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Who can Register a Death?
According to Direct.Gov the list of who can register a death is as follows:
If the person died in a house or hospital, the death can be registered by:
- a relative
- someone present at the death.
- an occupant of the house
- an official from the hospital.
- the person making the arrangements with the funeral directors.
Deaths that occurred anywhere else can be registered by:
- a relative
- someone present at the death.
- the person who found the body
- the person in charge of the body.
- the person making the arrangements with the funeral directors.
Most deaths are registered by a relative. The registrar would normally only allow other people if there are no relatives available, so a common law spouse is able to register a death if they fall into one of the classes above and there is no relative available, but do check with the Registrar first.
What to do when someone dies at home checklist:
After a death, call the family doctor and nearest relative immediately. If the death was expected, the doctor will give you a medical certificate showing the cause of death. They’ll also give you a formal notice saying they’ve signed the medical certificate and telling you how to register the death. If the person is to be cremated, you’ll need two certificates signed by different doctors. The Funeral Director will often arrange the second one. If you do not know the name of the GP, the person didn’t have a GP, or if the death happens outside normal GP practice opening hours, call 111 or 101 if you have hearing issues, the NHS non-emergency number
What to do after a death in hospital checklist:
Most deaths now take place in a hospital or nursing home. If your relative dies in hospital, staff will contact you, if they are able, lay out the body and arrange for it to be taken to the hospital mortuary. You will then be asked to arrange for the body to be collected by funeral directors, who will normally take it to their chapel of rest. At the same time, you will be asked to collect the person’s personal possessions. Before a death can be formally registered, a doctor will need to issue a medical certificate giving the cause of death. In a hospital, this is usually done by a hospital doctor, who will hand the certificate to you in a sealed envelope addressed to the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages. You will also be given a notice, explaining how to register the death. There is no charge for either of these. If the person has not been seen by a hospital doctor, their GP may be able to issue a certificate instead.
What to do when someone dies UK unexpectedly:
If the death is unexpected, or the family doctor hasn’t seen them in the last 14 days, the death is reported to a coroner. A coroner is a doctor or lawyer responsible for investigating unexpected deaths. They may call for a post-mortem or inquest. This may take some time, so the funeral may need to be delayed. A surprisingly high proportion of deaths are referred to the coroner, more than 4 out of 10, so do not be concerned by it.
What to do after a death: Funeral Directors:
They are not usually the first people to notify, but be aware that the person who instructs them may be personally liable for the bill. Normally it should be the executor (preferably in conjunction with the legal next of kin.) If there is a prepaid funeral plan, these can be invalidated if the wrong funeral director is instructed, so please try to check papers and bank statements for anything which may be one. Insurance policies will normally show up on the bank statement as monthly payments. Though they could be paid up, then you have to find the documentation unless you know who the company is. Proper prepaid funeral plans only show up on bank statements of they are still being paid monthly – and most are paid in one go. There is no substitute for finding out in advance, or a few thousand pounds could be lost! Search for a Prepaid funeral plan here.There is a useful list of local funeral directors here.
Where to Register a Death.
One of the first things to do after a death is to register the death with the Registrar of Births Death and Marriages, preferably in the area they died in. For most areas, we have the details of where to register a death in your locality above. But do ring them first – most insist on an appointment, and they may have moved. Some that been registering deaths by phone. You will normally need to take along certain paperwork with you, so find that as soon as you can. Why not download and print our helpful guide How Register a Death (PDF)?
Contact an undertaker (or several for quotes), after checking that there is no prepaid funeral plan. Be ready for a bit of gentle hard sell to get you to give your loved one “the send-off they deserve.” An increasing number of folk have thoughtfully taken out prepaid funeral plans or have insurance policies to help pay the expenses incurred after a death. The insurance ones may need probate before they can be released. If possible, you should find out about these before a person dies and not be scrambling around after the death. You could end up paying for a funeral you don’t need. If there is a proper prepaid funeral plan, then it is important to find it quickly. It can be both embarrassing and expensive to instruct the wrong undertaker when the funeral has already been paid for and perhaps organised.
