Losing someone close to you can be a terrible ordeal, however it is a fact of life and something that everyone has to contend with at some point. When going through the grief period, it is difficult to think about anything else but apart from close family and relatives, there are other people that may need to be informed of the person’s death. Forgotten credit card payments, outstanding bills and benefits that your loved one was receiving can lead to problems down the line. You will definitely want to avoid these problems especially during the grieving period as they will only contribute to the stress of your loss.
Old friends
Upon the death of your loved one you may want to place a notice in the local newspaper. This would be great way to reach out to any old friends that may want to attend the funeral and pay their respects. This is a good method because this way you may inform those people who may have lost touch or haven’t been informed yet.
Finances and bills
After letting the friends know, you need to take into consideration all of the financial institutions such as banks, building societies, benefits and insurance companies. Making a list can be a good idea as you can keep track and work your way down the list. Some of the common people and places that need to be informed include:
Inland Revenue
Council tax benefit or Housing benefit
Social Security if your loved one received benefits
Gas, electricity, water and telephone companies
Hospitals or doctors who attended the deceased
Insurance companies
Mortgage company
Banks and credit cards
Returning items
Apart from informing certain people, some items of your loved will also need to be returned to the right people or companies. Making an inventory and conducting a preliminary inspection would be a good idea. Some common items that may need to be returned include:
Library books
Benefit books that need returning to social services
Car registration documents
Driving license
Season tickets
Club memberships
Pension documents
Cheque books
National insurance documents