Selling dad's flat

[Caterpillargirl23]

Sadly my dad died last month.

I will probably sell his flat. His bank account has been frozen, but I think I will need to keep paying the bills.

Do I need to set up direct debits for the bills (in my name) until the flat is sold or is there a way that the utilities take what they are owed after the sale of the flat? The flat is cheap to run and will be on the lower end of council tax but I don't want to get into debt or have the flat cut off,
Probate has been applied for.

Have you notified the utility companies of his death? They have processes for this situation, we were able to settle the bills after probate was sorted.

What I found when executor and selling the flat for my sister who died unexpectedly was that the water company didn't charge from date of death (but water was still supplied, though very little used), council tax was not charged for six months (the sale took longer, so it started up again, but was settled on completion), gas and electricity (same supplier) continued to bill but let the debt roll up until completion.
You need to make sure that the flat continues to be insured until it is sold.

Thanks, that's useful info.

Basically call them and explain the situation. Agree carefully with the insurance turns out my parent had no insurance but I could get specialist empty house cover whilst dealing with sorting/emptying and then selling.

You don't have to pay council tax if empty.

agree you need to call and speak to utility companies etc - but they should have a specialist bereavement team, so ask to speak to them. I found Scottish Power - who were the power company my late mother used to be really helpful when I got through to the bereavement team. They could connect to the smart meter and took a reading on the day the sale of the house completed.
also just to flag if the house is empty you will need empty property insurance, so speak to the building insurers.

That's not always true, but if the reason it is left empty is the death of the sole occupant, then you don't pay council tax until six months after probate is granted or until someone moves into it, whichever is sooner.

Thank you again. I've been focused on the funeral arrangements and a family member might stay in the flat for a few days so will use the facilities.

Only in certain circumstances now. Councils need the income and are trying to get houses back into use so it needs checking. We found six months was free of council tax, but then it had to be paid after that. And if it was empty for longer (more than a year? It didn’t get that far!) it was double council tax.

@Caterpillargirl23

Sorry for your loss.

Go onto all the utility companies websites and search what to do when someone passes away and it will give you the number of the bereavement department.

Water said they would not charge from the date of death, electric company did charge us - both needed meter readings then and when the house was sold.

You will also have to contact his house insurance companies as they may no longer cover the premises if it is empty - there are specialist insurance companies that do this - they will let you know what they expect but the one we used when we sold my Dad's house said we had to turn off the water, electric etc and had to visit often to check on the premises.

Each council is different regarding council tax, the one for my Dad's gave us six months free and when that was up as it was up for sale and empty it was extended for a further year, which we did not need as it completed just after the six months were up.

When you register his death you can then fill in the tell us once service and they will inform banks, councils and government depts and you may get a letter asking you to pay back pension he received or any benefits if they were received at the time of his death.

The bank he was with have you spoken to the bereavement department as they will let you know what items they will pay out of his account etc.

If he had life insurance - when I dealt with my Dads they wanted a death certificate, some wanted it emailed, some just accepted the number on it, they all wanted to know the wording of his will and confirmation of the executors, they all paid me directly into my bank account except for the one that paid the funeral directors directly as that was for that purpose.

If you have a solicitor dealing with the probate and sale they should be able to advise what they will deal with and pay out when the property is sold.

It is one of the wost times and one of the busiest - take your time.

The best thing I did was have a notebook and pen and wrote every companies details on their own page with account numbers and what I had done, when and who i had spoken to, I also went through all his paperwork and got rid of anything that was not important, he was a paperwork hoarder, and put the things needed in a file so it was to hand.

@stopringingme
Thank you for your help, I've already done a fair bit and I agree having a notebook really helps.
Sorting the flat isn't urgent but I do need to sort the insurance soonish.
I don't live nearby so I'm doing what I can and next time I go to the flat I'll do some more.

You may find some info here useful. https://www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/money-legal/legal-issues/what-to-do-when-someone-dies/ The bank should actually honour any utility DDs and funeral costs too. Check with their bereavement department.

You shouldn't need to pay for anything out of pocket, but if you do, keep records and claim them back off the Estate as part of the Probate process.

Speak to the Probate department of all the utility. They will want a meter reading and then they will freeze payments until the flat is sold. Checj the insurance company let them know. I don’t know if they do the same

Have you used the
Tell Them Once system ?

Sorry for your loss

https://www.gov.uk/after-a-death/organisations-you-need-to-contact-and-tell-us-once

When we sold my father in laws house, all utilities were frozen I had to take on paying for house insurance, Council Tax was also stopped. The funeral bill can be paid if you take invoice to the Bank and they can pay direct from your Dad’s account, even if it’s been frozen. Once house was sold, there was a gas/electricity bill that needed paying, but that was all.