Utilities and Household Services
These are the administrative backbone of the life they lived. Closing them is tedious, repetitive, and occasionally maddening. One at a time.
Electricity, Gas, and Water
Contact each utility provider with a certified death certificate.
- If the home is being maintained (by a surviving family member or for sale preparation): transfer the account to another name rather than closing it. Closing utilities on a property can create problems — frozen pipes, no power for showings, security concerns.
- If the home is being vacated permanently: request a final meter read and final bill. Ask about any deposits that may be refundable.
Most utilities can be handled by phone. Some require a written notice or in-person visit.
Internet and Landline Phone
Contact the provider with the death certificate. Return any leased equipment (modems, routers, set-top boxes). Get a receipt for returned equipment — providers have been known to charge equipment fees to estates months later if they don't have a return record on file.
If transferring to a surviving resident, ask about transfer fees and whether the current rate plan can be maintained.
Mobile Phone
Do not cancel the phone line immediately. You may need the phone number for two-factor authentication on the deceased's accounts for weeks or months. See the digital accounts guide for details.
- Contact the carrier to secure the line: explain the situation, provide the death certificate, and ask them to prevent SIM swaps or number ports. This protects against identity theft while keeping the number active.
- When you are ready to cancel — after you've addressed all accounts that use the phone number for verification — contact the carrier with the death certificate and request cancellation.
- If the phone is on a family plan, the line can typically be removed without affecting other lines.
- Return any leased devices to avoid equipment charges.
Cable and Streaming Services
Cable: contact the provider, return equipment, request final bill.
Streaming services (Netflix, Hulu, Spotify, etc.): cancel through account settings if you have login access. Without login access, contact customer support with the death certificate.
Not time-sensitive. These can wait until you're ready. For step-by-step cancellation instructions for specific services, see cancelfreely.com.
Home Security (ADT, SimpliSafe, Ring, Vivint)
Contact the provider with the death certificate. Check whether there's a contract with an early termination fee. Some security companies waive the fee in cases of death; others do not. Ask explicitly.
For Ring: see the Ring data export and account closure considerations before canceling.
Postal Mail
File a Change of Address with USPS to redirect the deceased's mail to the executor or a family member. This ensures you receive statements, bills, and correspondence related to the estate.
File at usps.com/manage/forward.htm or visit any post office. The change of address lasts 12 months; after that, mail is returned to sender.
Home and Auto Insurance
Notify the insurance company with the death certificate.
- Home insurance: If the home is being maintained, keep the policy active. If vacant for more than 30 days, check for a vacancy clause that limits coverage — you may need to switch to a vacant-property policy.
- Auto insurance: Transfer the policy if keeping the vehicle. Maintain coverage until the sale is complete if selling.
- Renters insurance: Cancel with the death certificate. Ask about any prepaid premium refund.
Calling the cable company while you're in the middle of grief is a specific kind of absurdity. The hold music. The options menu. The representative asking how your day is going. You're doing it anyway. That counts.