Notes in knowing what to do when someone dies

One of the most emotional times in your life is the death of a loved one, and it can be stressful arranging a funeral but there are ways to make the process easier.

Having a funeral planning checklist ensures you can do everything that is required without leaving anything out in the confusion that sometimes accompanies such events. First, you need to notify the relevant authorities. If the deceased passed on anywhere else other than in a nursing home or hospital, it is the family’s responsibility to notify the local authorities and complete a death certificate.

Choose an appropriate funeral home. This has to be in direct correlation to the budgeted cost of the funeral. If the deceased had a specific wish that they wanted to be made upon their death that relates to where they wanted their body kept before their funeral, this should be followed completely.

If there isn’t a will specifying a funeral home, then it is up to family to choose this. It must be clear who will pay for these costs and how that payment will be made.
If you would like to read our ‘Make a will’ brochure Click here to download it now.

Next, the funeral planning check list should provide for a meeting of friends and relatives to discuss the actual formalities. Iron out the logistics on people coming for the funeral from further away areas. This would entail facilitating accommodation at a nearby hotel or arranging hosting by persons that live near the funeral venue.

Communicate dates and times to everyone and for every key event once it has been agreed upon. Many people post a eulogy in the obituaries in the newspaper, but it is nowadays difficult as not everyone reads the newspaper. Follow up with a phone call for family and close friends.

The funeral planning check lists should include identifying the person that will read the eulogy. Most families settle for a member of the immediate family, a close friend or a religious leader. The person given this task should be told well in advance so that they can make the necessary preparation.

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Bequests in Wills

There are five main types of bequests which you may see contained within a Will:

A Residuary Bequest will come into play after all monies have been taken with regard to bills, taxes, expenses and specific bequests. This simply means that you will leave the remaining balance of your Estate, or a certain percentage of it, to an individual or individuals, or organisation.

A Pecuniary Bequest is a little more specific, indicating a gift of a nominated sum of money to someone or again, an organisation. This is often used when the deceased has left a gift to a particular charity in their Will.

A Specific Bequest works best when the testator wishes to leave an item to someone rather than a sum of money. It is then assumed that the beneficiary will either keep the item for its sentimental value, or go on to sell it, raising funds in this way.

A Reversionary Bequest can be extremely risky, and should therefore only be used by a professional Will writer. This type of bequest indicates that an individual or organisation should be the main beneficiary of your Estate, inheriting your property perhaps, or a large sum of money.

And finally, a Contingent Bequest indicates the desire to leave something to someone but only in certain circumstances. A good example would be if you were to leave your property to your first grandchild. If no grandchildren were ever to materialise, however, than it could perhaps go to your first born child, instead. This type of bequest can again be quite complicated, so it is always best to use the services of a reputable Will writer.

What is Probate?

If a person passes away owning assets in excess of £5,000 or if an institution is likely to pay the estate of a deceased person a sum in excess of £5,000 then a Grant of Probate will most likely need to be applied for on the estate. Although some banks will accept a small estates indemnity form instead of a Grant of Probate if the estate of the deceased person is under £15,000. If not Probate or a Letter of Administration will have to be applied for. In other words who ever is dealing with your affairs must apply for a Grant of Probate.

The greatest confusion with probate is that the probate application must be undertaken whether you make a will or not.

If you make a will your executors will apply for what is known as a Grant of Probate if you did not make a will the person who is dealing with your affairs will become your estate administrator and will apply for a Letter of Administration also known as Letters of Administration . The probate forms are the same whether you are applying for Grant of Probate or applying for Letters of Administration.

Head to IWC Ltd to read more about the Probate Process.

Overseas Probate

Moving abroad at a later stage in life is a dream for many people in the UK, however you may want to make sure you have every aspect covered, including Overseas Probate. Here at IWC we can help with Overseas Probate.

As a UK citizen you may need an English Will and a Foreign Will. If you do have assets overseas and in the UK we can help, we can provide you with an overseas willwriting service that integrates with your foreign will.

In addition if you have a loved one who has passed away owning assets in two countries we can also help. The authorities in different countries do not generally use the same terminology as the UK. Here we refer to probate and a grant of probate. Or where there is no will we refer to a letters of administration, however overseas there are several different expressions such as notice of succession. These are tantamount to the same thing, you still have a legal process to go through to claim the assets of a deceased person.

From France to Spain or Dubai to Australia and between we can help with the legal process of probate and estate administration.

For further information on overseas probate, spanish probate or italian probate please contact us free of charge in the UK on 0800 612 6105 alternatively if calling from overseas call us on 0044 208 150 2010

Probate at IWC Ltd

At IWC Ltd we offer a high quality Probate service all over the UK, we are here to help you as loosing someone close to you is never an easy thing to go through.

When you are ready, one of our probate advisors will visit you at home to discuss an outline of the work involved. We provide a complete solution helping you deal with the emotional aspects of losing a loved one whilst we deal with the practical aspects.

If you are unsure what Probate is and why you will need it, let us give you a brief summary.

If a person passes away owning assets in excess of £5,000 or if an institution is likely to pay the estate of a deceased person a sum in excess of £5,000 then a Grant of Probate will most likely need to be applied for on the estate. Although some banks will accept a small estates indemnity form instead of a Grant of Probate if the estate of the deceased person is under £15,000. If not Probate or a Letter of Administration will have to be applied for. In other words who ever is dealing with your affairs must apply for a Grant of Probate.

So if someone close to you has passed away, please take into account the fact that you will most likley have to apply for Probate. Visit IWC-ltd.co.uk for more information on our Probate and other services.