Taking a Deceased Person Off of Your Insurance Policy
As difficult as it is to go through the necessary channels in a time of grief, there are many things that have to be done after a person passes away. You will have to deal with many aspects, such as informing the Registrar's office of the death, and obtaining a death certificate. Once you have the death certificate, keep the original and make copies so that if any vehicle insurance company requires a copy for their own records, you will be able to provide it. Keep in mind that while most organisations that you speak with will be sensitive to your loss, some of them will be very cut and dry with you, seeming less than sincere. It is not something to take offense to, but rather something that you should ignore so that you do not increase your grief or stress levels.
Obtain Proof
Once you have a proof of death, one of the companies you will need to contact is the one that handles your car insurance policy. If the recently deceased was on your car insurance policy, you will want to remove them from the policy so that you are no longer paying the extra money. In a time like this, you need the cash to cover funeral costs and the many other expenses that come with taking care of a deceased person's personal and financial matters. Contact the company by writing them a letter with a copy of the certificate of death enclosed, or simply send them a fax with the information.
The insurance company will then have to check with the Registrar's office to see that the death has been reported so that they can ensure the claim is not fraudulent. Once the company has confirmed that the deceased person on your car insurance policy is in fact deceased, there should be no problem in having them removed from the policy. Something to consider is that if the person who became deceased was the policyholder, the other people on the policy will immediately cease to be insured and will have to find cover through a different policy or agency.
Don't Get Overwhelmed
The process of taking a deceased person off of your car insurance policy is the most difficult because the person was probably very close to you; most likely family. Losing family is one of the hardest things we go through in life, but unfortunately, it happens every day and there is nothing we can do to prevent it. All that can be done after the fact is to wrap up the things that they had their name in, resolve any financial issues, and ensure that everything is properly taken care of legally. This process is very hard when you are grieving, so you don't need to worry about telling your insurance company about the death immediately, unless of course it was a result of a car accident. Instead, take the time you need to grieve and then send out the necessary paperwork to your insurer.
A tragic loss affects us all in many ways, but fortunately as far as car insurance goes, you do not need to jump through hoops to prove that a person on your policy is deceased. Most insurers require proof of death, which they will check. After checking, the deceased will be removed from the policy. Taking a deceased person off of your insurance policy is difficult enough emotionally, so don't overwhelm yourself by rushing through the process. Send in the proof of death and concentrate on supporting yourself and your family in a time of grief.