Accessing a deceased person's records

You may ask to access confidential information we hold in relation to a deceased person. We will exercise our discretion to decide whether to disclose this information to you.

What you will need to provide

To request access, you will need to give us the following information:

Details of the deceased

Please provide: 

• The deceased person's full name and any other names they were known by
• Their date and place of birth
• Their date of death
• Their last known address

Your details

You will need to give us your name and a return address (postal or electronic).

To prove that you are a personal representative of the deceased person, please provide either a certified copy of the grant of probate, or a certified copy of letters of administration. In addition, we will need a signed, dated, and addressed letter of authority from all other personal representatives authorising disclosure to you.

You must also provide documentary evidence for ID purposes. 

Please provide a copy of one of the following as evidence of your personal identity:

• Valid passport
• Current, valid photocard driving licence
• Your birth/adoption certificate

Please provide a copy of one of the following as evidence of your address:

• Recent original utility bill (dated within the last three months) - note that mobile telephone bills will not be accepted as they can be sent to different addresses
• Local authority tax bill (valid for the current year)
• Current, valid photocard driving licence (if not used for evidence of name)
• Bank statement, building society passbook containing current address (dated within the last three months)

Make a request

To submit your request, send us the required details and copies of proofs by email or post:

• Email: dpo@richmondandwandsworth.gov.uk
• Post: Information Governance team, London Borough of Richmond, Civic Centre, 44 York Street, Twickenham TW1 3BZ

We will then consider whether to release the deceased person's records to you. The information will remain confidential and not disclosable if there is clear evidence to indicate that they would not have wished for it to be disclosed.

We aim to send an initial response to your request within ten working days.

If you cannot provide evidence

If you are not a personal representative of the deceased or cannot supply the information we have asked for, we will consider your request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. You will need to make a formal Freedom of Information request. 

Find out how to submit an FOI request.