Coroner’s Certificate (England and Wales) – An interim certificate issued confirming the person who has died, their details and the date of death, but not the cause of death. This certificate is issued pending the coroner’s inquest to establish the actual cause of death. A Coroner’s Certificate can be accepted as notification of death but we’ll still need to see either the original or a certified copy of the Death Certificate when it’s available.
Death Certificate – A certified copy of the entry in the Death Register. The registrar will be able, for a fee, to provide a number of certified copies to save time when you’re registering claims with various financial companies.
Death Certificate Verification Form – The form used by a solicitor instead of a certified copy of an actual Death Certificate. This form lists all the information on the Death Certificate and can be submitted to us in place of the Death Certificate.
Will – A legal document that gives instructions for what should happen to the estate of the person who has died. It may also contain details of their wishes for burial or cremation.
Codicil – A separate document altering or adding to the provisions of an existing will. The codicil is kept with the original will. The documents that we’ll need to see can vary depending on the circumstances of the person who has died, the value of the account(s) held and which other (if any) Lloyds TSB products the person who has died also held with us.
Applying for probate - Probate is a legal document that entitles the executor or personal representative to make and receive payments from the estate. If the estate is small, or if it’s held in joint names and passes automatically to the surviving owner (as is often the case with married couples), you may not need to apply for probate. You’ll need to get a grant of probate if there is a will, or letters of administration if there isn’t (in Scotland this is called a grant of confirmation).
For applications for powers to process the will in England & Wales:Principal Registry, Personal Applications Department, Fist Ave House, 42-49 High Holborn, London WC1V 6NP. Tel: 0207 947 7000.
For processing in Scotland: The General Register for Scotland: New Register House, 3 Register Street, Edinburgh EH1 3YT. Tel: 0131 314 4467.
Deeds of variation - It is sometimes possible for all the beneficiaries to effectively ‘rewrite’ the will by creating a legal document called a deed of variation. By doing this, the estate of the person who has died may be distributed in a more tax-efficient way. You have up to two years after the death to make a variation of a will and you should seek specialist advice as to whether this is possible and, if so, about the steps you need to take.
Assets – Any property or possession with monetary value.
Confirmation (Scotland) – The process of getting the right to deal with the assets of the person who has died.
Executor – Person named in a will to carry out the wishes of the person who has died.
Letters of administration – Document giving the power to sort out the estate after a death where there is no will.
Rules of Intestacy – When a person dies without leaving a will they are described as dying intestate. Certain legal rules called the intestacy rules will determine how the person’s estate is distributed.
