Here is a range of some of the questions that we have been asked. If you have any other questions or worries, please do not hesitate to contact us.
I’ve been in this house for nearly fifty years. My late wife was very good at organizing things but I just don’t know where to begin. How can TimeFinders help me?
Moving can seem impossible to manage on your own. We know just how much needs to be done at this time and we will give you whatever help you need to get it all done. We will also know it can take a long time to sell your house and that you don’t want to be living in chaos for weeks whilst you do it. We will organize it so that there is as little inconvenience to your living quarters as possible whilst we help you sort out everything you need to take with you and deal with the rest.
What happens to all the things I can’t take with me?
You may have items of sentimental value which you would like friends and family to have. In this case, TimeFinders will arrange for this to happen. Other items may have no sentimental value but be worth quite a lot of money, in which case TimeFinders will arrange for the valuation of such items so that you can decide if you would like to sell them. Items of no sentimental or monetary value can still be reused and recycled and TimeFinders can arrange for a reputable company to take these things off your hands and find them a good home. Such companies need to be registered with the Environment Agency and be licensed to carry waste.
I can’t decide what I will want, or what my family will want until after I move. What do I do?
TimeFinders will help you decide what you need to take with you and what furniture and effects you want to have in your new home. But these decisions need not be final and irrevocable. If you are unsure about what you or your family will want after you have moved, TimeFinders will catalogue these items and arrange professional storage for you for as long as you and family require.
My daughter lives a long way away and she has a busy job and young children. She’d like to help but I don’t want to burden her or make her drive up and down the country. How can TimeFinders keep her in touch with what is going on?
This is one of the reasons why the TimeFinders Retirement Downsizing Service was started. If you so authorise us, TimeFinders is very happy to keep family members informed about every stage of the process, including emailing to family members photographs of furniture and effects that you don’t want to take with you to your new home.
What about all the paperwork? My late husband used to deal with everything like that and I don’t know what I need to keep and what I can throw away.
TimeFinders is used to paperwork! We can create for you something we call the Household Manager which records everything about your financial and other important documents and reminds you when anything needs your attention. This can be particularly useful for people who are recently bereaved and whose partner was the one who looked after all the paperwork. We also know the sentimental and historical value of private journals and personal papers which we can help you to sort out and store safely.
My son’s wife has a habit of taking over and I don’t want to feel railroaded into anything so I want to manage this myself. On the other hand, they are going to need to feel comfortable that I am not being taken advantage of. How can they be sure?
It is very important to us at TimeFinders that our clients feel in control of their own removal but we also appreciate that family members and friends will naturally worry. Alison Hesketh of TimeFinders, who supervises all Retirement Downsizing, is CRB (Criminal record Bureau) checked. TimeFinders has a very strict Code of Conduct – click here for more information – which for example, forbids any member of the TimeFinders team from accepting any gift from a client or from being named as a beneficiary in a client’s will. We also photograph and catalogue any items of value which are being sent for sale, put into storage or given to family or friends so that the whole process is transparent. TimeFinders is fully insured and will only use other service providers which are reputable, fully insured and Members of their Trade Association. We are more than happy to meet family members in person to explain how we work.
I do get tired easily now and can’t do very much at a time. How can TimeFinders deal with this?
We know how mentally and physically exhausting it can be sorting things out which is why we have designed our service to fit around how you want and need to work. We can discuss this in more detail when we are planning your removal schedule but as a rule, little and often does the trick.
It is only a few months since my partner died and I know I’ve got to sort through all their things but I just can’t face it.
Dealing with the personal effects of someone you loved who has died is possibly one of the most heartbreaking things we ever have to do – and it can’t be rushed. TimeFinders is experienced in helping people do this. Facing it alone can seem unbearable and the help of family members, who are also often very emotional, is sometimes not what we want. We have found that having a friendly, sympathetic, supportive and independent professional is often the best thing. We take time to do this difficult task with you, ensuring that nothing precious to you is lost in the move and that those things of great sentimental value are kept safe and secure.
My son lives abroad and I want him to have some of the furniture and china I can’t take with me to my new home. How can I make sure he gets it safely?
TimeFinders can arrange for an international removal company to transport whatever you want to your son. If he is not in a position to accept these things now, we can arrange for them to be put into professional storage.
I don’t want to have to deal with removal men on my own or have strange people knocking on my door. How can TimeFinders help?
We can arrange to be with you when you are getting quotes from removal firms and also be there on the day of the move. If we have arranged for other service providers such as valuers, rubbish removers etc. to visit, we can make sure this only happens when we are with you. We will never send or invite anybody unsolicited to call on you.
I don’t want the neighbourhood gossiping about what I am doing. Is TimeFinders discreet?
Yes, absolutely. We use an ordinary unmarked car for our visits and the only people with whom we will discuss your move will be those people you have authorised us to, for example, family members and other service providers. We will also aim to use service providers who also use unmarked vehicles although we cannot always guarantee this. Of course, on the day of removal it will obvious to anyone who cares to notice what is going on but by then you will be safely ensconced in your new home!
I’ve got some quite valuable furniture and china that I won’t have room for. How can I realize the value of these things?
TimeFinders can arrange for a reputable valuer to visit you. If you would like, we will be there in attendance. You can then decide whether you wish to sell your items. We recommend that if you have family members, wherever they are in the world, that you inform them of your intentions so that they can have first refusal. We can arrange this by taking photographs of the items concerned and emailing or posting these to them.
It seems such a waste just to throw things away such as the garden tools I will no longer need. How can I make sure they go to a good home?
There are some excellent charities that can make good use of things like garden tools, sewing machines etc. and when organizing how to dispose safely and responsibly of the things that you don’t want to take with you, TimeFinders will ensure that these things do not go to waste. Alison’s background working in charities means that she can usually find a good home for most things!
I know the house is worth quite a bit of money but I’ve got a very limited income. How can I pay for this service?
We charge for each of our services separately as they happen and we will discuss these with you before we start. After you’ve chosen which services you want, the costs and payment schedule will be laid out clearly. As the downsizing part of your move is always the largest and can take quite some time, we offer staged payments for this. We realise that everybody’s situation is different and we will always try our hardest to help.