Organising a death book

[MikeRafone]

New year organisation

i need to put together a death book

ive started & listed savings accounts
bsnk account
pension
solicitor where original up to date will is lodged

password and code for iphone
password for Apple ID

one page for each item in case of change I can tear out page

what else do I need to put in the book?

I am wanting to make it as easy as possible for my dds

I'm going to be dead - this is a list of information and I shall not be contacting anyone from beyond the grave...

Sadly I've registered more than one death and never needed any certificates to do so, no birth or marriage certificates were needed. I used to work alongside the register office until 2020 - is this a new thing?

Have googled and can't find any directive on this coming in during the last 4 years?

I’ve got a folder with copies of letters, bills etc in separate plastic wallets. I can swap things out but the letters all have account details on etc.

When my mum died in 2019, to register her death they wanted her birth certificate and passport. We had to register her death quickly as she was donating her body to science. It was like Challenge Anneka trying to find these things in her flat. I had no idea where to start. So please tell loved ones where these things are kept.

When my dad died, my mum closed his bank accounts. This caused no end of problems as he was still receiving share dividend cheques weeks after and mum had no where to pay them into. We did not inform the bank for a couple of weeks when mum died and then they set up an executors account so we could access money to pay back over-paid pension, continue to pay her flat's maintenance charge or pay in council tax rebates.

You do not need certificates for the registration but they can be helpful to ensure accuracy. Also makes it easier to have info at fingertips for the informant, as their brain can be mush when grieving.
I always thought my dad was born in London but his birth certificate showed I'd been wrong for 40 years.
Also, if you have been married/divorced/changed name it would be worth writing a summary. It really helps with accuracy of registration and links to other records if the chronology is there.
Eg
Born as full name on date at place
Married Someone on date at place
Divorced on/around date. Reverted to maiden name
Married Someone2 on date at place
Divorced on/around. Kept married name.
Or whatever.
Some people have complicated/busy or just long and interesting lives! As a registrar it is easier if the informant knows the history and we can record it accurately.

Oh, and maybe keep it somewhere easy to find.
My dad was super disorganised and a hoarder, but he had his will, birth/marriage certificates and bank statements and passport all together in the top drawer with his wedding ring. It was such a relief when he passed to just find it all in the first place we looked.

This is a really useful thread, op. Thank you. I have been sorting out a relative’s estate for over two years now and it has been hugely frustrating and time consuming. Your thread is useful to focus my mind on what I need to write down as a summary for myself.

A previous poster mentioned just having your affairs in good order generally and this is very good advice. I am reading the book The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning and it has a very sensible message about getting your life affairs in order.

There is a company that will inform everyone for you. Might be worth looking them up. I’m not sure what the company is called but my BIL is using them after my Dsis’s recent death. I’m not sure exactly what they can do though.
I have a secret book that my DS is aware of. My DH had a stroke a couple of years ago and I have just sorted out POI for both of us. You can do it directly on Gov site rather than spending a huge amount of money through a solicitor.
DS knows how to access everything on my phone.
HMRC account is probably the first account they need to use. BIL had to do self assessment fairly quickly so probate could go through.
My DS has POI for me so would be able to sort out bank stuff mainly utilities so DH doesn’t have to worry.
Transfer ownership of car and informing DVLA.
Redirecting Mail and unwanted mail.
Close down online accounts such as Amazon.

https://www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/money-legal/legal-issues/what-to-do-when-someone-dies/
Good site for preparing a death book.

Do you mean POA? I have no idea what POI is other than point of information. If so that ceases on death so would not help anyone if you died. You son could not use your poa to sort utilities after your death.

i would also warn your son about “accessing your phone” after you die. As I mentioned up threads it is illegal to access some accounts after death, before notifying you have died. If he’s on your bank app thinking he can transfer money etc he would be committing a crime.

self assessment would only be needed if the deceased was self employed or needed to do self assessment- most of us won’t need that.

the service you’re thinking of is probably tell us once. It will do some things- dvla, council etc but not others such as bank accounts.

Great idea, OP. Perfect time of year to do it, too. Thank you for all of the great suggestions.

Useful to be able to access the phone for things like contacts, photos, list of subscriptions, email accounts, if not bank accounts etc. Things like our utilities are all on an app now, no paper copies of bills.

I have tried to do this in the past but it's keeping it up to date that is a problem as I'm one of those people that frequently changes utility providers, savings accounts for better interest rates, have several pensions, so many accounts with various companies. Must try harder though.

Utility companies
Pensions
What you want to happen - burial / cremation etc
Letters to loved ones
Names of people you would like notifying and their contact details

My parents just got two of the books detailed above, they seem really good (for what they are!)

I had to close someone's bank account just after they died and the bank said they would process any cheques in the deceased person's name for six months. I had to ask for anything due to be in cheque form.

You don’t have to close the bank accounts.

however you do have to inform the bank that the person is deceased so they can freeze all outgoings until an executor presents themselves to close the account.

banks will also process payments in a deceased name and pay the executor.