Clear the house.Keep the family.
Sortwell puts everything in the house on one shared list: what each thing is, roughly what it's worth, and who'd like to have it. So nothing precious goes to the tip, nobody feels left out, and it doesn't all fall to you.
Works in your browser today. The iPhone app for photographing room by room is coming soon.
Someone has to go through the house. It's usually you.
You have a job to get back to and an estate agent asking when it'll be empty. You're standing in the back bedroom holding a clock, with no idea whether it's worth twenty pounds or two thousand.
Your brother wants to know what's happening with Dad's watch. Your sister lives six hours away and feels shut out. And every bin bag feels like a decision you can't take back.
It's never really about the clock. It's about who decided, and who wasn't asked.
Picture the day you lock the door for the last time.
- The watch went to Sam, and everyone saw why.
- The carriage clock sold for what it was worth, not what the house clearer offered.
- The solicitor has the inventory, the charity shop has the rest, and the house is empty.
- And nobody is keeping score at Christmas.
From a house full of things to a plan everyone agrees on
Photograph each room
A few photos of each thing, including any marks or labels. It works without signal.
Find out what you have
Research identifies each thing and suggests a price range from similar sales.
Decide together
Everyone sees the same list, says what they'd like, and agrees what happens.
Share and export
Download an inventory, or give a valuer or solicitor read-only access.
One room is enough for today
Photograph a room in one go with the iPhone app (coming soon), or drag photos in on a computer. Stop whenever you need to. It'll all be here when you come back.
- Tag each photo: the whole piece, a maker's mark, a signature or a label.
- No signal, no problem. Everything uploads when you're back online.
- “Next item” is always instant, so you keep moving through the room.
Know what you're holding before it goes in a box
For each thing, research suggests what it is, when and where it was made, and what similar things have sold for.
- A likely price range from comparable sales, with how sure it is.
- A note when something deserves an expert's opinion.
- Anything AI filled in carries this mark. Correct it and it stays corrected.
A list that gets shorter
The house stops being one impossible job. Search everything at once, and see what's left to decide in each room.
- Filter by room, category, estimate or decision.
- Group by room to see what's left in each.
- Save the views you use and share them with the family.
Everyone gets a say before anything leaves
The whole family sees the same list, wherever they live. Nobody finds out on the phone that the dresser has already gone.
- Say which things you'd like, and why.
- Talk it through in comments on each item.
- Every decision is kept in the item's history.
The paperwork is done when you are
Invite a valuer, dealer or solicitor as a guest, or export the inventory as a PDF or spreadsheet.
- Guests look through items and photos but can't change anything.
- Estimates and family conversations stay hidden from them.
- Choose when each guest's access ends.
These are someone's things. We treat them that way.
A home holds a lifetime. Sortwell is built so it stays with the people it belongs to.
- Private by default
- Only the people you invite can see an estate. Photos are stored privately and shown through short-lived links.
- Location removed from photos
- When a photo uploads, its hidden data is stripped, including where it was taken.
- You choose who sees estimates
- Estimates stay within the family unless you show them to a particular guest.
- Guests are read-only
- Outside helpers can look but not change anything, and their access can end on a date you set.
- Delete whenever you like
- Deleting an estate removes everything in it, photos included.
Questions families ask
Straight answers about estimates, privacy and who can see what.
Still have a question?Get in touch
Is it too soon to start?
There's no right time. Some families start the week after, others wait a year. You can photograph one drawer and leave it for months. Nobody sees anything until you invite them, and nothing is decided until you choose.
Do we have to photograph everything?
No. Start with what might matter: anything old, signed or loved. Leave the saucepans.
Does everyone need to be good with computers?
No. One or two people do the photographing. Everyone else gets an emailed link, looks through the list and says what they'd like. There's no password to remember.
Is this a valuation?
No. Estimates are a guide to likely value, based on comparable sales and listings. For insurance, probate or selling something valuable, get a formal valuation from a qualified valuer. Sortwell points out the things most worth asking about.
Who can see our things?
Only the people you invite. Family members can be editors, who add and research items, or viewers, who look, comment and say what they'd like. Owners manage who's invited. Outside helpers join as read-only guests.
Does it work without signal?
Yes, on the iPhone app (coming soon). Photos and notes are saved on the phone and upload when you're back online, so you can work through a house with no Wi-Fi.
Can our solicitor see it?
Yes. Invite them as a guest to look through the items read-only, with estimates hidden unless you choose to show them, and an end date if you like. Or send them a PDF or spreadsheet of the inventory.
What happens to our photos?
They're stored privately, with location and other hidden data removed, and only people in the estate can see them. If you delete the estate, its photos are deleted too.
Start with one room.
Create an estate, invite the family when you're ready, and take it at whatever pace feels right.
Start with one room