House clearance vs Solihull Council bulky waste collection

Solihull Council’s bulky-item collection and a professional house clearance do different jobs. Neither is a failed version of the other. The council service is a charged collection of a small number of household items from outside your property. A clearance empties agreed rooms, including work inside the house.

The council is explicit: it does not offer a house clearance service. That sentence is in its bulky waste terms.

Rules and fees change. What follows was checked on 17 September 2026. Use the official pages before you book.

When the council bulky service is the right tool

Use it when:

• You have a short list of household items
• You can put them outside, near the roadside, visible from the road
• The items are household, not landlord or business waste
• They are within the council’s size and weight rules
• You do not need anyone to come into the house

The council asks for items to be out by 8:00am on the collection day, as near to the roadside as possible. It will not collect from inside properties, garages or sheds, or from back gardens or gated alleyways. It will not dismantle furniture or carry items up or down steps.

Current council fees (check before you rely on them)

On the booking page at last check:

• Single item — £42
• 2–3 items — £47
• 4–5 items — £57.50
• 6 items — £63

Parts count separately (a bed base, headboard and mattress are three items). The service will not collect more than six items, or more than five standard black bags. Garden waste is not included. There is no concession.

When a house clearance is the right tool

Use a clearance when:

• A whole house, flat, loft or garage needs emptying
• Items are still inside
• There are more items than a bulky booking allows
• You cannot present everything at the roadside
• You are a landlord clearing a rented property
• You need someone to dismantle furniture and work through rooms

Solihull Council’s terms state that the bulky service is not available to landlords clearing rented properties, because that is classified as commercial waste. Developers are also excluded.

Side-by-side

Question	Council bulky collection	House clearance
Comes inside the property?	No	Yes, by agreement
Maximum items	6 (plus limited bags)	Agreed contents
Landlord / rental waste	No	Yes, as a commercial clearance
Garden waste	No	Discuss as a separate garden job
Dismantling furniture	No	Yes, where needed
Purpose	A few household items	Emptying rooms or a property

Bickenhill tip

Residents can also take household waste to Bickenhill Household Waste and Recycling Centre (Coventry Road, B92 0DY). It is for Solihull residents and has booking rules. That is a self-haul option, not a clearance.

How to choose in one sentence

If you can carry it to the front and it fits the council’s list, start with the council page. If the house still has to be walked through, start with a clearance quote.