Useful references

A question about : Useful references

Given how often the question arises I thought it would be useful to have a thread which provided useful resources on this subject, maybe it could become a sticky at some point? I'm happy to update this first post with any suggestions of other official/useful resources.

ENGLAND AND WALES:

Official Probate Service: https://www.justice.gov.uk/courts/probate
Why make a Will? https://www.justice.gov.uk/courts/pro...hy-make-a-will
Who Survived the Deceased? (Intestacy Flow Chart): https://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/...bate-guide.pdf

SCOTLAND:

A brief guide to the Succession (Scotland) Act 1964: Revised 2005 https://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publicati...05115128/51285

Best answers:

• Property
  Land Registry (England) https://www.landregistry.gov.uk/
  Registers of Scotland https://www.ros.gov.uk/index.html
• Books:
  Which? What to do when someone dies
  Which? Wills and Probate
• Any chance this can become a "useful references" guide rather than just a no will guide?
  Am doing lots of searches and coming across lots of helpful bits, but would make it easier for those who follow to not have to search MSE - the search capacity has never been the best.
  Help with finding lost accounts:
  https://www.mylostaccount.org.uk/index.htm
  Easy access Gov guide to what to do following a death:
  https://www.gov.uk/browse/births-deaths-marriages/death
  Thanks
• The www . bereavementadvice . org website is useful in all sorts of ways. Unfortunately as a new user I can't post a link, but it's worth the effort if you remove the spaces!
• FUNERAL PAYMENTS
  https://www.gov.uk/funeral-payments/overview
  Eligibility
  To get a Funeral Payment you must be responsible for the funeral and:
  claim in time
  get certain benefits or tax credits
  meet the rules on your relationship with the deceased
  The rules are different, if the person died outside the UK.
  When to claim
  You must apply within 3 months of the funeral. You can make a claim even if you're waiting for a decision on a qualifying benefits.
  Rules on your relationship with the deceased
  You must be one of the following:
  the partner of the deceased when they died
  a close relative or close friend of the deceased
  the parent of the still-born baby
  the parent of the deceased child, if they were under 16 (or under 20 and not in full-time education)
  If the parent is 'absent', you must be responsible for the child and the absent parent must get a qualifying benefit.
  Benefits and tax credits
  You (or your partner) must get one of the following:
  Income Support
  income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
  income-related Employment and Support Allowance
  Pension Credit
  Housing Benefit
  the disability or severe disability element of Working Tax Credit
  one of the extra elements of Child Tax Credit
  How much you get also depends on any other money available, eg from an insurance policy or the deceased's estate.
  If there's a close relative of the deceased who isn't getting one of the qualifying benefits you may not be able to claim Funeral Payment.
  PUBLIC HEALTH FUNERALS (AKA Pauper's funerals)
  https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1984/22
  Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984
  Part III
  Disposal of Dead Bodies
  46 Burial and cremation.
  (1)It shall be the duty of a local authority to cause to be buried or cremated the body of any person who has died or been found dead in their area, in any case where it appears to the authority that not suitable arrangements for the disposal of the body have been or are being made otherwise than by the authority.
  (2)Any council which is the local authority for the purposes of the M15Local Authority Social Services Act 1970 may cause to be buried or cremated the body of any deceased person who immediately before his death was being provided with accommodation under Part III of the M16National Assistance Act 1948 by, or by arrangement with, the council or was living in a hostel provided by the council under section 29 of that Act.
  (3)An authority shall not cause a body to be cremated under subsection (1) or (2) above where they have reason to believe that cremation would be contrary to the wishes of the deceased.
  (4)Subsections (1) and (2) above do not affect any enactment regulating or authorising the burial, cremation or anatomical examination of the body of a deceased person.
  (5)An authority may recover from the estate of the deceased person or from any person who for the purposes of the M17National Assistance Act 1948 was liable to maintain the deceased person immediately before his death expenses incurred under subsection (1) or subsection (2) above, . . . F39.
  (6)Without prejudice to any other method of recovery, a sum due to an authority under subsection (5) above is recoverable summarily as a civil debt by proceedings brought within three years after the sum becomes due.
  (7)The Secretary of State may cause such inquiries to be held as he may deem necessary or desirable for the purposes of this section.
  (8)The Secretary of State may by order made by statutory instrument direct that this section, in its application to the Isles of Scilly, shall have effect subject to exceptions, adaptations and modifications.
• Bereavement Payments
  LINKY to thread
• Thank you all for sharing this information. However, this information does not cover digital assets. It is important to check if deceased has any digital assets or not. Digital assets in todays time have real financial value (Virtual goods, online trading, online only bank accounts, wallets, BitCoins and so on.. ) - It would be nice to create a list of all the online services deceased was using and follow-up with them. Also, there are many services (such as PlannedDeparture.com) which offer solutions around distributing important information of the user after user is passed away - if you know user was using they system, report it to them so that assets can be released to the beneficiaries of users. Hope it helps.
• Not exactly moneysaving but these lovely people are a great source of help to bereaved parents.
  https://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=GS9z3...e_gdata_player
  Pau
• This seems to be a useful check list:
  https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.u...ign=d-outbrain
• I hope its not inappropriate to post here but there's a really nice article by Emma Freud in today's Guardian that might help people making difficult decisions after a loved one dies. Not strictly moneysaving but could help both with ideas and with thinking about the best way to spend limited funds.
  https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandst...-to-do-funeral
• Hello,
  I am new to this forum.
  My brother died recently and I am in the process of clearing up his affairs.
  Would it be a good idea to check his credit files if I can? I am sure he doesnt owe anyone anything but not sure if as executor I could check this?
  Also when someone dies what actually happens to their credit files? Am I suppose to inform each of them?
  Thank you