Who arranges for death in the absence of family?

Questioner

A 76-year-old lady has been living in a nursing home for half a year. She is not doing well. She has not had any contact with her children for years, and their addresses are also unknown. At the moment there are 4 acquaintances (including me) who take care of her a little. There is a good chance that she will die soon. As far as we know, there is no will, and no trustee or anything like that to manage her affairs. What can we do to make sure everything goes smoothly? PS. The zip code below is that of the lady in question.

Lawyer

Inform the municipality. They will arrange for a simple burial. This is based on the Burial and Cremation Act.

Questioner

Good evening The answer above wasn't quite what I was hoping for, but I probably wasn't clear enough. There is a funeral insurance policy and a bank account with enough money to pay for a funeral. But who can arrange this if there is no authorized representative? Is there, for example, a contact person at the municipality who can give advice on this? Kind regards, B. Marsen

Lawyer

After death, you can ask the CTR (Central Wills Register, which can be found on the internet) whether the lady in question has made a will and which notary holds it. Then notify that notary. If there is no will, it must be determined who the heirs are using the Civil Registry and the population register. For this, you could engage any notary and ask him if he is prepared to do so. Do pay attention to the costs, there must be sufficient funds in the estate of this lady to be able to pay the first costs of the notary.

Lawyer

And, is it something to discuss this with the lady and to suggest to her to make a will after all (or again). In that will be arranged the things that need attention.