Who Should I Inform When Somebody Has Passed Away?

There may come a time when you have to take on the responsibility of acting as Executor under a relative’s Will.

This may feel like a daunting process, but Wilson Browne Solicitors are “all the help you need” to point you in the direction of where to start and some institutions you may not have thought to contact.

First, you must formally register the death with the registrar. You will need to arrange an appointment with a registrar of the council district where your relative passed. See our download guide for what information you will need. Make sure to obtain enough copies of the death certificate ready to send to the various institutions.

A good place to start is with the Tell Us Once Service. This free service via the Gov.uk website allows you to quickly notify all government institutions and your relative’s local council. It is a good idea to have your relative’s passport number, driving licence number and National Insurance number to hand, together with the reference number provided by the registrar.

Then, begin looking for any documents you can find relating to any assets your relative held. This includes, but is not limited to;

• Bank or building society accounts
• ISAs
• Investments and bonds
• Shares.

Some institutions make it easy to notify them of a death; simply go onto their website and look for the bereavement department. They may have an online portal which you can complete. Others require hard copy evidence of the death certificate. Make sure you have any account numbers to provide as a reference so your relative’s details are easy to find.

Remember, when you are dealing with shares, you need to notify the share registrar for the company the shares are held with, rather than the company directly. This could be Equiniti, Link Asset Group or Computershare.

You also need to consider the liabilities your relative may owe. This could include credit cards, outstanding debts/invoices, and if they were a homeowner, will most definitely include their utility companies, a mortgage provider, and notably buildings insurance.

Other institutions you may not think to contact include;

•  TV Licensing Company
• Private or occupational pension
• HMRC
• Life Insurance providers
• Supermarket/retail credit cards
• Buy Now Pay Later schemes such as Klarna, Clearpay, Paypal.

If you need any help administering an estate or applying for a Grant of Probate, call our specialists on 0800 088 6004.