A bit of background - I am the oldest of 4 children, my parents have been divorced for 2 decades, and we have only had limited sporadic contact with my father since then, and no one had seen him the past few years.
My brother had a call from the police last Tuesday night, to say our father had been found dead at his bungalow, they had traced my brother through a text message sent a few years ago still on my fathers mobile.
The next day, myself and my mother were rung by the police who told us to come to the police station in the district where he lived, as we would need to sign for what to do with his body - medical research etc.They informed us he had to go for a post mortem to establish cause of death, and they gave us what was found on his body - his car/housekeys, phone etc which we thought was a bit strange.
The police had given me a phone number of a close friend of his, who I called to try and find out more information on how he had died, and he advised us to get my fathers paperwork from his bungalow as he had funds to pay for his own funeral. On looking through his paperwork, he has no assets, little money in the bank, or life insurance, apart from a new laptop, and an x box. His bungalow is council owned, and his car is a mobility car, and he was receiving benefits. He has a pension, which I need to send the death certificate off to, to see if he had any beneficiaries named, as to use the money to pay off his funeral.
I have already contacted his banks, the benefits office, and the council, who have informed me due to the nature of our relationship we will not be liable for his rent arrears or clearing out of the property.
I am now worried sick I am liable for his funeral costs, and any debt he may have accrued and has not kept the paperwork for.
If I arrange the death certificate, will I be held liable for his funeral expenses?
Should I remove the laptop/x box from his bungalow, and try and sell them to raise funds for the funeral, or is that illegal?
Am I able to wash my hands of the whole thing, or am I legally obliged to sort his affairs out?
Apoplogies if I come across as cold, I only remember my father as an abusive and frightening man, who I had little to do with as soon as he left our home, and if Im being completely honest Im resenting in having anything to do with him in death. We seem to have been caught up in sorting his affairs out, which being 8 months pregnant on the verge of maternity leave in a very demanding job, is turning out to be a real worry.