The Probate Department
Practical help after someone dies — including help close to home.
When someone dies, there can suddenly be a great deal to deal with: registering the death, arranging the funeral, finding the Will, protecting property, dealing with possessions, banks, tax and possibly Probate.
The Probate Department is here to help you understand what needs doing and find the people and services that can help.
The Probate Department is changing
We are rebuilding this website around local help after someone dies.
Our existing Local Pages already contain a great deal of useful information. We are now working through them one by one, checking and updating the guidance, improving the local information and adding useful local businesses and services.
Our aim is simple: to make it easier for families to find practical local help — while supporting good local businesses.
Some Local Pages will therefore be more developed than others while this work continues.
What kind of help might you need?
You may need a funeral service, probate or estate administration help, property services, financial or tax advice, house clearance, removals, security, maintenance, cleaning or other practical support.
Or you may simply need to understand what to do next.
Someone has died — where do I start?
You do not need to deal with everything immediately. Start by finding out whether there is a Will, identifying the executors, checking for a prepaid funeral plan, protecting any empty property and keeping important paperwork safe.
Avoid irreversible decisions until you know who has authority and what the estate contains.
Who is actually in charge?
“Next of kin” is widely misunderstood. Being someone’s husband, wife, partner, son or daughter does not necessarily mean you have legal authority to deal with their estate.
If there is a Will, the executors will normally be responsible. If there is no valid Will, the intestacy rules become important.
Probate — when you need it
Probate is an important part of some estates, but it is only one part of dealing with a death. Not every estate needs Probate.
Our guides explain what Probate is, when it may be required and what executors and administrators need to consider.
Local information matters
Although the legal rules broadly apply across England and Wales, much of what families actually need after a death is local.
That includes Register Offices, Coroners, councils, funeral services, property services, professional advisers, bereavement support and many other practical services.
That is why the Local Pages are becoming the heart of The Probate Department.
Supporting local businesses
Good local businesses can make a difficult time considerably easier.
We want The Probate Department to help families find those businesses — and to help reputable local firms become more visible to people who genuinely need their services.
If your business provides a service that could be useful following a death, you can apply to be included in our local directory.
About The Probate Department
I started The Probate Department because dealing with a death can be confusing enough without having to search dozens of different websites to work out what to do or where to find help.
The aim is to provide straightforward information, useful tools and links to appropriate local services.
No one needs to know everything on day one. Take one sensible step at a time.