The undertaker won’t be able to go ahead with the funeral until after the death has been registered and the necessary doctor’s certificate/s obtained. One doctor for burial, two for cremation. The undertaker will usually ensure they are in place and sort them if not, with the cost being added to their bill unless covered by a prepaid funeral plan.
How long after death is the funeral?
Provided the Coroner is not involved, the death can be registered immediately. The funeral can be booked far enough ahead to alert those who might wish to attend or who would be hurt if they were not notified. Technically the executors of the Will (if any) are in charge of the funeral. The next of kin is in charge if there is no Will or they are the executor – this is just a gentle warning to try to avoid disputes which are very common around funerals as they are such an emotional time. Try not to destroy your family please, it is the last thing the deceased would have wished for as a legacy.
It is preferable that the executor/s carry out the duties below, apart from the first section. Others doing so could find that they have become executors whether they like it or not, or could make the actual executors’ job harder. Dilly-dallying executors can end up in serious hot water if beneficiaries (or the Taxman) suffer loss through their delay.
Who should I tell after a death?
- Tell family members and friends about the death.
- Employer or educational establishments.
- Health professionals and cancel any appointments.
- Care Agencies such as Social Services, home carers, meals on wheels and day centres.
Checklist: Financial organisations to tell when someone dies.
- Banks/National Savings/building societies.
- Insurance companies (e.g. life, buildings/contents, medical, car, travel).
- Pension providers.
- Credit card/store card providers.
- Any other financial institutions must be informed so that any accounts solely in the deceased’s name can be frozen to prevent fraud. You should also tell companies/organisations with joint accounts, although these should normally (but not always) still be accessible by the other joint holder.
- Mortgage provider.
- Landlord
- Buildings and property insurance companies to make sure continued cover especially if the property is left unoccupied. There will be strict conditions and cover will be reduced. Valuables should be photographed and removed to somewhere secure, with witnesses in case of a dispute. If you need cover now, try this for unoccupied property insurance. This is especially urgent if the property has been unoccupied for some time, as the insurance conditions may already have been broken, meaning that claims might not be paid, and the executor or administrator could become personally liable.
- Utility companies (electricity, gas, water and telephone) and arrange to transfer of account details if necessary.
- TV/internet companies.
Government offices to tell after someone dies.
(See also the “Tell us once service” when registering the death.)
- Pensions Service or Jobcentre Plus to cancel any benefits to the deceased or their carer.
- Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs to deal with tax and Child Benefit payments (if applicable).
- Local government offices offering services such as the Electoral Register, housing benefit, council tax office, bus pass, disabled parking permits, and library membership.
- The DVLA and the insurance company if the deceased owned a car (remember it is an offence to keep the uninsured or untaxed car on the road) or held a driving licence.
- The Passport Agency.
Dealing with a property after a death.
Other people to contact when someone dies UK (England & Wales).
- Reduce the burden of any unwanted mail after death by registering with the Bereavement Register.
- Clubs/membership organisations/social groups.
- If the deceased held a firearms licence for work and/or recreational purposes, contact the local police station.
- Redirecting the post. Here are the Royal Mails’ instructions: “To arrange a Redirection of their mail after death, what do I need to do? You can apply for a Redirection for the deceased at a Post Office® branch or by post. Please see the “Application in Special Circumstances” section of the terms and conditions. This details who is allowed to apply on the deceased’s behalf. If you still need help call Royal Mail on 08457 777 888 or text phone 0845 600 0606. If you’re calling from outside the UK call +44 1782 668 007.
How Long After A Death is the Will Read?
The reading of the Will is stage fiction and rarely takes place in the UK. In my opinion, this is not a good thing as it leads to suspicion and jealousy which could have been knocked on the head quickly, with little time to fester into permanent bad feelings. We always recommend that the beneficiaries are given a copy of the Will, but there is no requirement for the executors to do so.If probate is required, then the Will becomes public property and anyone can get a copy. See HERE. But this may well be a very long time after a death: 6 months is reasonable, but 12 months or more are common in complex estates.
