Administration of Estates Guide

When someone dies, it is a difficult time for relatives and friends, and it can be hard to know what action you should be taking. This leaflet provides practical advice and explains what needs to be done in order to deal with the administration of the estate. We are here to help you.

First Steps

You will be asked to collect a certificate of death from the hospital or doctor. This will be handed to you in a sealed envelope. You must then register the death with the Registrar of Births, Deaths & Marriages within seven days, taking the certificate of death in its sealed envelope with you. It will be necessary to telephone to arrange an appointment to do this. You will need to have certain information about the deceased available for the registration appointment – their full name, address, date and place of birth, former occupation and, if a widow or widower, their spouse’s name and occupation. You will then be given further forms relevant to the cremation or burial which you will need to take to the Funeral Directors so that they can make the arrangements for you.

The Will

You may already be aware of whether or not the deceased made a Will. If you are not sure, you should look through the deceased’s paperwork to see if you can find any correspondence relating to a Will. If you know that a particular firm of Solicitors sometimes acted for the deceased, you should telephone and ask them to check their records.

To see the rest of our full FREE GUIDE please click on the icon below.