What to do when someone dies in Chester
A practical Chester guide to the first steps after a death, who to contact, what to avoid, and where to find local help.
Use the sections below in order, or jump straight to the task you need.
On this page
Hold your horses!
When someone dies, it is easy to commit to costs or start dealing with property before checking who has authority. A few checks first can prevent unnecessary expense, complications and sometimes personal financial loss.
Before arranging anything, try to establish whether there is:
- a Will and who the executors are — they will normally be responsible for dealing with the estate;
- a funeral plan, funeral insurance or other insurance which may help with the cost;
- funeral wishes explaining what the person wanted.
- Empty home? Then valuables and important paperwork need securing.
- Care Home? Removing everything promptly can save thousands
It is equally important to know what not to do. Being next of kin does not automatically give authority to deal with the estate. Do not use the deceased person’s cards or accounts, give away belongings, or assume a Power of Attorney still applies after death. The person who instructs a funeral may also be responsible for the bill.
The guide below takes you through the main jobs in a sensible order and points you towards local help where it is useful.
1. Immediate steps
Circumstances of death.
Who to contact first depends mainly on where the person died and whether the death was expected.
- Where did they die? Will govern where the death must be registered.
- Was the death expected or unexpected?
If the death was expected.
Verification of death
If the person died at home, contact their GP surgery or the appropriate out-of-hours service.
Medical Certificate of Cause of Death issued and sent to the Medical Examiner
The attending practitioner normally deals with this and sends the information for Medical Examiner review.
Medical examiner review
The Medical Examiner reviews the case and the approved information is then sent to the Registrar.
Registrar informed
The medical team will normally tell you when the Registrar can proceed. Then book an appointment promptly if you are the relevant person
The Registrar will provide the paperwork for burial or cremation and the information needed to use the Tell Us Once Service.
If the death was unexpected.
Call 999, even if the person appears to have been dead for some time. Tell the operator if the person is cold, stiff or clearly deceased, and follow the instructions given. Do not move the person or disturb the surrounding area.
The police and ambulance service may attend. The police may ask questions and examine the circumstances; this is routine following an unexpected death and does not necessarily mean that anything suspicious has occurred.
The death will usually be reported to the coroner, who will decide whether further enquiries, a post-mortem examination or an inquest are required.
Funeral arrangements should not be finalised until the relevant authorities give permission. The coroner’s officer will tell the family when the necessary paperwork has been sent to the registrar and explain the next step. The family may then need to contact the register office to arrange registration.
Registrar informed
The a relevant person can register the death, somtimes well outside the normal 5 day limit.
Notify the family
Family, next of kin, and anyone close who would want to know.
Secure the property
No one living at the property, perhaps find local locksmiths in Chester to change the locks and secure the property. Tell the buildings insurer promptly if the property is unoccupied, or you could lose cover.
Secure valuables (and perhaps photograph) and important papers, and check any conditions that apply while the property is empty. Avoid throwing papers away at present.
Locksmiths & Security
2. Register the death
Book an appointment
A death is normally registered in the district where the person died. Once the medical paperwork is ready, book an appointment with the Registrar if you are the person responsible for registering the death.
Cheshire Registrars
Main Appointment Line: 0300 123 7037
Out-of-Hours Line (Emergencies): 0300 123 8123
Email: ch*******************@************************ov.uk
Main Register Office: Merchants House, Crook Street, Chester, CH1 2BE
Tell Us Once
Tell Us Once is a free government service that lets you report a death to several government organisations at the same time. The Registrar will normally give you a reference number when the death is registered which must be used within 28 days.
Use Tell Us Once to notify:
- HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC)
- Department for Work & Pensions (DWP), including State Pension and benefits
- HM Passport Office
- DVLA
- the local council, including Council Tax, Housing Benefit, Blue Badge and electoral registration
- Veterans UK
- Social Security Scotland, where applicable
- certain public-sector pension schemes, including Armed Forces, Civil Service, Local Government and NHS pensions
It does NOT notify most banks, insurers, private pensions, utility companies or other commercial organisations. These will normally need to be contacted separately.
Notify service providers
Tell Us Once does not notify commercial organisations. The executors or other authorised person will normally still need to contact banks and building societies, private pension providers, insurers, utilities, subscriptions and other organisations.
Keep a simple record of who has been contacted, the date, any reference number and what documents or information they require.
Do not cancel things too quickly.
Home insurance, utilities, security arrangements and other services may need to continue while a property or other estate assets are being dealt with.
3. Arrange the funeral
Check for a pre-paid funeral plan
Before anyone instructs a funeral director, check for a pre-paid funeral plan, funeral insurance and written funeral wishes. Otherwise the family could commit to costs that were already covered elsewhere – and potentially lose out substantially.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) provide the regulatory framework and authoritative information to help you identify legally operating providers.
The FCA Funeral Plans Consumer Page provides clear advice and dedicated guidance on what to do if you suspect a policy was held with a firm that has closed down or failed to achieve authorisation.
For practical advice on managing and tracking down plans, the FCA officially directs consumers to MoneyHelper, which provides comprehensive step-by-step toolkits for families navigating bereavement.
You can also use these third-party services:
Appoint a funeral director
Compare local funeral directors and be clear about what is included in the quoted price before anyone signs an agreement.
Funeral Directors
Arrange the funeral and other services
Check the deceased person’s wishes and discuss the suitable crematorium, cemetery or other venue with the family and executor.
The funeral director will normally coordinate much of the service, but you may also need a celebrant or officiant, florist, memorial mason or other funeral service.
Whoever signs the funeral contract should understand that they may be personally responsible for the cost if the estate or a funeral plan does not meet it.
