Personal

A Guide to Bereavement

SOLVING PERSONAL LEGAL MATTERS

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When someone dies it can be hard to think about practical things like what needs to be done and when. This guide will provide you with help and guidance through the steps that need to be taken. Within a few days after a death, someone needs to:

Make sure that the home and possessions of the person who has died are secure
Register the death
Start arranging the funeral.

You will find help on these matters in this guide. It also has answers to questions such as:

Where can we get money to pay for the funeral?
Can I still use the joint account I had with the person who has died?
How can we pay bills without access to the person's bank account?
What happens if the death is reported to the coroner?
Who should we tell about the death?
What happens if there is no Will?
What should we look for when going through the papers of the person who has died?

Who does what?

The family and friends of the person who has died can usually deal with most of the practical things that need doing immediately after a death.

Solicitors normally get involved a little later, when the personal representatives ask for their advice about the estate.

If there is no family member or friend to deal with the practical matters, then solicitors can help with some or all of these too - but they will charge for this.