It is a sad fact of growing up that, at some point, we will have to say goodbye to our parents. Nothing can really prepare you for the moment it happens, whether it’s quick or whether it has been a process that has taken months or even years. It still hits just as hard regardless. And even if it is the culmination of a long illness, many of us find it impossible to start thinking about what the next steps would be. We are so focused on making the most of the time we have and making sure that they are as comfortable as they can possibly be.
However, as their child, there are a lot of responsibilities that you will need to attend to after they pass away. Some are a matter of relatively simple paperwork, such as making sure that everything is filed properly, and the right people have been notified. Some are more emotionally draining, such as organising the funeral and making sure that everyone who needs to know has been told. Some are a combination of both, which can make them even more difficult, such as the will. It will be a long and difficult journey, but you will get through it. Here are the steps that you need to take.
You Need A Medical Certificate And To Register The Death
This stage is what comes immediately after the death, and it comes at a point where you may not be up to focusing on very much at all. If your parent dies in hospital or in a care facility, the doctors or staff should provide the medical certificate. In the event that your parent dies at home, then you need to talk to your local hospital or your parent’s GP.
You Will Need To Register The Death
Another admin step that you will need to take is registering the death. You will need to do this on the UK government website within five days of your parent passing. There will be a few details that you will need to provide them, such as your parent’s date of birth, occupation, and their address.
You Will Need To Set The Funeral
This is one of the biggest responsibilities that you will have when a parent passes away. Often, the deceased will have left instructions for the kind of service that they would like, and what they would prefer to happen with their remains. These instructions may be in their will, so you may need to talk to their solicitor, but we’ll get to that in just a moment.
If your parent has not left any instructions for their funeral, you will need to start from scratch yourself. You can find a list of funeral directors in your area fairly easily and they will be able to talk you through the options available. There are several costs involved, including funeral director fees, any crematorium or burial fees, and the fees for burial or cremation that are charged by your local authority.
You Will Need To Check The Will For Any Issues
Once the funeral has been taken care of, the next step will be talking to your parent’s solicitor about their last will and testament. Most people will have an executor of the will named, but if they do not then this may be your responsibility. You may well want to seek legal advice if you are going to take that on. Now, the will can be a tricky thing as you will often not know what is going to be in it until it is read.
There are several reasons why you may want to contest a will, including if you believe that you should be in it and are not. If this is the case, you may want to think about raising an Inheritance Act claim. These can also help with claiming your inheritance if a will has not been left. Hugh James’ team of solicitors has experience in both raising and defending these claims and they have excellent reviews from their satisfied clients.
You Will Need To Contact A Range Of Organisations And Cancel Payments
One of the most time-intensive tasks that you will need to take care of in the event of the death of a parent is making sure that you notify everyone who needs to know. Obviously, it is very important that friends and family members are notified, but there will be several organisations and companies that will need to be alerted.
We are talking about stopping payments for council tax, any mortgage providers. You’ll need to tell their bank or building society to stop any outgoing payments, tell utility companies that they have passed away so they will not continue sending bills, and cancel everything from their driver’s license to their Netflix subscription. There may be outstanding debts that you will be responsible for but making sure that anyone expecting payments after the date of their death is aware of what has happened is very important.