Traditional Service

The following people can register a death:

• Any relative of the person who has died
• Any person present at the death
• A person who lives in the house where the person died
• The person arranging the funeral (This cannot be a funeral director)

Probate is the legal right to deal with a person’s property, money and possessions (their estate), when they pass away. You must apply for probate and, before you apply, you must check that it is necessary and that you are eligible to apply.

Please see the link to the .Gov website to help you with this.

There are usually lots of people that need to be notified about a person passing away, which we know can give you an overwhelming feeling of worry and stress at an already upsetting time. We would firstly advise you tell all family and friends, and if you can make them aware of the funeral arrangements.

We would then suggest using the Tell Us Once service, which will let you report a death to most government organisations in one go. The registrar will help you do this, or they will provide you with a reference number so that you can use the service yourself online or by phone.