What Should You Do When Someone Dies?
Ash Hill Solicitors • May 18, 2021
Losing a loved one is understandably a very emotional time and in addition you may feel like you have a million and one things to do. The first and most important thing to know is that there is no rush with any matters, you must take your time and allow friends and family members to assist you.
We understand that this may be an incredibly difficult thing to go through for you and your family, so we’ve created this simple guide to help you deal with matters in 5 simple steps.
If you prefer to talk to a specialist about your situation? We’re here from Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm to help.
Call: 0208 515 2790
STEP 1 - Get a medical certificate
The first thing you need to do after someone dies is get a medical certificate setting out the cause of death. If the person died in a hospital, this would be prepared and given to you by a member of staff. If they died at home, you’ll need to call their GP to arrange a medical certificate.
STEP 2 - Register the death
The next step is to register the death and get a death certificate. This usually needs to be done within five days and only takes around 30 minutes. If you live in England or Wales, you can find your nearest register office here: https://www.gov.uk/register-offices
Deaths in the UK are usually registered by someone related to the person who died. There is no cost for registering the death, however, you do need to pay for the death certificate. Each copy costs £11 and it is recommended to get several original copies of the death certificate.
STEP 3 - Arrange the funeral
If your loved one made a will, they may have included funeral wishes to help you plan a meaningful farewell. If you want to speak to a specialist about your options or need to use money from the estate to pay for the funeral, please call us today to assist you.
Call: 0208 515 2790
STEP 4 - Notify people and organisations
By using the government’s Tell Us Once service, you can notify multiple government departments of your loved one’s death, including the Passport Office, HMRC and the DVLA.
Use Tell Us Once service: https://www.gov.uk/after-a-death/organisations-you-need-to-contact-and-tell-us-once
STEP 5 - Apply for probate
Before you can deal with the person’s estate and distribute assets to beneficiaries, you may need to apply for probate. If you think you might need probate, need help applying or want to speak to a specialist about your situation, please get in touch with our probate team or call on 0208 515 2790
It is important to determine who the executors to the estate are, this is normally set out in the Will. The executors will be responsible for dealing with the administration of the estate. If the deceased did not leave a Will, then you will need to determine who is entitled to apply for the letters of administration, this will follow the rules of intestacy. It is possible for you to apply for the grant personally however, you should note the importance of your role and duties when taking on this role.
In the alternative, appointing a solicitor to deal with the administration of the estate on your behalf will ensure that the estate is fully administered, and no issues will arise at a later date and you will be reassured that the deceased’s wishes are fulfilled. At Ash Hill Solicitors, we offer several options to assist you in the administration of the estate; it is possible for you to decide how involved you wish to be.
If you would like to discuss how we can assist you, please call us on 0208 515 2790
or complete our online enquiry form
and a member of our Wills and probate
team will contact you to discuss your requirements.
Author Bio:
Nasreen Akhter is the founding director of Ash Hill Solicitors and an experienced probate solicitor with over 10 years in private client law. She specialises in wills, estate administration, powers of attorney, and inheritance planning. Known for her calm, compassionate approach, she guides clients through sensitive matters with clarity and care.
Nasreen is also a civil and commercial mediator, committed to resolving disputes efficiently and constructively. She is fully accredited and listed on the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) register.
Outside of work, she’s a dedicated mum and chairs Happy Orphans Worldwide, a charity supporting vulnerable children across the globe.
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