sherrif officers chasing me for dead dads debt (Scotland)

Its_Technophobe

Looking for a bit of advice, Sherrif officers have been sending me threatening letters regarding an unpaid funeral bil of around £5000, that was in my fathers name, he at that point had the money to pay it but unexpectedly died himself and that money was released by the bank to me to pay for his funeral. Can they chase me for the outstanding amount as I was the executor of his will? They've demanding the name of my lawyer (don't have one) and my late fathersbank details... 😞

chanz4

what would your dad do?

DevCoder

Was your dad an executor of the original deceased?

If not then Id envisage that the original funeral bill was a creditor debt but not linked to an estate so it would come second in the usual pecking order of your dads expense payout after his death from his estate. (i.e., Your dad's funeral costs, then any creditors (including the original funeral bill)).

sleepless_saver

In some limited circumstances executors can be liable for the debts of the estate e.g. if there was money to pay the debt in the estate but the executor had given it out to the beneficiaries instead of paying off debt. Normally if there is nothing in the estate to pay them with, you wouldn't be liable. It might help to get legal advice if you can get a free session.

And you could give Stepchange (0800 138 1111 Mon-Fri 8am-8pm, Sat 8am-4pm) a call.

Marktheshark

What was left over the £5000 funeral bill you paid.