Funeral Notices, Obituaries The Chester Standard
Please check out The Gazette service if you think there might be debts or dependants which might not be readily identifiable. It adds considerable protection for executors/ administrators.
Direct Cremation
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Direct cremation and unattended funeral options may also be available.
Funeral Celebrants
Florists
Memorial Masons & Funeral Services
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4. Estate administration (Probate)
Probate is only one part of administering an estate. Some estates can be handled by the executors themselves; others justify professional help. If you want to do some or all of the work yourself, see our Probate Forms.
Locate the will
Find the will and locate the executor
Start by looking for the original Will and identifying the executors. Wills are often kept at home, with a solicitor or professional adviser, or recorded with the National Will Register.
Probate
Apply for Grant of Probate (or Letters of Administration)
A Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration may be needed before some assets can be collected or transferred. It is not required for every estate.
Appoint professional service providers
Professional help is optional in many estates. Before instructing anyone, decide which jobs you can reasonably do yourself and which need specialist help.
Compare both the work included and the price. A low headline fee can be poor value if important work is excluded.
If you want help finding a provider, we can help you compare options.
Local professional help
Use professional help where it adds value. Probate and estate administration work, probate disputes (especialy), tax advice and financial advice are different services, so choose the right specialist for the job rather than assuming one firm should do everything. You may need a Financial Adviser to explain savings, investments, pensions and other cover.
Probate & Estate Administration Practitioners
Accountants & Tax Advisers
Financial Advisers
Administer and distribute the estate
Most estates are administered without a dispute, but executors still need to keep records, settle liabilities and distribute the estate in the correct order.
If a dispute develops between executors, beneficiaries or other interested parties, get specialist advice before distributing disputed assets.
Probate & Will Dispute Specialists
Planning ahead after a bereavement
A death can change the family’s own estate-planning needs. It may be a sensible time for close family members to review Wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney and existing trust arrangements.
Deed of Variation useful if not everyone needs their full inheritance.
Estate Planning – Wills, LPAs & Trusts
5. Property and possessions
The home and possessions need protecting if the home is not occupied while the estate is being dealt with. Secure the property, tell the insurer if it is unoccupied, safeguard valuables and paperwork, and keep a record of anything removed. A simple mobile phone will allow you to photograph potential valuables.
Executors should deal with these practical issues alongside the estate administration and take reasonable steps to prevent avoidable loss.
Get the property and contents valued
Executors may need suitable valuations for probate, tax, insurance or sale. The appropriate valuation depends on the asset and the purpose, so keep written valuation evidence with the estate reco
Surveyors
Property Valuers
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Contents Valuers
Clear the property
Do not clear the property too quickly. First identify belongings owned by somebody else, items specifically mentioned in the Will, valuables and anything needed for the estate records.
A house clearance company, removal/storage company or auctioneer may then be useful for the remaining contents.
House Clearance
Removals & Storage
General Auctioneers
Sell or transfer the property
Before marketing the property, make sure the executors have the necessary authority, the property remains properly insured and a sensible sale value has been established.
A conventional estate-agent sale is not the only option. Depending on the estate, a property auction or cash buyer may also be worth considering. Compare speed, certainty and the likely net price rather than just the headline figure.
Estate Agents
Property Auctioneers & Cash Buyers
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Conveyancers
Maintain an empty property
While an estate property is empty it may still need cleaning, garden work and routine maintenance. Keep the insurer’s requirements in mind and deal promptly with anything that could cause deterioration or a claim.
Empty Property Insurance
Property Maintenance
Garden Maintenance
Cleaning & Specialist Cleaning
6. General administration
These jobs can usually be dealt with alongside probate and the main estate administration.
Redirect mail
Redirect important post so bills, financial correspondence and other estate information are not missed. It can also reduce the amount of personal information accumulating at an empty property.
Royal Mail Redirection
Cancel subscriptions
Review regular payments, subscriptions and memberships and cancel those that are no longer needed.
Do not cancel insurance, utilities, alarms or other services protecting an empty property until it is safe to do so.
Digital accounts and online services
Identify important email, social media, cloud storage and other online accounts. Many providers have a specific bereavement or memorialisation process.
Do not guess passwords or access accounts without authority. Follow the provider’s bereavement or account-recovery procedure and preserve anything that may contain estate information before an account is closed.
7. Bereavement help
Bereavement support in Chester
National charities and specialist organisations provide help for general bereavement, children and young people, the death of a child, pregnancy and baby loss, suicide bereavement, loss of a partner and urgent emotional support.
Local Bereavement Counsellors
8. Faith, belief & officiant contacts
for local religious, humanist and other officiant contacts where the funeral needs to reflect the person’s faith, beliefs or wishes.
9. Approximate Areas Covered by Chester Registrar
Blacon, Boughton, Chester City, Chester Villages, Davenham and Moulton, Dodleston and Huntington, Ellesmere Port Town, Elton, Farndon, Frodsham, Garden Quarter, Gowy, Grange, Great Boughton, Handbridge Park, Hartford and Greenbank, Helsby, Hoole, Kingsley, Lache, Ledsham and Manor, Little Neston and Burton, Malpas, Marbury, Neston, Netherpool, Newton, Parkgate, Rossmore, St Paul’s, Saughall and Mollington, Shakerley, Strawberry, Sutton, Tarporley, Tarvin and Kelsall, Tattenhall, Upton, Weaver and Cuddington, Whitby, Willaston and Thornton, Winnington and Castle, Winsford Over and Verdin, Winsford Swanlow and Dene, Winsford Wharton, Witton and Rudheath.