for a free initial estimate.
