Deceased Credit and Liability Search

There are a few providers of credit and liability reports for deceased people, such as Equifax or Experian who can provide a comprehensive Credit and Liability Search to help you pay all creditors prior to distributing the estate.  You can then arrange Section 27 Insurance to protect you, other executors, personal representatives, trustees and beneficiaries from claims from unknown creditors.

How does a Liability Search help you?

Professional Executors, Administrators, Deputies or Attorneys are duty-bound to identify and settle estate debts and liabilities. If the deceased has any liabilities that are not clear at the time of passing, any creditors can claim payment from the Legal Representative or funds paid to beneficiaries. 

To help identify estate accounts to mitigate against the risk of missed debts or liabilities and assess potential solvency before applying for the Grant, our Liability Search performs an electronic check of digital credit data held by Equifax. The Liabilities Search is quick, precise and easy to understand, including information on;

• Bankruptcy, CCJs, and IVA

• Previous Names, Previous Addresses and Financially Connected Persons

• Open and closed current accounts, credit cards, mortgages, pay day loans and more.

The completed Liabilities Search will be available in 24 hours. It will identify the account provider, account reference, and account open and closing dates so you can better understand the decead's financial status and make relevant enquiries to prevent debt accrual. By identifying account providers, the report also helps signpost potential estate assets and savings

• Protection for Executors from the risk of missed liabilities

• Reduced administrative effort and greater efficiency in identifying estate creditors

• Compliments the Financial Asset Search to offer a complete picture of estate affairs. 

What information will a credit score provider need?

The provider is likely to require:

• A copy of the Grant of Probate/Grant of Letters of Administration confirming you are authorised to deal with the financial affairs of the deceased

• A photocopy of either your passport, birth certificate or full driving licence

• Two original documents dated within the last three months confirming where you live.

You will also need to provide:

• Name of the deceased and any previous names they may have been known by

• Date of birth of the deceased

• Previous addresses for the deceased for the last 6 years

If you don't have the Grant of Probate yet, Experian will help if you contact them. They will then guide you through the process.