Cruse Bereavement Care is the largest national charity for bereaved people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with a sister organisation in Scotland.

Cruse offers face-to-face, group, telephone, email and website support to people after someone close to them has died.

Samaritans offer listening and support to people in times of need. It is available day or night, for anyone who is struggling to cope, and who needs someone to listen without judgement or pressure.

Call them on 116123. If you don’t feel you can speak to someone, there are other ways you can contact them.

Samaritans has also worked in partnership with Cruse Bereavement Care to create Facing the Future - support groups for people bereaved by suicide.

MoneyHelper provides free, clear and unbiased advice on money related issues. You can contact them on 0800 138 7777.

They have a dedicated website section which contains several guides to help with financial and practical matters following a bereavement.

If the mortgage is in joint names and the property is owned as a ‘joint tenancy’, we’ll move the account into the sole name of the surviving borrower after you’ve sent us the Death Certificate. We won’t need any further documents from you.

Where the mortgage is in joint names and the property is owned as ‘tenants in common’ the deceased’s share of the property doesn’t automatically pass to the surviving borrower. In these circumstances, we’ll also need to see the grant of probate or certificate of confirmation.

If you’re worried about making your monthly mortgage payments after a bereavement, please call us and we’ll try to help. Simply talking to us won’t affect your credit file – and the sooner you get in touch the better, as there are often more ways we can help.

You can write to us at:

Hessonite Mortgages
PO Box 140
Skipton
BD23 9GF

We’ll return any original documents that you send to us by recorded delivery, usually within seven working days.

Certified true copies of the original documents will be accepted. The person who certifies the copy must be a member of a professional body, such as one of the following:

• Solicitor
• Bank or Building Society official
• Chartered Accountant
• Chartered Surveyor
• Dentist
• Doctor
• Minister of Religion
• Councillor
• Person with FCA regulated status
• Post office official (through the post office’s certification service)
• Member of Parliament, or Scottish/Welsh/Northern Ireland Assembly Member
• Serving police officer
• Social worker
• Embassy, consulate, or high commission officer in the country of issue
• Notary Public
• Commissioner for Oaths

To let us know about the death of someone who has a mortgage with us, please write to us and include the following information:

• The full name of the deceased customer and, if you know it, the mortgage account number
• Your full name, address, and contact number
• The full name and address of the personal representative of the estate (if it’s not you)
• The Death Certificate (the original or a certified copy) – we’ll return this to you later
• When you have it, a sealed copy of the grant of probate or certificate of confirmation

You can write to us at:

Hessonite Mortgages
PO Box 140
Skipton
BD23 9GF

We’ll return any original documents that you send to us by recorded delivery, usually within seven working days.

Certified true copies of the original documents will be accepted. The person who certifies the copy must be a member of a professional body, such as one of the following:

• Solicitor
• Bank or Building Society official
• Chartered Accountant
• Chartered Surveyor
• Dentist
• Doctor
• Minister of Religion
• Councillor
• Person with FCA regulated status
• Post office official (through the post office’s certification service)
• Member of Parliament, or Scottish/Welsh/Northern Ireland Assembly Member
• Serving police officer
• Social worker
• Embassy, consulate, or high commission officer in the country of issue
• Notary Public
• Commissioner for Oaths

Please note that a power of attorney or third-party authority ends when a mortgage account holder dies. We can only discuss the mortgage account with someone when grant of probate/confirmation is received and registered on the mortgage.

‘Probate’ or ‘confirmation’ is the legal right to deal with someone’s property, money and possessions (their ‘estate’) when they die. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, if there’s a will, the person dealing with the estate will need to apply for a ‘grant of probate’. If there’s no will, they’ll need to apply for a ‘grant of letters of administration’. In Scotland, the person dealing with the estate will need to apply for ‘confirmation’.

There is guidance on applying for probate on the government website.

To apply for probate the person dealing with the estate will need to know the outstanding mortgage balance at the date of death. We can supply this information after we have received the Death Certificate, but we’re unable to discuss the mortgage account in more detail until we have received grant of probate or confirmation.