house sale

[brenda]

Help needed please, I want to put a house on the market, whichhas been left to me by a relative who lived in it until he died last week. The house is 150 miles from where I live and at the moment has all services connected.
I am going to stay in the house for 1 week to clear it and then I do not have any idea of what I should do and who to inform.eg. gas , electric ,phone , sky tv , water and council tax. I have the deeds in my possession and want to leave the house up for sale and empty.There are no other relatives involved, and I am the sole survivor of this family line..
Any advice would be welcome, have arranged a funeral so far.

[jen78]

Has a will be left?

All the proper arrangements would need to be made as regards the granting of probate (providing there is a will) in order that the power to sell the property is properly and legally documented.

Copy evidence, ie grant of probate, signatures of executor(s) on the relevant documentation etc...

Are there copy bills or letters in the property which would indicate who the service provers are?

Do you know where the meters are to get readings for gas, water, electric etc...

As regards the phone, you could check with BT if they are responsible.

The bank should be able to help the person with the proper authority, they should know of standing orders, direct debits etc...

The post office may also be able to redirect mail to a person with the proper authority.

[Buenchico]

(2-part post):

First, check if there's actually a will.

If there's a will, the executor of that will (which could be you but might, for example, be the solicitor of the deceased person) needs to apply for probate.

If there's no will, the house will become yours if you're the sole direct descendant of the deceased person. However, if you're more distantly related, you should keep in mind the fact that (under some circumstances) anyone descended from a grandparent of the deceased relative might be entitled to a share of the estate (which includes the house). So there might be someone who you don't think of as a 'descendant' of the deceased person, but who's still entitled to receive something. (If in doubt, consult a solicitor).

Even if there's no other person entitled to receive a share of the estate, the house isn't legally yours yet. If there's no will, you need to apply for letters of administration.

Either way, you need to contact the relevant probate registry as soon as possible:
http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/infoabout/c ivil/probate/registries.htm

Once you've got the grant of probate (or of letters of administration), you'll be able to sell the house.

[Buenchico]

With so many different utility providers, the easiest way to find out who supplies gas and electricity is to look for old bills. The suppliers of most services (e.g. gas, electricity, Sky, etc) will normally terminate the supply of services if you simply write to them. However, some suppliers might need to see a copy of the death certificate. For some purposes (e.g. closing the person's bank account and accessing the money), you'll need an official copy of the grant of probate (or of letters of administration). The probate service will ask you how many official copies you need; they don't cost much, so it's better to ask for too many than too few. (Organisations such as banks will need to keep a copy on their files).

If you're not sure as to which council issues tax bills for the property (and you can't find any old bills), simply ask a neighbour. The same applies to the supply of water.

If you plan to use the services of a house clearance firm, get several quotes. When television consumer programmes have looked into what they pay, they've found that some 'rip off merchants' pay around 10% of what more reputable dealers pay.

Chris

[Rosetta]

In addition to the above advice, the service providers will ask for contact details of the person dealing with the estate so that they can send a closing bill. In my experience they are very good in dealing with this and don't hassle you. They are obviosly aware that it takes time to sort everything out.

I am sorry if I am teaching my grandmother to suck eggs, but dont forget to drain the water and heating systems as we are likely to get frosts.
As the house will be unoccupied I believe that it wont be insured for any damage so it might be worth looking into this.

Is there a neighbour that could keep a discrete eye on the property for you?

I hope all goes well.

[sandmaster]

In addition:
switch the water off at the stop tapto avoid any damage from leaks.
Make sure the house is insured and tell the insurance company what is happening. They will restrict cover basically to fire but you need this. They will also require you or your agent to check the property monthly.

[sandmaster]

forgot to say - after switching the water off it is a good idea to flush the toilets and leave open all the taps to drain any water remaining. If the temperature drops below freezing you should be then be ok.

[sandmaster]

Lookslike Rosetta and I posted our answers at the same time - sorry!!

[brenda]

Thank you all for your answers , All very very helpful.

Appreciate your time and all the help.

Sincerely
Brenda.