My wife loves Christmas. Whether it is the fact she starts playing Christmas music in November, the tree needs to be up and ready before the 1st December or that she has finally convinced me to go to Strasbourg – considered to be the capitale de Noel – it is often one of her favourite times of year. For many years I sought to counter this as the ‘Scrooge’ to her ‘Elf’, but her constant love of the season has finally worn me down, as her enthusiasm is contagious (although the coffee advent calendar has certainly helped).
For many people though, Christmas can be a challenging time of year and it can be even harder when losing a loved one. For some, time can stand still when dealing with loss and this can be even more exaggerated during what I call the Christmas ‘go slow’.
With many businesses closed for parts of the festive period, it can be difficult to know what to do. Hopefully the following tips can help you as you look to navigate what can make a challenging time more difficult.
Be reassured that you can probably deal with the majority of the most practical things arising immediately after death. As a solicitor, although people will often turn to me for advice and guidance early in the process, you won’t normally need to speak with us until you start administering the estate.
I would recommend that the first step is to secure the home and possessions of the person that has passed away, especially if they lived alone. Think about what you would do if you were going to leave your own home for a period of time, such as ensuring that all windows and doors are locked or that anything that might be delivered to the property is stopped.
Unless you are the executor, I wouldn’t remove anything from the property, but it might be prudent to make sure that any valuable items are moved from sight of anyone passing the property. If there is an item of particular value that you are concerned about, you can consider moving them to a more secure location, but please do consult with the executor before doing so.
While at the property, see if you can find any information that relates to insurance for both the building and contents, as it will be important to notify the insurers of the change in circumstances to ensure that the property remains adequately insured, especially in the colder winter months.
It will also be prudent to look to register the death and, in the UK, this should be done within 5 days. This can be more challenging over the Christmas period, with many registry offices are open by appointment and working at reduced hours throughout and, for this reason, I would recommend that you do not worry or stress if it takes a little longer. You can find your nearest registry office on the government website (Find a register office – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)).
In order to register the death, you will need to give the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death to a registry office. This is usually issued by the GP or hospital. When registering the death, you will be asked to provide certain personal details, including the date of birth and address, for the person that has died, along with information relating to their pension or benefits. Having documents such as their birth certificate, marriage certificate and their National Insurance number or anything sent to them from the DWP will assist.
The death certificate will be issued and it is possible, at this stage, to obtain further copies that might be needed to administer the estate. There will be a fee for this and you will need to check this with your local registrar, as it can vary between local authorities.
If you do buy further copies, if possible, ask for a receipt as the expense can be claimed back from the estate once monies are available.
Along with the death certificate, the registrar will also issue a certificate for burial or cremation. You will need to give this to the funeral director who is making the funeral arrangements as you look to organise this.
When arranging the funeral, the person that has died might have expressed a wish within their Will or stored their wishes in a separate note along with their copy Will, but this is not always the case. If you are worried, it is worth noting that you are not legally obliged to follow these wishes, although many would prefer to do so.
Most importantly, if you are struggling with the loss and the grief this brings, remember there are people you can speak with. Loss is never easy at the best of times, and the Christmas period only heightens these emotions.
If you do find yourself struggling and do not feel you can speak with your friends and family, remember that you can call the Samaritans free on 116 123, at any time of the day. Their trained volunteers will be there to provide confidential and non-judgemental listening and support on any issue, including bereavement.
This firm will be closed from 22nd December 2023, but we will be back on the 2nd January 2024, where are team will be ready and available to help. You can contact us on 01206 835261 or via email privateclient@fjg.co.uk for further information.