Letter to a utility company after a death: free template

Quick answer: Send this letter to each energy, water, phone, broadband or subscription company the person paid. It records the death, asks for a final statement, any amount owed to or by the estate, and for each service to be stopped or moved into a new name. Tell Us Once does not tell these companies: GOV.UK says you contact companies the person had contracts with, such as utility companies, yourself.

When to send it, and who to

• Who it goes to. Each supplier on the person's bank statements and post: gas and electricity, water, phone, broadband, TV and other subscriptions. Many have a bereavement page or online form; the letter works alongside it.
• When. Soon after the death. For energy, take a meter reading on the day you write if you can; Ofgem says suppliers try to take an accurate final meter reading when an account closes.
• If the home will be empty. Keep the services the empty home needs, and check what the home insurer requires while it is unoccupied. The letter lets you stop some services and transfer others.
• Who sends it. The executor, the administrator if there is no will, or the person dealing with the estate. Someone still living at the property can ask for the account to be moved into their name.

The letter (free to copy)

Copy it into an email or a document, replace every [bracket] with your own details, and delete what doesn't apply.

[Your name]
[Your address]
[Date]

[Company or council name]
[Address]

Subject: Account of [name], deceased: [reference]

Dear Sir or Madam,

Please record the death of [name] on [date]. Please provide a final statement up to the relevant date, confirm any amount owed to or by the estate, and please [stop / transfer to (name and address)] the following services: [list]. Please direct future correspondence to [details], and do not continue taking payments from a sole account of the deceased without confirming the correct arrangement.

Yours faithfully, [name]

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What to enclose

• The account number from a recent bill.
• Meter readings, with the date you took them, for gas, electricity or water.
• A copy of the death certificate, only if the supplier asks for one.

Don't send original documents unless the organisation specifically asks for them. Keep a copy of the version you actually sent, the date, the reference number and the reply.

Common mistakes

• Paying the bills from your own money. GOV.UK lists utility bills among the person's debts, which are paid from the estate.
• Forgetting credit balances. GOV.UK counts refunds from household bills as money owed to the estate, and Ofgem suggests checking with the supplier for money left in an account of someone who has died.
• Letting payments keep leaving a sole account. The letter asks the company not to keep taking payments without confirming the right arrangement.
• Cutting off services an empty home needs. Stop only what nobody needs, and move the rest into the name of whoever is responsible now.

Frequently asked questions

Does Tell Us Once tell utility companies?

No. GOV.UK says you contact companies the person had contracts with, such as utility companies, landlords or housing associations, yourself.

Who pays a dead person's energy bill?

Bills up to the death are debts of the estate and are paid from it. GOV.UK lists utility bills among the debts to include when you value the estate.

What if the account is in credit?

The credit belongs to the estate. Ofgem says suppliers send a final bill and refund any credit when they have your details, and suggests checking with the supplier if you are handling the account of someone who has died.

Can I use this letter for a phone or TV subscription?

Yes. List each service to stop or transfer. For contracts with a minimum term, ask the company to confirm any early ending charge before you agree to it.

Related guides

• Direct debits after a death: what to cancel
• Who executors need to contact after a death
• The first week after a death

More free letter templates

• Letter to a bank after a death
• Date-of-death valuation letter for shares and investments
• Letter to creditors after a death
• Letter to a pension provider or employer after a death
• Executor letters to beneficiaries
• Beneficiary receipt template
• Letter to HMRC after a death
• Letter to DWP after a death
• Council Tax letter after a death
• Letter to a mortgage lender or home insurer after a death
• Life insurance claim letter after a death
• Letter to a landlord after a tenant dies
• Letter to DVLA after a death
• First letter to a beneficiary from an executor
• Estate accounts template and layout
• All probate letter templates

Sources

• GOV.UK: Organisations you need to contact and Tell Us Once
• GOV.UK: Identify the person's assets and debts
• GOV.UK: Estimate the estate's value
• Ofgem: Check if you have money in a closed energy account

General information for England and Wales, not legal advice. If the estate is complex, disputed or may not be able to pay its debts, take advice from a solicitor.