What NOT to do after a death:
One thing not to do when someone dies is to let anyone throw away all the deceased’s papers. You will be surprised how often this happens, and it can add substantially to the cost of probate. For example, the last 7 years bank statements might be needed, and insurance policies or investment details could easily be lost. If it is rented property or a care home, things can very easily get lost in the hurry to clear everything out so rent doesn’t keep accruing after a death.
Download our free checklist on what to do when someone dies UK here!Related pages: BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT / WHAT IS PROBATE / LOST FUNERAL PLAN / DEATH NOTICES / PROBATE HELP
Find out what to do if someone dies in your local area by choosing the relevant option below: GO HERE
After a death in care home, nursing or residential care.
- Death in care will need to be verified by a medical practitioner or if an expected death by a registered nurse who is qualified in death verification procedures. Verification should be carried out within four hours following the suspected death.
- Following verification, the senior person on duty contacts the resident’s GP to arrange to certify the death (if the GP has not been already contacted). If the death has been expected or the GP has seen the service user in the last 28 days and if the doctor can certify the cause of death, they will issue the person in charge with:
- a medical certificate that shows the cause of death (this will be in a sealed envelope addressed to the registrar)
- a formal notice that states that the doctor has signed the medical certificate and tells you how to go about registering the death.
- If the death is sudden or of unknown or suspicious causes, and the service user has not been seen by a GP for 28 days or more, the service user’s GP or registrar will inform the coroner’s office and the body should not be moved until the coroner has been notified.
- The death must be registered in the district where it took place.
- The manager or key worker contacts the relatives of the dead person immediately or a soon as is practically possible, depending on any agreements with them that have been made with them.
- It should be noted that the care home should attempt to find out the service user’s wishes on their funeral arrangements well in advance and these should have been recorded. If a cremation is required, two separate doctors must sign the cremation form. It may be worth checking if there is a prepaid funeral plan as its’ value may be lost if the correct procedures are not followed.
- The manager or key worker contacts the service user’s minister of religion or spiritual adviser if there is any uncertainty about whether there are any procedures or rituals which should be carried out or observed after death, according to the deceased service user’s religion or customs.
- At an appropriate time, the manager or key worker arranges for the person’s personal belongings to be collected by the next of kin or relatives acting on their behalf. Relatives sign a receipt for the personal belongings and this is filed with the service user’s notes. Furniture and other effects are also dealt with in similar ways once it is known how they should be dealt with.
- Out of respect for the dead person and other service users, the care home does not reallocate the dead person’s room until the full notice period has expired, all effects are cleared and the room is made fit for purpose for someone else.
- The care home will offer relatives of the dead person support, including any emotional support they need, over the arrangements surrounding the death.
- The care home also provides its staff who are affected by a service user’s death emotional support and bereavement counselling if needed.
- The care home routinely reviews its policies and practice in respect of any service user who has received end-of-life care to identify if they need to be changed or improved in future cases. (See the End-of-life Care in Care Homes Policy.)
- In cases where service users have no next of kin or relatives who can be contacted, the care home contacts the local authority to find out about the proper procedures to follow.
- The care home arranges for staff and other service users to attend the funeral if they wish. It always sends at least one representative to attend a funeral as well as sending a condolence card or letter to the relatives.
- At an appropriate time, the care home’s administrative staff prepare a final statement of account to go to the person responsible for dealing with the dead person’s estate.
- The care home retains all the service user’s care notes and records along with any other relevant documentation for at least three years.
What do you do when someone dies at home at night UK?
Need help choosing a Funeral Director? Click here! We’re here to help, Click Here to Contact UsWhere and How to Register a Death in England and Wales: when a death occurs, download our timesaving Checklist – What the Registrar needs to know, the information needed to allow the Registrar to issue death certificates. Someone has to deal with the formal registration with the relevant Registrar of Births Deaths and Marriages office (links towards the bottom ofpage). Here we gather together the contact details of the various Registrars of Births, Deaths and Marriages, together with details of the questions they need to be answered, so you can be well prepared. See also who can register a death
The Rules for Registering a Death.
