What to Do With a House When Someone Dies: A UK Guide

Notifying the home insurer quickly is one of the most important early steps — and while "24 hours" isn't a fixed legal rule, acting fast genuinely matters. Most standard home insurance policies reduce or withdraw cover once a property has been unoccupied beyond a set period, often 30 days, and that clock starts from when the home became empty, not when you get around to it. Tell the insurer promptly, ask how long cover continues, and arrange specialist unoccupied property insurance before any gap opens up. As the executor, protecting the property is your responsibility.

"Ghosting" is a form of identity theft where criminals use a deceased person's identity to open accounts, apply for credit, or commit fraud — often before the death is widely registered. To prevent it: notify banks and credit providers promptly, register the death with the three credit reference agencies (or use the free Deceased Preference Service, which removes the person from marketing and reduces fraud risk), avoid publishing the full date of birth and home address in public notices or obituaries, and keep the deceased's documents secure. Acting quickly closes the window criminals rely on.

There's no legal limit, but practical issues arise. Standard home insurance usually lapses after 30–60 days of a property being empty, and the council tax exemption after a death lasts until probate plus six months. Beyond that, council tax (sometimes at a premium) becomes payable from the estate.

It's not legally required, but it's sensible if you're unsure who holds keys. An emergency locksmith can change locks quickly, which helps secure the home and any valuables inside while the estate is dealt with.

You can remove and store belongings, but avoid selling or disposing of valuable items until the estate has been properly valued and probate granted, as these items form part of the estate. Keep a record of anything removed.

What happens to a house depends on how it was owned and what the will says. If it was owned jointly as “joint tenants” — common between married couples — it usually passes automatically to the surviving owner and doesn’t form part of the estate. If it was owned as “tenants in common,” or in the deceased’s sole name, the deceased’s share forms part of the estate and passes according to the will, or under the rules of intestacy if there’s no will. In most cases the property can’t be sold or transferred until probate is granted. In the meantime, the executor is responsible for keeping it secure and insured — remember that standard home insurance often lapses once a property has been empty for around 30 days, so arranging unoccupied property insurance is an early priority. If you’re unsure how the property was owned, a solicitor can check the title at the Land Registry.