Hi there, Really need some advice if anyone can help.
My poor uncle was found dead last Friday night. He was not married and had no children.
We have discovered he was in debt of around £98,000 and was due in court tomorrow for a repossession order on his house. We have no idea what to do. He has personal loans, credit cards, council tax arrears OMG, can anyone advise us on what to do especially about the court tomorrow.
Thanks in advance
Shabee
x

Sorry to hear that.

I would probably inform the court (tomorrow) that he is now deceased and let the judge take things from there.

Im not a solicitor but I would suggest sending a copy of your uncles death certificate into the court in time for the hearing. The Judge should then adjourn the hearing to a later date in order for all the deceased estate to begin being sorted, or at least let family/next of kin obtain legal advice.

District Judges are normally understanding people, and will more than often tell you what you need to do if you turn up to the hearing unrepresented. (I use to work in the Court Service many years ago!)

Ok we will head down tomorrow, thanks very much! We dont have a death certificate yet as they would not issue one as he was quite young and it was sudden death.

How very sad You have my sympathies. Hope sorting out his affairs isn't too distressing. Fairly inane comment but I guess you know what I mean.

Sorry to hear your news. Good advice above, Get plenty of copies of death certificates to send to all companies he is indebted to. A short letter, informing them that he is now deceased and that death certificate is attached. If the debts are in his name only, no one else is obliged/responsible to pay his debts, although if there is a large estate (which doesn't sound likely) there may be a claim against it. I am not a solicitor, just someone who has been in a similar situation as you. Most creditors should play fair in this situation. Do not accept any bad or pushy behaviour from them. Thoughts are with you at this horrible time.

Sorry for your news.

Did he leave a will? the solicitor dealing with his will should deal with all that, just give them all the information you have, if not, the he will be intestate, and there should be legal means of dealing with that.

As regards to the court appearance, if you are unable to get there yourself to explain, then a phone call sould sort that out until the legal processes of his death and will have been sorted. You will NOT be liable for any of his debts unless you are listed as a guarantor, but you would have had to have signed papers for that.

I suspect, from the info given, that his creditors, apart from the people making the repossession order, which I assume is the bank or mortgage company, will be unlikely to get anything, however a solicitor will eal with all that.