Real estate work runs on other people's deadlines. Photos are Thursday. The open house is Sunday. The closing moved up and the buyer wants the basement empty before the walkthrough. None of those dates move because a container was not available, which is why booking the date the moment you know it matters more here than almost anywhere else.
Listing prep on a short clock
The cleanout usually happens in the four or five days between the listing agreement and the photographer. A 3-day rental is tight for that and a 7-day is comfortable, and the difference is $25 on every size we run. Take the 7-day. The extra $25 buys back the Saturday you would otherwise spend worrying about a pickup.
Estate clearances
An estate cleanout is the one job where nobody chose what goes in the box, because the person who accumulated it is not there to sort it. That is where the prohibited list bites hardest, and four items come up almost every single time.
- Mattresses and box springs. Banned from disposal in Massachusetts since November 2022. They need a mattress recycler.
- Televisions. Banned as well, along with computer monitors. An electronics recycler takes them.
- The garage refrigerator. Refrigerant has to be recovered by a certified technician first.
- Paint. Forty years of half-used cans on a basement shelf. Leftover paint goes to a household hazardous waste collection or a take-back site, and most towns in our service area run at least one collection day a year. The date is on the town website.
Setting those four aside before the container arrives is the difference between a smooth pickup and a $200 prohibited-item fee. The full lists are here and they are worth ten minutes with whoever is doing the sorting.
Protecting the driveway
A freshly sealed driveway is the worst possible place for a loaded container, and rail marks across the apron in a listing photo are a real cost to you. Plywood under the rails prevents it. Note it in the placement field when you book so it reaches the driver.
The same field is where to mention a soft shoulder, a low branch, an overhead service drop, or the fact that the neighbor needs to get a car past all week. Every one of those is easy to solve before the container is on the ground and awkward afterward.
Who books and who pays
We bill whoever books. If you are booking on a seller's behalf that is completely fine, but settle between you before delivery day whose card is on the booking. Sorting it out afterward is uncomfortable for everybody and it always seems to happen at the closing table.
Probate timelines
Probate cleanouts often cannot start until the personal representative is appointed or a license to sell issues, and then they need to happen immediately. Book the date as soon as you have a realistic one. The $19 booking fee holds the slot, and the delivery date can move with 48 hours notice at no charge, so an early booking costs you nothing if the court runs late.
Need this on a schedule?
Request a commercial accountSizes for a house cleanout
A staging declutter is a 10 or 12 yard. A long-occupied house is a 15. Once the basement, garage and attic are all in scope it is a 20, and that is the size sellers most often wish they had booked.
Custom commercial pricing and quotes
Commercial rates and included tonnage are set per agreement, not off a rate card — volume, schedule and what the loads actually weigh all move the number. Call 617-459-7536 and Steve will price the work itself, or send the outline and he calls you.
Call 617-459-7536 Request a quote online
Just need one container, once? A single roll-off still books online in about a minute at the published rate.
Questions from agents and executors
How quickly can you deliver for a listing?
Often the same day or the next. Same-day and short-notice deliveries carry a $75 rush fee, shown before you pay. Orders placed after 2pm roll to the next operating day, and we run Monday through Saturday.
Should I take the 3-day or the 7-day rental?
The 7-day, in almost every case. It is $25 more on every size we run and it covers the gap between the listing agreement and the photographer without anyone having to hurry. Extra days beyond your rental period cost $25 each, so the 7-day is cheaper than extending a 3-day.
What cannot go in an estate cleanout container?
Mattresses and box springs, televisions and computer monitors, appliances containing refrigerant, tires, and anything hazardous including old paint, solvents and fuel. Those four categories come up on nearly every estate job, so set them aside before the container arrives rather than after.
Can I book now if the probate date is not settled?
Yes, and it is the right move. The $19 booking fee holds the slot and the delivery date can be changed with 48 hours notice at no charge, so an early booking costs nothing if the timeline slips.