- Registration should normally take place within 5 days of death. This will not be possible if the Coroner is involved. The Coroner is involved in many deaths – see that page for more details. Any more than 5 days, if the Coroner is not involved, and there are potential criminal penalties, so contact the Registrar if there are any problems.
- You must be a person qualified to register the death – typically the next of kin, but more details on who is allowed to register a death here if that is not appropriate.
- The Medical Certificate of Death must have been issued by the deceased person’s doctor or by the coroner (43% of deaths are reviewed by the Coroner, often just because the deceased hadn’t seen a doctor within 2 weeks of death, or that doctor is on holiday.) The coroner’s involvement is NOT a cause for concern. Funeral Directors must have the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death before they can do any more than take the body into their chapel of rest.
- You will need quite a bit of information about the deceased (we’ve put a download below so you can print it and then find all or as much as you can of the information before speaking to the Registrar).
- When everything is ready, contact the relevant Registrar of Births Deaths, and Marriages and make an appointment. Most are listed below: please let us know if any links are out of date. Historically this has been face-to-face, but some are using the phone currently. If you are not near the Registrar for the area of the deceased, you may be able to work with your local one, but that will slow things down as the documents will have to be sent to the Registrar in the area the person dies in before death certificates can be issued.
- The actual registration of the death is free, BUT:
- Think how many Death Certificates will be needed – copies are unlikely to be accepted by banks, insurance or investment companies or lenders. Each one is currently £14, so the cost can be significant. The executor can repay the cost from the estate in due course. Always bear in mind that not all will be returned by the people you have to send them to, and returning may take weeks, so don’t order too few.
Above our version Below: Find where to Register a Death: ideally where the deceased lived. Click on the link for the relevant area for local information, but you can register it with any other Registrars in England and Wales, though this will slow the process slightly. If you need help with the legal side, contact us. This page offers advice on who should register the death. Why not Contact Us with any questions you may have?PDF form to Registration Guide. (CLICK TO DOWNLOAD).This is a free fact sheet on how to register a death. The ideal time to complete the basics of this is long before anyone dies when all the information can be easily found. So why not be prepared yourself? Be prepared!If you haven’t already watched it, here is the official Government video on what to do when someone dies. It is well worth a listen before you request our Guide and Tips and download the Fact Sheet.When you are with the registrar, make sure you get several copies of the death certificate as you will need to give or send originals to most of the institutions that hold money for the person who died, and possibly to the land Registry too. Extra copy death certificates are more readily purchased at the time of registering a death.Being an executor can be tough, why not check out our guide on what to do when someone dies?Need help choosing a Funeral Director? Click here – we have listed the funeral directors we can find on the Local Pages above.Planning ahead does make things easier, and you might consider downloading and completing what you need to know to register a Death form for yourself as well, and filing it with the relevant documents, just a thought! Perhaps I should write an article – or maybe I already have written an article and a series of videos, with my former business partner who has now gone on to greater things. They are the most important and least viewed items on the site, so please do have a look and perhaps share on social media – none of us know when our time is going to be up.
What to do after a death, some related information (for after you have read your Local Page):
- After a death abroad
- Taking a body abroad
- Deed of Variation
- Probate Disputes
- Give up as Executor.
- How to choose an Undertaker
- Understanding Inheritance Tax
- Inheritance Tax Due Dates
- The Residential Property Nil Rate Band
- Where to register a death if there is no link above,
- Who can register a death
- The “Tell us once” service
- Missing Beneficiaries
- Coroners and Inquests
- How to stop direct mail.
- Do I need probate?
- Who can apply for Probate?
- Types of Grant of Probate
- Probate fees and tips
- Death of Joint Owner
- Do I need probate?
- Find a funeral plan.
- Pay for a Funeral.
- Full list of all Registrars of Births Deaths and Marriages – search by postcode – that being an Official Site – it doesn’t always work! Ours is much better!
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