Papers to Find Before You Clear a Loved One’s House: A Checklist

The single most common regret after an estate cleanout is a document that went out with the trash. Search the house first, room by room, before anything leaves. This guide is part of our Sacramento estate cleanout series.

Legal and Estate Documents

• The will, and any codicils (later changes to it)
• Trust documents, including any amendments and the schedule of assets
• Powers of attorney and advance health care directives
• The death certificate (order several certified copies; banks and agencies each want one)
• Burial plot deeds or pre-paid funeral contracts

Property and Vehicles

• Grant deeds and the most recent property tax bill for the house
• Mortgage, reverse mortgage or home equity statements
• Vehicle titles (pink slips) and registration
• Homeowner’s and auto insurance policies
• Storage unit contracts and keys

Money and Accounts

• Bank, credit union and brokerage statements
• Retirement account and pension statements
• Life insurance policies and annuity contracts
• Recent tax returns (the last three years is a good start)
• Social Security and Medicare letters
• Safe deposit box keys and the bank’s name

Where Paperwork Hides

Older Sacramento homes give up documents in places nobody expects. Check these before the house is cleared:

• Inside books, Bibles and photo albums
• Freezers, coffee cans and kitchen canisters
• Shoe boxes, purses and coat pockets in closets
• Under drawer liners and taped beneath drawers
• Garage cabinets, the attic and the shed
• Envelopes stacked with junk mail

Then Make One “Do Not Haul” Spot

Pick a single room or a set of labeled bins for everything that stays: papers, photos, keepsakes and anything the family has claimed. Tell the crew on cleanout day. When we clear a house we leave anything marked or set aside where it is, and if we come across loose papers, photos or valuables mid-job we stop and hand them to you rather than load them.

When the search is done and the family has what it wants, see our estate cleanout service or read what to do with a parent’s house after a death for the full order of steps.