In short
- Estate cleanouts are billed per completed load on one Ottawa firm's page, with no separate estate price.
- Load prices on Ottawa lists run from $265 for a quarter load to $695–719 for a full one.
- Ontario charges estate administration tax of $15 per $1,000 above $50,000, paid as a deposit when the estate certificate is applied for.
- A charity needs a written appraisal from a neutral professional before it issues a tax receipt for used goods.
Typical prices in Ottawa
| Job | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Quarter load | $265–329 | Two Ottawa firms’ lists |
| Half load | $425–529 | Two Ottawa firms’ lists |
| Three-quarter load | $605–669 | Two Ottawa firms’ lists |
| Full load | $695–719 | Two Ottawa firms’ lists |
| Whole-home clear-out, example | about $965 | One mover’s example at $150/h plus $180/t |
| Estate administration tax, estates over $50,000 | $15 per $1,000 | Ontario, certificates applied for since 2020 |
Sources. Seen 29.10.2026: Mighty Mouse, Ottawa pricing guide (estate cleanouts billed per load) and home page; Junk Ninja, pricing; MIT Moving, junk removal Ottawa (whole-home example); Ontario, Estate administration tax; Helping With Furniture, Donate (appraisal for receipts) and Give furniture; City of Ottawa, Curbside garbage collection. The company that calls you sets its own price.
What the job is
An estate cleanout empties a home after a death, a move into care or a sale. The contents are sorted into what the family keeps, what can go to charity and what is hauled. The family sets the pace, which makes it slower than a one-day pickup. A house may take several loads, and a condo may take one.
One Ottawa firm names executors, families and estate professionals as its customers and bills these jobs per completed load. Load-based lists run from a quarter load at $265–329 to a full one at $695–719. A mover that bills the hour shows a whole-home clear-out near $965. Compare per-load and hourly models on prices by truckload.
Before the crew arrives
Settle the legal footing first. Ontario says that an estate certificate, issued by the Superior Court of Justice, may be needed to collect and manage an estate, depending on the assets, and suggests asking a lawyer. The estate pays estate administration tax of $15 per $1,000 above $50,000, paid as a deposit with the application for the certificate. The person who orders the clearing should be the person with authority to do so; a lawyer can confirm who that is.
Then walk the house. Mark pieces that stay with tape or tags. Move papers, photographs, jewellery and medications into boxes you carry yourself. A crew removes what it is told to remove, so a written list of “stays” avoids a lost heirloom.
Charity, reuse and receipts
Donating takes planning. Helping With Furniture, an Ottawa charity, accepts clean, working household goods and sets limits on sofas over 7 feet wide, stained mattresses and items with missing parts. It says used goods need a written appraisal from a neutral professional before it can issue a tax receipt. The donation guide lists the Ottawa routes. What a charity declines can go on the truck. See also furniture removal for piece-by-piece pricing.
What drives the price
- Number of loads. Houses are billed per load on one firm’s page, so the total follows the contents.
- Stairs and floors. Multi-storey jobs use larger crews at one Ottawa firm.
- Heavy and dense materials. Concrete, tile and dirt shift pricing from volume to weight at that firm.
- Item fees. Mattresses, paint and propane carry fees on several lists; see what haulers take.
The City side
A household in Ottawa may set out three garbage items every two weeks, and bulky items count one each. A house clearing exceeds that in an afternoon, which is why executors use a hauler for the bulk. Rules for what the City collects are on the bulky item rules page. Ask the company whether it hauls to the City landfill, where residential garbage costs $172.70 a tonne above 250 kg, or elsewhere.
Timing
Sales and lease dates set the deadline. Allow time for the family to sort, for any charity pickup and for the crew. A basement or a garage can be split into its own visit: basement cleanout and garage cleanout.
What a written quote should include
- the rooms and areas covered, and the ones left alone,
- loads, hours or weight, with the minimum charge and tax,
- how reusable items are sorted, and where the rest goes,
- an itemized invoice or scale tickets for the estate’s records,
- the number of days and visits.
Who you are dealing with
The executor’s request is forwarded to one independent hauler, which then deals with you directly: it listens to what the family is keeping, quotes the house and books the crew. Ottawa Junk Desk runs no trucks and has no role in the estate.
Questions to ask the company
- How do you bill a whole-house job: per load, per hour, or a flat price after a walk-through?
- Can you work around items the family wants to keep, and how do we mark them?
- What happens to items that are in good shape: sorted for charity, sold, or hauled?
- Do you give an itemized invoice or scale tickets the executor can file with the estate?
- Can the work run over several days if relatives are still choosing pieces?
Have this ready for the call
- Confirm who has legal authority to arrange the clearing and who holds the keys
- Walk the house with the family first and mark what stays: tape, tags or a closed room
- Photos of every room, the attic, the basement, the garage and any shed
- A short list of items needing care: documents, photographs, jewellery, firearms, medications
- Parking and access: driveway, stairs, elevator booking for a condo
Questions people ask
Do I need the estate certificate before clearing the house?
Ontario says an estate certificate may be needed to collect and manage an estate, depending on the assets involved, and suggests asking a lawyer whether to apply. Settle who may act before a crew starts removing contents, and write the instruction into the request.
How is estate administration tax calculated?
For certificates applied for since 2020 there is no tax on estates of $50,000 or less. Above that it is $15 per $1,000 of value, rounded up. The estate pays it, as a deposit at the application that becomes the tax once the certificate is issued.
Can a charity give a tax receipt for donated furniture?
Helping With Furniture says used goods need a written appraisal from a neutral professional before a receipt can be issued. If the estate wants receipts, ask the charity first and arrange the appraisal before the items leave the house.
How long does a house take to clear?
It depends on the contents. One Ottawa mover shows a small room at about two hours and a full garage or small basement at about three. A whole-home example sits near $965. Send photos of every floor, and the company estimates the days and loads.
How should I protect personal documents?
Take papers, photo albums, electronics and valuables out before the crew arrives, or mark them so they stay. A crew removes what you tell it to remove. Put any area to be left alone into the written request, with a photo of the closed door.
Is an estate cleanout priced differently from a normal pickup?
One Ottawa firm bills estate and transition cleanouts per completed load and gives no separate dollar amount. Plan for several loads, since a house holds more than it appears to. The company confirms its model on the call.
