Carrying out skip hire is something that is on every home owner’s mind at some point in time. There comes a point where you are having a clearance done and need to put the rubbish somewhere. It is both unhygienic and inconvenient to simply leave it lying around. Home clearance companies can help with this. With our busy schedules, we don’t always have the time to do everything ourselves. Skips are the ideal thing when dealing with builders waste clearance as well as garden waste clearance. Skips ensure that there is sufficient space to put everything into, whilst maintaining the aesthetics around you. However, you’re probably wondering how to hire a skip if you have never done it before. This is why we have taken the liberty of putting together a short guide detailing how to go about the task of hiring a skip. As workplace transport accidents are amounting to over a third of all injuries, a skip will save you the hassle of collecting all the garbage by yourself. You don’t have to sort out your own clearance services. Below is a list of points on how to do it:

•    Obtain a skip hire licence. This is often provided by the local council. There is nothing worse than obtaining a skip that is without a licence. This is akin to driving a car minus one! That means you will need to go through a private skip hire company and not do it individually. It is harder to obtain a license for individuals as opposed to registered clearance companies. A standard skip licence application takes around 5 days and the permit lasts for around 2 weeks, after which it is required for it to be renewed.

•    The skip must be clearly marked with the designated company name and phone number as well as have all the lights necessary to meet the council’s regulations and requirements. If it is to be placed on the road, you need to ensure that there is sufficient lighting, so that pedestrians and/or cars do not end up accidentally bumping into it.

•    When you hire the skip from the skip hire company, you should always endeavour to find out that the clearance service is properly licensed and registered with the Environmental Services Association (ESA). You do not want to be incurring any danger by putting yourself in a situation where you have hired the skip out from a rogue company that disappears with your money and leaves you stranded in a mess with the council.

•    The skip that you hire must not at any times contain anything corrosive or explosive or be overloaded. It is imperative that as soon as the skip is full, you ensure that it is taken away immediately and emptied.

•    Always check that the company that you are hiring the skip from has public indemnity to cover any type of injury or accidents, in the case of one. Skips are usually kept on the side or in the middle of the road and it is important that all the insurance has been taken care of beforehand, to avoid anything untoward happening. Legitimate companies can prove all their licenses and documents to put your mind at ease.