Advice

[muskox]

I am the only next of kin for a relative, with only weeks to live. Not worth getting a POA. Want to deal with finances now. Will banks, utilities etc accept my authority, if relative signs and dates general letter stating that they authorise me to do this and altering the correspondence address to my own?

[bookbinder]

Why not try it, and see what they say?

[ubasses]

Does your relative have full mental capacity?

[muskox]

Full mental capacity - yes

[ubasses]

Your relative needs to contact his/her bank and request a third party mandate which will allow you to operate the bank accounts. I am assuming they still do these (I have now been retired some years)
With the utilities, when I had to deal for my mother before we got POA, if I made the call in her presence they would just ask to speak to her and confirm that they could talk to me. I then sorted everything out from there.

[Buenchico]

I've paid bills for someone else, using their bank account, while they were 'a guest of Her Majesty'. It was quite some time ago but all it needed was a letter of authorisation from them.

[muskox]

I appreciate your advice Ubasses.With the banks, I will have to write the letters and get her to sign them, requesting a third party mandate, which I can do.
With regard to the utilities, I do not live near her and she isn't well enough to speak or bear a telephone conversation.
I was trying to find a 'one size fits all' simple solution. Possibly further letters are needed.

[woofgang]

many many years ao when there were little gas and leccy board shops everywhere and you could pay your bill face to face, DH and I were travelling at sea because of his job. In laws who lived about 30 minutes away kindly said they would pay any bills during our absence so I wandered into the shop and when it was my turn at the payment counter I said "I would like to arrange to have my bill sent to someone else please?" the person behind me in the queue said "ooo so would I!"

[bednobs]

i dont think banks do 3rparty mandates any more - we couldnt get one for my mother i law. she did however give us her internet banking details so we did it that way

[Peter Pedant]

erm why dont you get her to make a will ?

I regularly pay bills with the person in the room -
or - - get the accounts made joint - banks understand a jt account. With a will even if you AREN'T an executor or beneficiary, you could say I am going to pay her bills so she is my debtor and I want to be repaid after death ....

I am not sure what they would make of 'I want to pay someone else's bills with someone elses account on my say-so alone'

excellent advice from ubasses as ever

[ubasses]

Just checked on line with my Bank and the mandates are still available.
The account holder must request it, not the third party.

[muskox]

I am the executor in the will. Upon death, I will of course apply for probate.
Access to the account is more for finding out her direct debits and getting them cancelled for services no longer required. I don't mind paying the Bill's.

[bednobs]

perhaps it was just her bank then (halifax)

[bednobs]

ps she was with us and she did the asking

[woofgang]

can you help your reli to register for online banking? when my late husband was unwell I used to do all his banking tasks for him....no one knows who is tapping the keys

[muskox]

Now that's an idea worth exploring, about internet banking.

[ubasses]

Just a word of warning about using someones internet banking without a POA. You have no right of access without your own log in, if the password is divulged by the account holder, and a fraud is ever committed on the account the Bank will advise that the account holder has contravened the terms and conditions they signed and will not accept any liability.

[muskox]

Oh dear. That doesn't sound so good. Will make an appointment with the Bank Manager, I think. Sensible advice thank you

[Peter Pedant]

//and getting them cancelled for services no longer required.//

you can do that when the person has died - go to the bank and freeze ( not empty ) the account

perhaps you need not so much advice about what to do before death as to what your rights are as an exec, after death

[muskox]

From recent experience, I know, unfortunately, what to do. The Registrar of Births and Deaths issues a form which can be used to inform many agencies of the death.(optional)
In many ways, the estate is easier to deal with after death as a sole executor, without the interference of well- meaning friends, or on some people's cases, family.

[Peter Pedant]

you can say that again
I think you are referring to the TM1 which is a certificate of the the fact of death ( o gawd! as ABers would say)

as exec, your rights are well defined.

I heard a coroners officer tell an executor that the next of kins should have the valuables - jaw dropping stuff