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?

Do mice not eat dried food? Porridge oats? How about bread?

Careful! You'll have a queue of mumsnetters lined up to tell you that mowing their lawn is criminal damage and that the evil relatives will descend and get the police to investigate the alleged loss of valuable plants.

Why exactly would a mouse suddenly be entering and eating the dried food in the pantry? This makes no sense. We left our house empty for six months once when we went on holiday, no issues with any of the food in the pantry.

I wonder if it is possible to find out if next of kin have been informed? Or even established? Without being told who they are of course?

I think you should get back to the Council, valid it seems to contact Environmental Health given what you suggest is a health hazard.

The police should be securing the door they broke in and the executor dealing with the rest or the council if need be.
The neighbours, one in particular who suggested going in IS coming across as nosey and gruesome. Decomping bodies leave a degree of mess behind, I've seen a few, it's not for the faint hearted and you never forget the smell either.
I would have been mad as fuck if I though someone had been poking around in my mum's place 'clearing out rotting food' when she died in a care home, and I couldn't go to sort anything out due to the covid lock downs.
Would have taken civil action for trespress and police for possible theft.

Why’s it bothering you? If the place needs cleaning it’s for someone else to do. It doesn’t matter if it gets worse over time, it’s not like you need to get it done now because it will be you having to deal with it later.

The OP has not said anything about an executor, just that she knows of no family the old chap had, as nobody ever visited him. The police are being mentioned because they broke in so should have left the house secure when they left.

If you want to entertain yourself by having a go at online strangers then it works better if you make sure you read the post properly first. The property is unlocked and she's more concerned about a dead body oozing into the carpet for a week than a fruit bowl.

I think some people just like to be seem to get involved and be part of the drama. Makes for good gossip and 'It was awful but I helped out'. But you didn't need to be there or do anything Doris. Butt out.

Of course you should go in, that’s what good neighbours do, look after each other in the community. It’s so depressing that everything is positioned as if it’s the councils responsibility or his family’s responsibility.

If the house is privately owned. The council won't deal with it.

What a bizarre comment. Of course mice are going to want to eat food. By your "logic" no-one would ever have mice in their house.

We are selling MIL house after she went into care in January. No one in the family lives nearby, so we arrived to 3 months worth of the house being empty.
The food was fine. There was black mold above one window.

The main worry is making it secure and from our experience, the fact that it was uninsured due to being unoccupied, had to pay for special insurance for that. Any adjoining neighbours may not be aware.

So how much money would you be willing to spend on your civil action for trespass?

Not a good idea.
It's not trespass (which is a civil offence), it's technically burglary if you go in there, and could result in a criminal conviction.

Well to be blunt, she won’t really be looking after her neighbour, will she? He’s beyond looking after.

That's because in this case it is, legally. The neighbours can't take it upon themselves to sort out his estate, can they?

Wrong.

Thank you. You're trying to insult me though aren't you, online stranger?

That would be my business not yours.

As @FreebieHound has said. These are the correct proceedures

https://www.milnerslaw.co.uk/dying-without-a-next-of-kin-what-happens/

What happens if a person dies without a next of kin?
If a person dies without a next of kin and without a will, their estate and funeral are dealt with by the council.
First, the council carries out a property search. The purpose of this is to gather any information about the deceased – first from the property itself, then from friends and neighbours. The person responsible for this tries to build a picture of the dead person and their finances.
The question of finances is important. If a person has left money, this will go towards paying for their funeral.
According to the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984, the council is legally obliged to organise the funeral for a person who died without next of kin.

A lot of people do, it's called trolling. They also rubber neck at accidents, take photos and up load them online.
If your comment was aimed at me I'm not bothered but, rest assured I do not troll and nothing I have said has been remotely spiteful.

A few mice possibly getting in versus trespassing in a property you've no business being in, that could expose you to risk healthwise and in terms of being accused of theft or vandalism ?!

Any cleaning, clearing or pests are the executor of the estate's problem.