Neighbour died and home has not been cleaned since

[Frogponder]

Our elderly next door neighbour who lived alone died last month.

We and other neighbours noticed we hadn’t seen him about and his lights were on all night so we called the police who sent in a paramedic who found him. They took the body and told us he’d died a week earlier, which was shocking and sad.

Since then nobody seems to have been into the property, and we’re getting worried about rotting food, flies, rodents etc.

Another neighbour has written to the council and put a letter through the letterbox for the Executor (hoping there is one).

That neighbour is now suggesting we could all go in and just clear out the rotting food ourselves as the back door is unlocked.

Though this would be the quickest way to prevent a possible pest problem my instinct is that we should not go in, it would be trespassing (and unpleasant) and should be dealt with by the council. But the council may not deal with it quickly as they are over-stretched.

Any advice?

My friend died in her flat on a Friday we think, she was found dead in bed (heart) on Sunday. The stench was unbearable (it was summer) until the bed had been removed and everything cleaned (hired a carpet cleaner, washed the curtains). It pervaded the whole room.

well if the police haven’t been in the address since the body was discovered and the property is insecure they’ve got no chance of investigating any suspicious circumstances now. ( speaking as a police officer). The main issue is the property is not secured so you should probably flag that up to council. Is there a key in the door? Do you know where it is?

I don’t see a problem with going in to clear the kitchen. There might not be much there sadly!

I'm sorry but I'd be mortified if the nosy neighbours broke into my recently deceased family member's home. I'd immediately feel uneasy about things potentially being missing.

It doesn't but that isn't what you proposed.

A PP has said that for all you know it's a crime scene so you and your fellow noseyparkers are going to look like a right bunch of tits at best if you go in there for any reason at all.

It is literally nothing whatsoever to do with you. Enjoy the sun and go about your life. No doubt the family will sort it all out.

It wouldn't even occur to me to go into the house of a recently deceased person to remove black bananas and OOD milk. Weird.

There are people in the council who deal with this stuff though they may just try to trace family and bury the person who passed if they can't find family. The property should have been made secure though so raise that too else stay out of it. You can't go into the property, think how that would a, look and b, puts you in a position where you could be accused of stealing. Notify the council that the property isn't locked then stay out of it.

Contact the police to ask them to secure the house and mention the food aspect.

This in spades. Its pure nosiness not concern.

@Frogponder - some posters have given you a very hard time but it seems to me that you were kind and supportive neighbours while your neighbour was alive and in our busy world taking a week to notice that things seemed off doesn’t seem excessive. I doubt you have any huge desire to nose round an elderly neighbour’s somewhat dilapidated home. I also understand the suggestion of going in since the back door is unlocked but agree with the majority view that it’s probably better not to do that. I would ask the council and the police for advice re best next steps.

It's weird that some people have no idea about being neighbourly. So if you hadn't seen your elderly neighbour for a fortnight you'd just "enjoy the sun and go about your life" would you? After all, it's not your business ...

Your motive in posting this was pure spite. See, other people can do it too!

The neighbour may not have had any visitors, but that doesn't necessarily mean he did not have a 'next of kin'.
I imagine that before (or while cleaning), papers would need to be gone through for any relatives.
[This happened to someone I knew. The relative found deceased was a cousin.]
For some obscure reason, it now seems to take ages to register a death, and as said upthread, if the deceased had not seen a doctor recently, and died at home, then the coroner would be notified to make sure that the cause of death was not suspicious.
if no relatives are found, then yes, professional cleaners will then be appointed to clear the house. (I imagine the cost would come out of any assets the deceased may have had.
So, it would need to be established whether the deceased had any assets, and whether he had left a will, and who was named as executor of any will.
The council could not really clear/clean a house, before establishing whether it belonged to someone.

Actually, it takes a few weeks for a body to start breaking down, although it does depend on the heat and whether windows/doors were closed or open. Even when the process starts there isn't a huge amount of mess (although, again, obviously depends what killed them) - it's generally not like something you'd see on CSI. Now that the body has been removed, you won't have to worry about about flies or maggots, and food in the fridge will spoil eventually, but will be sealed in, so no pests can get to it.

Don't enter the property; it's illegal. Cause of death probably hasn't even been determined yet. Deaths at home, unless expected, must be investigated by the coroner. You don't want to be pottering around in his house if it turns out there's something slightly suspicous about the death.

It's also a bit early to be so worried about pests and their impact on your property. You/your neighbours have already written to the council to express concerns. If you actually see an increase in pests, contact them again.

No, I keep an eye on both my neighbours but neither of them would want me poking about in their houses if they had died, especially if they died under unpleasant circumstances such as this old fella has.

Looking after each other and trespassing on someone's property are two totally different things but when the reason is some invented health and safety aspect, even less reason.

@C152 What crime is committed?

Some bizarrely aggressive posts, that completely overlook the intent - the neighbours don't want to go in to rob the place.

It's also a depressing insight into the British mindset - don't be proactive, don't be a community, just wait for things to go to shit and phone the council.

I appreciate that from a legal standpoint it's not the best idea, but the weird hostility is absolutely uncalled-for.

No you can’t go in and I’m amazed anyone would think that’s acceptable. You’d be opening yourself up to a world of allegations or potentially disrupting any evidence.
To be honest it sounds like your neighbours just want an excuse to nose around the house which is worrying and sad. Or they are bored and whipping themselves up into a frenzy about an empty house issue potentially affecting them before it’s even happened.
Leave it to the authorities, seriously.

Ignore the hysterical posters OP most of us with an ounce of reason can see you are only acting out of concern and decency. If this was my relative (assuming he has any) and if you're the law abiding, peaceful citizen you seem to be, I'm sure I'd only need a pleasant conversation with you to see that no malice is intended. Hope it all gets resolved soon x

God what a sad atomised society we live in

OP - ignore the accusations of being 'busy bodies' - it's quite clear you have every right to your concern - I am not sure the best course of action - at the very least I would be phoning the council and stating if it's not resolved you will go to the local press.

Tresspass? Theft of the items they plan to chuck out without permission?

Let's imagine in a years time - the OP 'minds her own business' - the house by then is a rotting heap of flies and maggots - a local journalist writes about the neighbours who just carried about their business totally aware the house had been abandoned and not cleaned after a may lay dead for a week.

That's unkind, they did used to look after the old fella.

Trespass is not a crime in England and Wales and this would be very unlikely to qualify as theft under the Theft Act 1968 as I've previously pointed out.

I wouldn't be too concerned about the food - it will be a self limiting situation with rats/mice.
I don’t suppose the council will be concerned if its a private house, I guess distant relatives may appear one day if there is no obvious family.
But, for a neighbour who was on good terms it’s not unreasonable to get the house secured. If you know where the key is, lock it. Or fit a padlock. Or police non-emergency to ask for advice/make them aware.
We would also mow lawns etc to make sure it looked lived in.

Probably breaking and entering. IANAL but apparently it’s not necessary to actually break something in the sense that most people would use that word to commit the offence. Opening a closed but unlocked door is sufficient to comprise a “break”.

(I didn’t know that before reading this thread and becoming curious and googling, but several law firm sites etc said the same thing, so there you go.)

(Edited to correct punctuation error.)