When an elderly lady was moved into a care home, the entire contents of her home were loaded into storage units in the name of her friend. He then developed his own health issues and is no longer able to deal with matters such as the management of the storage space.

But the old lady has passed away, and the bills stopped being paid.

Impersonal reminder emails went to the friend, and in turn someone looking after his affairs felt aggrieved that someone who needed to be left on his own to recover was being chased.

What should happen/have happened, and how could this have been be avoided?

James, Guildford

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The experts say:

It’s always tough when someone dies, so firstly we send our condolences to the family of the deceased, and we hope her friend rallies soon. What a tough time for everyone concerned.

These situations are always hard, and we urge our customers – and others - to make sure someone knows that you have things in storage. Some people prefer to have a second person with access for booking returns etc anyway, and to us, as long as that person is trustworthy, it makes sense.

The most sensible thing for anyone to do in the circumstances described – someone’s death - is to let whoever is looking after probate, often a lawyer, funeral parlour or family friend, know that there is a storage unit that needs to be dealt with.

They in turn should contact the storage supplier and ask for a list of contents, at least, and probably also undertake a visit themselves. (The storage supplier may well ask for some kind of proof of events, such as a death certificate and proof of probate arrangements.)

The sooner this happens the better. Until they are informed, the storage supplier will usually continue to bill as normal, as they have no way of knowing the situation. If the deceased’s accounts are frozen, the storage supplier may even start sending ‘missed payment’ and credit control type letters. This means bills may inadvertently start to mount and can be distressing for the recipients/family, as in this case.

(Do remember, however, that the storage unit manager may have known their customer personally. They may be shocked and saddened by the news as well. This is especially true with a company like easyStorage, where collection and return means that the storage unit has a much more personal relationship with the customer, and they may well have worked shoulder to shoulder with the deceased or their family to pack and load belongings.)

Different storage companies have different policies – some may freeze billing pending probate, some may need the unit cleared as soon as possible.

Storage units are often full of things that are of largely sentimental value rather than of high monetary value, and it’s to be expected that family will want to see these things. Faced with something of apparently little monetary value, many probate practitioners will find disposal easier than sorting through belongings. For a grieving family, those possessions are often of far more value than money. They should make sure that whoever is handling probate is aware of their wishes.

At easyStorage, we can deliver things back to family or to the solicitor’s office for this purpose, or can arrange disposal.

Sometimes families have so much to deal with that they ask for things to be held onto at least until after funerals have happened and the family can talk calmly and think clearly.

There is no right or wrong way to do things.

Sadly, the time and cost of storage and returns will need to be covered (although we know our teams do their best to be human. One of the things that makes an easyStorage franchisee stand out is empathy.) Whoever handles probate should deal with this.

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Going into care

When someone goes into care, it may well be temporary. But when it’s an arrangement for someone to live out the rest of their years in comfort and care, it’s really worth considering carefully what happens to their belongings well in advance, saving everyone money and heartache.

Self storage units like easyStorage can give people time to think about what should happen. Often houses will need clearing in order to sell to cover nursing home fees, and in these cases it’s easier to empty the property and clean it for sale.

However, we would urge people to make a thorough inventory of what’s going into storage, and face the issue head on rather than shut things away and forget:

·         What will – or may - the person in care want and need?

·         What are their wishes with regard to their possessions?

·         What will family members want and value?  

·         Are there financial considerations, for example things that are worth a lot of money or belong to other people?

Remember that in those belongings may be things that the person hasn’t wanted to share – perhaps a lost love or a family secret. These things will need to be handled with compassion and care, and sometimes it is advisable to have a third party, separate from the family, handle this.

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Prevention is better than a ‘cure’

One of the easiest ways to avoid problems like the one James describes is to keep storage unit details alongside a will. Just a photocopy of something saying its there, with a telephone number, will make life so much easier for anyone trying to sort out your affairs.

The only thing that’s certain in life is death (although many would add taxes to that list), and we can never know when that will happen. Whilst it’s not pleasant to think about, family and friends will thank you forever for making their lives easier after your death.

At easyStorage we like the concept of Swedish Death Cleaning. It’s not so much about death as about thinking what would happen if someone else had to come in and sort out your belongings in your absence - far less morbid.

Read about it here: Döstädning: Swedish Death Cleaning.

It may well change the way that you look at your home and your ‘clutter’.