After Someone Dies

Chapter 1 — The First Few Days

When someone dies, the people closest to them are rarely prepared for the amount of practical work that follows. Grief may be mixed with shock, exhaustion, family tension and the fear of making an expensive mistake. A relative may suddenly be expected to deal with officials, locate documents, protect a property and answer questions about money they know very little about.

The first thing to understand is that the whole estate does not have to be sorted out immediately.

Some matters are urgent. Many are not. The safest approach is to deal first with the death itself, the funeral and anything needed to protect people, animals, property and important information. Decisions about selling possessions, clearing the home or distributing money can wait until the right people have been identified and the position is understood.

What must happen first

The immediate procedure depends on where and how the person died.

If the death occurred in a hospital, hospice or care home, staff will normally explain the next steps and arrange the medical paperwork. If the person died at home and the death was expected, contact the medical professional responsible for their care. If the death was unexpected, the circumstances were unclear, or there is any reason for concern, call 999 and follow the instructions given. Do not move the person or disturb the immediate surroundings unless emergency services tell you to do so.

In some cases, the death must be referred to the coroner. This does not necessarily mean that anything suspicious has happened. A referral may be required because the cause of death is uncertain, the death was sudden, or the person had not recently been seen by an appropriate medical professional. The coroner's involvement may affect when the death can be registered and when the funeral can take place.

The detailed registration process is covered in the next chapter. At this stage, find out who is issuing the necessary paperwork and write down the name and contact details of the person or organisation dealing with it.

Choose one point of contact

Families often run into difficulty because several people begin making calls and giving different instructions. One person should act as the main family contact, even if that person will not eventually administer the estate.

That person can keep a simple record containing:

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This record should begin immediately. Small expenses and informal decisions are easily forgotten, particularly when several relatives are helping.

Being the family contact does not give someone authority to sell, give away or distribute estate assets. It is simply a practical way to keep information together until the executor or administrator is identified.

Secure the home

If the deceased lived alone, the property needs prompt attention. This is protection, not clearance.

Check that doors, windows, sheds, garages and other access points are secure. Collect any keys that have been left with neighbours, carers, cleaners or tradespeople and make a written record of who still holds a key. Cancel regular deliveries and make arrangements for pets, vulnerable occupants, refrigerated medicines and anything else requiring daily care.

Remove obvious perishable food and rubbish where necessary, but do not begin emptying cupboards, sorting personal papers or throwing possessions away. Documents that appear unimportant may later provide evidence of an account, debt, insurance policy, valuable item or family arrangement.

Take dated photographs or a slow video of every room, including cupboards, garages, lofts and outbuildings. This creates a basic record of what was present and of the condition of the property. Photograph valuable-looking items separately, but do not publish or circulate the images unnecessarily.

If cash, jewellery, watches, important documents, firearms or other high-risk items are found, record them in the presence of another person where possible. Store them securely and note who has custody. Do not divide them among family members for safekeeping without a clear written record.

Contact the property insurer

Notify the buildings and contents insurer that the policyholder has died and explain whether the property is now unoccupied. Do this promptly. An ordinary household policy may impose new conditions or provide reduced cover when a home is left empty.

Ask the insurer to confirm in writing:

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Follow the insurer's instructions and keep a dated visit log. Do not assume that an empty property remains covered simply because premiums have been paid.

Do not use the deceased person's money

Do not use the deceased person's bank card, online banking, cheque book or PIN, even to pay apparently reasonable expenses. Authority given under a power of attorney ends when the person dies.

Keep receipts for necessary costs paid personally. Some expenses may later be reimbursed from the estate if properly incurred and recorded. Funeral costs can often be paid directly from the deceased person's bank account when the bank is given the required documents, but the bank's own procedure must be followed.

Do not move money between accounts or close accounts until the person legally responsible for the estate is satisfied that this is permitted.

Preserve paperwork and digital information

Keep all post. Do not rely on memory to decide what matters. Bank statements, pension letters, share records, tax papers, insurance documents, utility bills and correspondence from solicitors may all help identify the estate.

Look for documents carefully, without turning the search into a general clearance. Likely places include a home office, filing cabinet, desk, bedside drawer, safe or document box. The immediate priority is to locate identification, funeral instructions, property insurance information and any indication of where the original will is held.

Do not destroy notebooks, address books, diaries, mobile phones, computers or storage devices. Do not guess passwords or try to gain access by pretending to be the deceased. Digital accounts and devices may contain valuable or sensitive information, and access rights differ according to the account and circumstances.

Keep essential services under control

Do not immediately cancel every household service. Electricity, gas, water, heating, alarm monitoring, telephone or internet access may be needed to keep the property safe and manageable.

Take meter readings and photographs. Notify providers when the person responsible for the estate is ready, but avoid agreeing personally to a new contract unless that is intended. Redirecting post may also be sensible once the person entitled to deal with the estate has been established.

If the property is rented, notify the landlord or managing agent, but do not surrender the tenancy, remove all possessions or hand back the keys without checking the legal position.

Do not start sharing or clearing possessions

It is common for relatives to say that the deceased promised them a particular item. The claim may be honest, but that does not automatically establish ownership or give permission to remove it.

Until the will has been found and the person responsible for the estate is known, nothing of consequence should be sold, donated, discarded or divided. Premature removal can cause family disputes, destroy evidence, complicate valuations and leave the person who authorised it personally accountable.

A property clearance company should not be instructed merely because the home needs to be emptied eventually. Before clearance begins, the estate should be documented, items requiring valuation should be separated and the person giving instructions should have proper authority. Chapter Sixteen explains that process in detail.

What can usually wait

The following decisions rarely need to be made in the first few days:

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Waiting is not neglect. It is often the most responsible course.

The first-days checklist

In the first few days, concentrate on the following:

1. Follow the correct medical procedure for the circumstances of the death.

2. Identify who is dealing with the medical and registration paperwork.

3. Choose one person to keep the family record and contact list.

4. Make safe arrangements for dependants, pets and urgent daily needs.

5. Secure the home, vehicles, keys and outbuildings.

6. Photograph the property and safeguard high-risk items.

7. Notify the property insurer and follow its vacant-property requirements.

8. Preserve post, paperwork, devices and possible will information.

9. Record necessary expenses and keep every receipt.

10. Do not use the deceased person's cards or banking access.

11. Do not distribute, sell or clear possessions.

12. Allow non-urgent decisions to wait.

At this point, the family does not need to understand the whole probate process. It needs to protect the immediate position and create enough order for the next decisions to be made safely. The next step is registering the death and obtaining the documents that will be needed throughout the administration.

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About Harry Georgiou

Harry Georgiou is the owner of Swifty Clearances, a waste clearance business. He writes about responsible waste disposal, fly-tipping prevention, and the practical steps households and businesses can take to avoid inadvertently funding illegal waste operations.

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Chapter 1 — The First Few Days

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About Harry Georgiou