Your funeral questions answered: What to do when a neighbour dies

Brian and Pamela of Pamela Darth of Brian Darth Funeral Services answers your questions in a monthly column.

My neighbour has no family around. What will happen if they pass away?

My first suggestion would be to have a discussion with your neighbour about what plans, if any, they have in place.

If they have no plans in place I would encourage them to have a sit down with a solicitor where they can have a private and confidential chat about what they would like to happen when the time comes.

The solicitor can also advise them on setting up bank accounts where they can put some money away each week to pay for funeral expenses.

If your neighbour would like to sort out their arrangements we can have a chat about the type of funeral service your neighbour would like. This would allow them to better understand how much money they could be putting away to cover their funeral expenses plus have a say over what happens.

If your neighbour happens to be a bit of recluse I would suggest getting in touch and we can provide more information about the different things that can be put in place.

Ultimately, someone will need to take responsibility for a loved one. This will assist the person who will make all the arrangements upon their passing plus arrange everything afterwards such as, contacting the landlord (if renting), Work and Income, the solicitor etc.

In any instance a friendly chat with someone they know and trust is always the best first option.

Once you have some idea of what it is that your neighbour has in place or would like to do then we can help assist you the rest of the way.

■ Pamela and Brian Darth of Brian Darth Funeral Services answer questions on funerals in this monthly column. Send questions, care of the Stratford Press. Questions will be answered in this column only. Private correspondence will not be entered into. They are the only funeral directors to live locally.