Clearing out your home and moving day in Ontario

Check before you rely on any service. The services named below were described from their own websites in October 2026. Fees, service areas and rules change. Naming a service is not a recommendation, the list is not complete and the order is not a ranking.

How to start clearing out a long-held home

Most people begin with the whole house and stall. A better approach is to work in a fixed order and to fix the target first: how much space does the new home have, and what will actually fit?

1. Measure the new place. Get floor plans or measure rooms, closets and storage. Furniture that suits a four-bedroom house may not fit a condo.
2. Start where nothing is emotional. Garage, basement, storage room, cleaning supplies, expired pantry items.
3. Sort into four piles. Keep, give to family, sell or donate, discard. Anything undecided goes in a box with a date on it.
4. Work room by room, finishing each one. A cleared room stays cleared, which shows progress.
5. Do the keepsakes last. Photographs, letters and heirlooms take the longest and are easier once the practical decisions are made.

If you are clearing a parent's home rather than your own, read helping a parent sell their home first. Who has authority to dispose of contents depends on whether the parent is capable, whether an attorney is acting or whether an estate trustee has been appointed. Do not discard papers, jewellery or financial documents until that is settled.

If you are still deciding whether to move at all, see aging in place or moving.

Deciding what goes to the new home

Some questions help when an object resists a decision.

• Will it fit through the door of the new home and in the room I have in mind?
• Have I used it in the past year?
• Would a family member want it now, and have I asked them?
• If I had to buy it again today, would I?

Ask family before the sale, not after. Many arguments in families come from items that were sold or donated before anyone asked who wanted them. A written list of who is taking what, even a short one, prevents most of them.

Keep important papers in one place: the deed, mortgage statements, insurance policies, wills and powers of attorney, tax records and warranties. Do not put these in a box labelled for storage or donation.

Donating furniture and household goods in Ontario

Donation programs are narrower than they look. Several take only certain items, and many serve only certain areas. Based on what each charity's own site states:

• Habitat for Humanity GTA ReStore. A non-profit home improvement resale store that takes furniture, appliances and building materials. Its donation pickup FAQ describes free curbside pickup for qualifying items and paid in-house pickup priced at $150, $300 or $450 by item count, as stated on that page. It excludes mattresses and hazardous materials. The stores serve the Greater Toronto Area, and other Ontario ReStores are run by separate local affiliates, so look up the one for your city.
• Furniture Bank. A Toronto charity that collects furniture and gives it to families in need. Its site describes paid home pickup with a tax receipt and free drop-off, in the Toronto and Ottawa areas.
• Diabetes Canada's Declutter for Diabetes. Home pickup of gently used clothing and small household items, with a phone line at 1-800-505-5525. It describes its service as national, so confirm that your address is covered. Large furniture is not confirmed on the page.
• Society of St. Vincent de Paul Canada. A charity that accepts clothing and household goods and runs thrift stores. Pickup in Ontario was not confirmed, so call a local store.

For anything else, such as the Salvation Army, Value Village or Red Cross equipment programs, check the service directly. Donation policies, particularly on large furniture and medical equipment, change. If you want a tax receipt, ask before you donate whether the charity issues one for what you are giving.

Estate sales and online auctions for household contents

Selling contents can recover some money and saves you from hauling everything to the curb. It also takes time and a commission. Two firms describe this service on their own sites.

• Gordon's Downsizing & Estate Services. A real estate brokerage that also coordinates downsizing and runs content liquidation through online auctions, with probate appraisals and estate settlement support. Its site says it serves Southern Ontario from London to Ottawa.
• Visbids. Certified personal property appraisals, online auctions through HiBid Ontario and transport coordination. Its site lists offices in Brantford and Milton and a service area from Niagara to Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Hamilton, Oakville, Barrie and Cobourg.

Outside Southern Ontario the verified choices are thin. If you are in Northern or Eastern Ontario, ask a local agent, lawyer or senior service who they have seen work well. Do not hand valuables to anyone without a written agreement.

Questions to ask any sale or auction firm:

• What is the commission or fee, and what other charges apply?
• Who sets the reserve or starting prices?
• When do buyers pick up, and who ensures the home is left in order?
• What happens to items that do not sell?
• When and how will I be paid?

If you are settling an estate, ask a lawyer whether an appraisal is useful before you start selling. For appliances, tools and heavier items, check with the buyer or auction firm what condition they expect.

Household hazardous waste and bulky items

Paint, solvents, pesticides, batteries, propane tanks and old electronics do not belong in the curbside garbage. Municipal programs handle them, and the rules are local.

