We understand that the death of a partner, loved one or friend is always a very difficult time.
We want to support our customers and their families in the best way possible. Please contact us at any time if you are unsure about something you need to do.
The best way to let us know is phone us on 0300 304 5000, as we can talk you through the process. However, if you need to, you can also email us at info@estuary.co.uk. Whichever way you choose to contact us, it's important we're told as soon as possible to make sure we can provide you with the best support.
As well as the name and address of the person you're letting us know about, we'll also need:
You'll speak with a Housing Officer first of all. They'll talk you through the process and, if the tenancy is ending, how this works. One of our Income Officers will then speak with you about any rent and service charge due, and how payments can be made.
There is also a government ‘Tell Us Once’ service which will help with telling some government agencies, i.e. council tax, HMRC, passport service. You can find it at What to do after someone dies: Tell Us Once - GOV.UK
If you're a joint tenant, spouse, civil partner or cohabitee and living in the property, you may be able to stay in the home. This is known as succession by survivorship. However, we’ll need to discuss the details with you as there will be different terms and conditions depending on the type of tenancy which is held. It will also depend on if there has been a previous succession.
Please don’t worry about this, we will support you through the process or signpost you to independent support.
Our Lettings Policy is also available for more information — please check the Succession section.
It's important to note that rent will continue to be payable until the keys to the property are returned.
If the deceased person was receiving Housing Benefit or Council Tax Support, you will need to tell their local authority. Any housing benefit entitlement will stop at the end of the week of the person’s death. You can use the government's Tell Us Once service — What to do after someone dies: Tell Us Once - GOV.UK
If Universal Credit was in payment, you must let the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) know. This can be done using the Bereavement Service Helpline 0800 151 2012
One of our Income Officers can let you know how much the rent and service charge is for each week or month. If you know when the tenancy will end, we can calculate if there will be any credit or rent arrears on the rent account.
Where there is the possibility of money owed back, eg a credit on the rent account, we must wait until the tenancy is ended before we can calculate any refund due. We also need to check there hasn’t been any Housing Benefit or Universal Credit overpayments. We rely on the government department coming back and letting us know, which can take up to 28 working days. Any credit will be returned to the estate of the deceased person. Any credit is normally paid back to the bank account where we received the money from.
If the account is left with arrears, we will discuss this with you.
We understand that going through and removing possessions is very difficult.
As rent is due, even after a person’s death, ideally it's best to return the property as soon as you can.
You do not need to give us formal notice, but an indication of how long you will need to clear the home. Generally, the maximum time we can allow is 4 weeks after the death.
We ask that you return the property to us completely empty of furniture, belongings and rubbish. If the property has them, remember to check the loft, garden and shed as well. Please speak with us about removing carpets, just in case they are part of the tenancy.
We ask that you do not leave any furniture or possessions in the bin stores or communal areas. You can contact local charities for assistance with collection of furniture. The local authority should also have a bulky waste collection service for items which need to be disposed of. Check our useful links page for local authority websites.