When to inform banks, utilities?

shiraz99

Sadly my dad passed away last week leaving just myself and my two siblings. I've been staying at his house pretty much full time as a carer for the past 6 months and will continue there up until the funeral and to administer his estate. Just registered the death yesterday over the phone so still waiting for the death certificates etc, and now looking at contacting various organisations to inform them of his passing.

How soon do I have to inform his bank, and similarly how quickly do I have to inform his gas/electric? He has a monthly direct debit for his gas/electric which is on a fixed contract until August which I don't mind paying going forward but would be easier to continue to come out of my dad's account for the short term, considering everything is coming to us anyway. Also, when I do inform the gas and electric, Octopus Energy, will they carry on the fixed contract terms or will they revert to a standard variable, which would mean the monthly DD would likely double due to the upcoming price increases?

MSE_Chris

Hi,

I'm really sorry to hear of the loss of your dad.

I can understand how this is a very difficult time for you and your family. To try and help you, I've gathered up some info to help you get organised and tried to keep it as short as possible for you. We can't give personal advice on our forums, but other users who don't work for MSE might be able to give you more info, but I hope you find the below useful:

> Energy - you can notify Octopus and it should be able to put the account in your name, especially if you plan to continue living at the property for the foreseeable and you're the executor of the will. It doesn't mention this on its site, but this is how I've seen other suppliers operate. More info on its process and how to contact it can be found here: 

https://octopus.energy/help-and-faqs/categories/other/manage-someones-account-after-theyve-passed-away/  

Where it might be different is if you plan on moving out the property at some point, the tariff itself might not be transferable or 'portable' to use the technical term, which means you could lose it.

> Gov organisations - it has the 'Tell Us Once' service which notifies most gov departments at the same time: https://www.gov.uk/after-a-death/organisations-you-need-to-contact-and-tell-us-once

> Bank - If you google the bank name followed by the word 'bereavement', it should have a page on this for you and its process. I've collected some examples below for you to help speed things up:

Natwest: https://www.natwest.com/life-moments/bereavement.html
Barclays: https://www.barclays.co.uk/what-to-do-when-someone-dies/
HSBC: https://www.hsbc.co.uk/help/life-events/bereavement/
Lloyds: https://www.lloydsbank.com/help-guidance/life-events/bereavement.html
Santander: https://www.santander.co.uk/personal/support/customer-support/bereavement
Halifax: https://www.halifax.co.uk/helpcentre/bereavement.html
Metro Bank: https://www.metrobankonline.co.uk/about-us/bereavement/

There's a lot to do, and it is extremely stressful so don't be afraid to ask for help. If you need help from outside your family bubble, I recommend the charity Cruse: https://www.cruse.org.uk/

You can also contact the Citizen Advice Bureau if you need help with the admin:
Contact phoneline or visit a CAB branch: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/about-us/contact-us/contact-us/contact-us/

Advice from CAB: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/family/death-and-wills/what-to-do-after-a-death

I'm sure other MSE forumites will be able to help you here if you need it.

MSE Chris

kipsterno1

Sorry for your loss.

I went through this last October. I was happy to just crack on and sort things but that is me. Some people need time before undertaking the required tasks. Make time for yourself if you need it and don't feel under pressure.

The first thing I would do is get meter readings. My experience was;
 
Water (United Utilities) place the account on hold for three months with no charges. After that I got back in touch and they created an account in my name but there will be no bills until I provide the final reading on selling the house.

Gas/Electric (BGas) have put the accounts on hold for nine months. They still send bills but there is no requirement to pay. Hopefully the house sale will go through before the end of the grace period. If not I will transfer the accounts to me and again pay the final bill from the estate on sale of the house.

As for the banks I also did that straight away but I had previously been managing them under LPA. I opened an account to deal with the estate so everything got paid into that.

I found I lot of very useful info and tips on here but did spend a couple of nights reading over months of posts.

Gers

kipsterno1 said:

Sorry for your loss.

Gas/Electric (BGas) have put the accounts on hold for nine months. They still send bills but there is no requirement to pay. Hopefully the house sale will go through before the end of the grace period. If not I will transfer the accounts to me and again pay the final bill from the estate on sale of the house.

This was my experience with British / Scottish Gas last year for my late DM's dual fuel account.  Once I spoke to the bereavement team this was sorted very quickly and then, after the property sold I took the final meter readings and was billed.

BT - I kept the phone and broadband accounts active to use as I was in the property for a couple of months.  BT changed the account name to mine so I paid the bills.

Bank - the banks will freeze any accounts once they have been informed of the death, no monies in or out. Once I sent them a certified copy of DM's Will and death certificate (online) the bank paid out to me.  Some banks require the grant of probate or confirmation to release funds, however this wasn't the case for me.

There's such a lot to think about but you can take your time and work through things at your own pace.

Savvy_Sue

I think with utilities it may be different if someone is still using them. And you should inform banks immediately so that accounts can be frozen.

Its also a moot point as to whether the ongoing bills are an expense of the estate: I'd have said not as you are benefiting.

However, if you were able to change the payment method on the utility bills to your own account, it would not be unusual to take a while before notifying EVERYONE of your father's death.

poppystar

Others have comprehensively covered things but so far no mention of house insurance which should be a priority if your father was responsible for it. Likely they will be happy to continue cover but they do need to be informed so that any policy remains valid.

Octopus were great (once they'd explained to me and I had grasped how they worked!) and the account was changed to ‘estate of xxxx”. 

Keep notes of everything as you go - who you spoke to, when etc - it’s easy to get lost in the enormity if it all especially after a loss when your mind is taking it all in. ...and take care of yourself.