What to do when a family member passes away

Losing a loved one can be one of the hardest things that you will ever have to deal with. Coping with your grief and that of those around you can seem enough of a struggle without having to worry about the practicalities around what happens next. Many people will not have found themselves in this situation before and it can be new and distressing territory to try and navigate.

Here, Valens Solicitors, Family Solicitors in Watford, have put together a useful guide on what to do when a family member passes away, to try and make life that little bit easier for you.

Immediately after death

When you are informed that a family member has passed away, you will need to obtain a medical certificate so that you can register the death and arrange the funeral. At this point you do not need to concern yourself with the will, money, or property.

A medical certificate can be obtained as long as there is not a coroner’s inquest into the death. If they died in hospital, then the hospital should be able to provide this for you. In the event that the person died at home, you will need to contact their GP for the certificate, which is free.

You will need to register the death with five days if you are in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland. If you are in Scotland, this is extended to eight days. In England and Wales this will involved contacting the Register Office, and a copy of the certificate will cost you £11. In Northern Ireland, you will need to contact the District Registration Office where the certificate will cost £15. To register the death in Scotland, get in touch with the Register of Births, Deaths, and Marriages. The certificate in Scotland costs £12.

As the certificate will need to be sent off to different organisations, it may be beneficial to order more than one copy, as this will enable you to deal with multiple organisations at once. Otherwise, you will be left waiting for the certificate to be returned to you before you can deal with anything else.

To register the death, you will need a number of things, including the medical certificate that was provided. You will be required to give the person’s full name, including any previous names, the date and place of their birth, their last known address, their occupation, and the full details of their spouse if they were married or their civil partner. If you can, try to take their birth and marriage certificates with you, as well as their National Insurance number, proof of address, driving licence, passport and NHS medical card. You will also need identification as proof of your own identity.

Funeral arrangements

Putting the funeral together can be a difficult and emotional time, but it is important to think about what the person will have wanted. You can contact a funeral director once the death has been registered, and they will gently take you through the process. It is important to check whether your loved one had already made any plans with a funeral director or written down their wishes, so that you can give them the final send off that they wanted.

The next few weeks

Once the death has been registered, there are a number of practical arrangements that need to be made and other people that will need to be contacted. First of all, look at where they were living. If it was in rented accommodation, you should let the landlord know as soon as possible. The rental agreement may need to be transferred to the name of the person’s partner or you will need to work with the landlord to find a way to bring the tenancy to an end.

If the property was owned, you will need to contact the mortgage provider who will tell you what you need to do next.

There are other organisations that you will also need to get in touch with such as housing associations, council housing offices, employers, utility providers and insurance companies. Each one will have a different method of doing this, so you will need to speak to them all individually to find out what you are required to do.

Documentation

There is also a lot of government documentation and offices that you need to contact to inform them of the death. You will need to cancel their passport through the Passport Office and driving licence through the DVLA, as well as speaking to HMRC about their taxes.

The Department for Work and Pensions will need to be informed so that their State Pension and benefits can be stopped, whilst public sector and armed forces pension schemes will also need to be contacted.

You will also need to let the local council know so that their Council Tax and housing benefits can be dealt with, and the electoral register can be updated. All of these should be done as soon after the death as possible and can be done through the Tell Us Once service which notifies all government departments in one go for free.

Make sure you have as much information as possible to hand for each thing to enable it to be dealt with as quickly and easily as possible. Items such as the passport and driving licence will also need to be returned as soon as possible through the post.

Insurers and creditors

Insurers, banks, and credit card companies will also need to be informed as soon as possible so that debts can be claimed back from the estate, and anything owed can be paid out.

Dealing with a death in the family is never easy and dealing with the official elements is not always at the forefront of your mind, but it is still important to do. Taking it a step at a time can make it much easier, and the burden can be shared amongst other family members to make it a quicker, easier, and less traumatic process to have to go through.