• City of Toronto. The household hazardous waste page describes a free Toxic Taxi pickup of 10 to 50 litres or kilograms per appointment, drop-off depots and community environment days for city residential waste customers. The City's waste hub lists 311 for bulky item questions. The bulky item page could not be confirmed, so ask 311 how large items are collected.
• Region of Peel. Community Recycling Centres take household hazardous waste and offer paper shredding and a reuse donation area. Peel covers Brampton, Mississauga and Caledon.
• York Region. The waste site lists household hazardous waste depots and community environmental centres, a sorting tool and a phone line at 1-877-464-9675.
• Halton Region. The recycling and waste page covers household hazardous waste and reusable donations. Burlington, Halton Hills, Milton and Oakville are served, and 311 is listed.
• City of Hamilton. The garbage and recycling page lists bulk items and furniture, community recycling centres and household hazardous waste.

For other municipalities, including Ottawa, Waterloo Region, London, Kingston, Windsor, Sudbury and Thunder Bay, search for your municipality's waste page or call its general information line. Ask what it accepts, whether an appointment is needed and whether proof of address is required. If the home has an old oil tank, vermiculite insulation or similar issues, see preparing an older home for sale before anyone disturbs them.

Paper shredding for financial records is available through Peel's centres. For other areas, ask your municipality or your bank before hiring a private shredder.

Senior move managers and downsizing help

Some people prefer to hand the whole job to a service. The firms below describe downsizing, packing, moving and setup for older adults on their own sites. None is confirmed here as a member of a trade association, and the order is not a ranking.

• Downsizing Diva. Senior relocation covering downsizing, moving, estate clearing, packing and setup. It shows a Toronto phone number and a section for finding a local office, but states no service area.
• In and Out Organizing. Decluttering, senior downsizing and move management, estate clearing and pre-sale staging in Toronto and the GTA.
• ONESource Moving Solutions. Senior moving, downsizing, estate coordination, staging and content auctions. The Toronto page lists Toronto East, Central Toronto and North York and says it also coordinates moves across Ontario.
• Silver Lining Senior Advisors. Item selection, selling or donating, packing, moving and setup for the Greater Toronto Area, Durham, Halton, Peel, York and Waterloo Region.

The National Association of Senior & Specialty Move Managers has a Find a Move Manager search. Its homepage does not say whether it lists Canadian members, so ask it directly at [email protected] if you try it. We could not confirm providers in Ottawa, Hamilton, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Kingston, Barrie, Windsor, Sudbury or Thunder Bay, so ask your agent or local seniors' services.

Whichever firm you use, ask for a written scope, an hourly rate or fixed price, what is excluded and who is responsible if something is damaged or lost. Ask for references from clients with a similar home.

Hiring movers for a downsizing move

This site has not verified Ontario's rules on moving company licensing or consumer protection for movers, so we make no claim about them. Ask any mover to put the following in writing, and consider asking a lawyer or consumer protection office if something is unclear.

• The company's legal name, address and a phone number you can reach.
• Whether the quote is a fixed price, an estimate or hourly, and what could raise it (stairs, long carries, elevators, items needing special handling).
• What insurance or liability coverage applies to your belongings and what it excludes, in writing.
• How the company handles delays, a closing date change or a day-of cancellation.
• Whether the crew are employees or subcontractors.
• References you can call.

Get more than one quote and invite each mover to see the home or review photos. Be cautious if a quote is far below the others, if payment is requested entirely in advance in cash or if the company will not put terms in writing.

If you are moving into a condominium or a life lease, ask the building about elevator booking, move-in times and any deposit. These rules sit in the governing documents and the building's move-in rules. See buying a condo in Ontario and life lease and land lease homes.

A working timeline for moving day

Dates will shift with your closing, but the sequence holds.

• Eight to twelve weeks out. Measure the new home, start sorting, book an auction or senior move manager if you want one and ask family what they want.
• Four to eight weeks out. Donation pickups, hazardous waste appointments and a mover booking.
• Two to four weeks out. Pack what you will use least, arrange mail forwarding and arrange utilities at both homes.
• The last week. Pack essentials separately, confirm the mover, take photos of meters and the empty home, and set aside keys, garage openers and manuals for the buyer.
• Moving day. Be present, check the inventory and walk through every room before the truck leaves.

These timings are rules of thumb, not requirements. Your lawyer will confirm the closing date and the handover terms in your agreement. Our guide to buying first or selling first covers how the two closings fit together, and costs and money covers what a move can cost.

Finding help and next steps

Other services are listed on the resources page, and the step-by-step downsizing plan places clearing out within the full sequence. If you are weighing where to live next, browse where to downsize.

Ontario Downsizing is an information resource written by real estate agents on the operating team at eXp Realty. An agent can tell you how long a sale usually takes in your area and when to start. If you have questions, contact us.