Bereavement Guide

We understand that losing someone is one of the most difficult times you’ll have to face. That’s why we have created a useful guide to help you through the next steps.  There is also a useful checklist for you to download if you wish.

If the person who has passed away is a customer of ours, please notify us as soon as possible by calling us on the number shown below and our specially trained staff will go through everything with you.

To notify us of a bereavement visit: https://www.deathnotificationservice.co.uk/

Car insurance  0344 412 2128
Van insurance  0344 412 2124
Home insurance 0344 412 2123

Register the death

You must register the death at either the register office closest to where the person passed away or at your local registry office within the following time frames:

• England within 5 days
• Wales within 5 days
• Scotland within 8 days

The register office will issue you with a death certificate which is required by most organisations prior to settling any affairs.

For more information on your local register office, please visit www.gov.uk/register-offices

Register with the government’s Tell Us Once service

This service lets you report a death to most government organisations in one go. It covers a wide range of topics such as pensions and passports.

For more information, please visit https://www.gov.uk/after-a-death/organisations-you-need-to-contact-and-tell-us-once

Notify us

For all insurance policies, please call the number shown above. Please note that although we will update our records when we have spoken to you, you may get correspondence addressed to the deceased for a few days as some of our letters and emails are generated in advance.

If you are notifying us of the death of a motor insurance policyholder it’s important to check the policy details and any accompanying documentation to confirm whether Personal Accident Cover was purchased along with the Motor Insurance policy.

If this cover was purchased, there may be a cash benefit available if the cause of death was due to an accident (this is not limited to a motor vehicle accident).

Please call the telephone number on the policy documents to speak to the provider who will be able to help you through this process.

Contact other relevant companies

You will also need to inform other companies which could include other insurance companies, utility companies, bank and building societies to name a few. The Death Notification Service, a free online service, is available to enable you to notify participating banks and building societies with one click.

For further information, please visit https://www.deathnotificationservice.co.uk/.

We have also created a useful checklist which you can download here: Bereavement Checklist

Obtain the will

Some organisations will ask to see the will before settling any affairs. Here at Budget, we do not need to see the will or the death certificate. A will contains:

• The last wishes of a person who has died and usually names one or more executor(s) who are responsible for carrying out these wishes
• Details of who they want to inherit their estate and sometimes special instructions about the funeral

If there is no will or it can’t be found, the deceased’s estate is distributed according to the law of intestacy, which determines how it’s divided and shared.

For more information about wills, you can read the government’s guide.

Please visit https://www.gov.uk/wills-probate-inheritance

Deal with the estate

If you’re named in the will as an executor, or named by the laws of intestacy you are a ‘personal representative’. You can decide whether you want to deal with the estate yourself or appoint a solicitor, bank or specialist probate service to do some, or all, of the work. If the estate is small and probate isn’t required, a personal representative may be able to deal with everything within a few weeks. But if probate is required or the deceased person owned a property, the process may take longer.

Obtain probate

Probate is a term used when you apply for the right to deal with a deceased person’s affairs. You might also hear it called ‘administering the estate’. In Scotland, a grant of probate is called ‘confirmation’. Probate may be needed if the deceased person had assets, such as cash, property, or shares, worth more than £5,000, solely in their name. It’s important to note that probate can take up to 6 to 9 months to obtain. If there isn’t a will, instead of probate, you’ll need a legal document called Letters of Administration.

For more information about obtaining probate, you can read the government’s guide.

Please visit https://www.gov.uk/wills-probate-inheritance

Arranging the funeral

We understand that it may be difficult to pay for the funeral but if the deceased had funds in their accounts, your Bank, Building Society or financial institution may be able to release funds to help with costs. Please contact your Bank, Building Society or Financial Institution who will provide the necessary assistance.

Useful links:

Help and Bereavement Support

Cruse Bereavement Care – www.cruse.org.uk

The Samaritans – www.samaritans.org

Age UK – www.ageuk.org.uk

Funeral Services

National Association of Funeral Directors – nafd.org.uk

The British Humanist Association – humanism.org.uk

The Natural Death Centre – www.naturaldeath.org.uk

Financial and Legal Advice

The Probate Service – www.theprobateservice.org

Citizens Advice Bureau – www.citizensadvice.org.uk