Is it possible to find out if someone has died?

[ncd36275]

I was hoping someone might have a suggestion.

I've been trying to find a relative for a few years now. There's a possibility that he's no longer alive as (although he'd be in his 40s now) he did have some serious health problems.

I don't have a working phone number, the last address I have for him, someone else lives at now and doesn't have any information, he was never on social media and doesn't have any friends or family who've seen him for years.

He might have moved away without a trace, but I have a nagging feeling he may not still be with us. I've googled extensively but found nothing.

Does anyone know if there's a definitive way to check if someone's died? I suspect there may not be or I'd have surely come across it, but I'd be grateful if anyone could let me know.

Have you tried searching the deaths register?
www.gov.uk/research-family-history

@winefortea I did check it but it doesn't seem to be possible to find anything recent on there

Death registrations haven't been put on line for several years now.

This is the link to search wills/probate. One search is for pre-1996 and one for 1996 onwards. It can be a bit time consuming but maybe worth a try www.gov.uk/search-will-probate

Try googling name, place, obituary/death/died which worked when I was trying to find out if the previous owners of our house died here.

@BamboozledandBefuddled thank you. Do you know if probate is usually issued? I don't think he'd have had any money or anything for anyone else to need to deal with, so I'm not sure if he could have died in the last few years but without probate having ever been granted

Did he rent the last known address if so you could always try letting agents in the area or at a push funeral directors in the area .

[quote ncd36275]@BamboozledandBefuddled thank you. Do you know if probate is usually issued? I don't think he'd have had any money or anything for anyone else to need to deal with, so I'm not sure if he could have died in the last few years but without probate having ever been granted [/quote]
Possibly not if he had no real assets.

I don't think probate would be issued if there was no estate at all, or nothing left after funeral expenses and any debts were paid. But I think that if there was even just 50p left after that, then probate would have to be issued.

I found my dads wife by putting her name and word obituary in google, prob because was in local paper I found it

@BamboozledandBefuddled

I don't think probate would be issued if there was no estate at all, or nothing left after funeral expenses and any debts were paid. But I think that if there was even just 50p left after that, then probate would have to be issued.

No there wouldn't.

Say he had £20k in a bank. Some banks will pay out without probate. Some won't. It"s a bit arbitrary.

Why don't you just search for a death certificate? ( Sorry if I'm missing something obvious)
www.gov.uk/order-copy-birth-death-marriage-certificate