Who pays the energy, water and phone bills after someone passes away? (UK)

2 October 2026 · Inherit Vault

If the gas, electric, water or phone bills were in their name only, they're not your bills. Citizens Advice says a supplier shouldn't ask you to pay, even if you're a close relative. The money comes from the estate. Your job is to tell each company and give them a meter reading. Then you decide what happens next.

Bills from before they passed away

Citizens Advice splits it by date. For energy used before the person passed away, the executor or administrator pays the bills from the money the person left. If there isn't enough money in the estate, those bills might not get paid. The one exception is if your name is also on the account. Then you're responsible too. If you're not sure, check a recent bill or ask the supplier.

Bills from after they passed away

This part can land on you. Citizens Advice says you need to pay for energy used after they passed away if you're living in the property. You also need to pay if the property was left to you in the will, even if you're not living there. In either case, it says to contact the supplier and ask them to put the account in your name.

Start with a meter reading

Citizens Advice says the executor or administrator should tell each energy supplier and give them meter readings. Do it as soon as you can. A reading on or near the day they passed away draws a clean line between their bill and whatever comes after. Take a photo of the meter with the date showing. It's the simplest bit of evidence you'll ever collect.

What energy companies will ask

Most suppliers want the same basic details. Octopus Energy asks for the person's name, full address and the date they passed away, along with meter readings. It also says it'll usually keep the account open until the property has been sold or the keys have been handed back. That's worth knowing, because an empty house still needs heating in winter. You can find the bereavement contacts for Octopus Energy and the other suppliers in our energy list.

Check for credit on the account

Some energy accounts are in credit when someone passes away. In November 2025, Ofgem said there was over £240 million sitting in closed energy accounts. It says one reason the money gets stuck is that the account holder has passed away. It says a supplier can send a final bill and refund any credit, as long as it has your details. So when you close an account, ask what the final balance is and where the refund will go.

Water works in a similar way

Water companies can close the account or move it into someone else's name. Thames Water asks for the person's name, address and phone number, and the account number if you have it. It also asks for the executor's details and an up to date meter reading if there's a meter. It'll then tell you if a refund is due or money is owed. Severn Trent says that in some cases it'll ask for proof that you're the executor. If nobody is applying for probate, it has a small estates form instead. It also refunds any credit. Find your supplier in our water list.

Phone and broadband

Landlines, broadband and mobiles tend to be the easiest. BT says it doesn't need to see the death certificate. You'll need the account number or the BT phone number, and you tell them whether to close the account or change the name. O2 says it'll waive any early disconnection fees. But it's clear that any loan for a phone, tablet or watch still has to be paid off. O2 can also move the number to your name for free, which matters if friends still ring it. Vodafone offers to close the account, move it to someone else, or switch it to pay as you go. The contacts for O2 and other networks are in our phone and broadband list.

Tell Us Once won't do this for you

Tell Us Once is a great service, but it only covers government organisations. It tells HMRC, the Department for Work and Pensions, the DVLA and your local council, among others. GOV.UK says you'll still need to tell organisations outside government yourself. Its examples include banks and utility companies.

Keep the house running while you sort it out

If you're keeping the house for a while, don't cancel everything at once. The heating, water and insurance may still be needed until it's sold. Our post on direct debits and household bills looks at what to keep and what to stop. If they rented, the tenancy has its own rules. And if they owned the home, our guide to what happens to a house is the place to start.

Most of this takes an afternoon once you know who supplies what. That's the part families often don't know. A short list of suppliers and account numbers saves a lot of digging through post. Inherit Vault is a simple place to keep that list for the people who'll need it.

Leave your family a map, not a mystery.

Inherit Vault is a digital inheritance vault. It holds every account, policy and instruction your family will need. It is locked so only you can read it, and passed to your executor only when it is needed.

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