After a death: checklist for the first 30 days

After a death, dates and deadlines apply regardless of how the relatives are coping. In the canton of Zurich, they arise in the following order.

What is most often overlooked is that clearing the home comes last. Anyone who tidies up, disposes of items or gives away furniture during the first few weeks may trigger irreversible legal consequences.

Days 1 to 2: The formalities

First, you need the medical certificate of death. If someone dies at home, call their GP or an emergency doctor. The doctor will issue the certificate. No further steps can be taken without it.

The death must be reported within two days to the civil register office (Zivilstandsamt) at the place of death. In hospitals, residential homes and nursing homes, the institution handles this. If someone dies at home, the relatives are responsible. The appointed funeral director will often make this report as well.

You need to bring: the medical certificate of death, family record book or civil status certificate, certificate of deposited papers or foreign national’s identity card. The civil register office will then issue the death certificate. You need at least five copies. Banks, insurers and pension funds each require an original.

The municipality is responsible for the funeral. Many services are provided to residents without charge or at a substantially reduced price. The funeral office in your municipality of residence is your first point of contact, even if you also engage a private funeral director.

Days 1 to 10: The will and protective measures

Anyone who holds or finds a will made by the deceased must submit it to the responsible authority without delay, even if it appears invalid or does not name them as a beneficiary. In the canton of Zurich, the notary’s offices (Notariate) act as inheritance authorities. Withholding a will is a criminal offence.

This applies to every form: a handwritten will found in a desk drawer as well as a copy of a notarised will. A marriage contract or inheritance agreement must also be submitted.

The notary’s office may have the home sealed, either on its own initiative or at an heir’s request. Nobody may enter a sealed home, including the heirs. This may happen if it is unclear who is entitled to inherit, if an heir lives abroad or if a dispute is foreseeable. No clearance can be planned until the seals have been removed.

Secure important documents without disposing of anything. Look specifically for: wills, marriage contracts and inheritance agreements, insurance policies, bank documents, the tenancy agreement, tax returns from recent years, Old-Age and Survivors’ Insurance (AHV) and pension fund documents, and Land Register extracts. Keep these documents in a safe place. For the time being, everything else should remain where it is.

Weeks 1 to 4: Contracts, accounts and institutions

A death does not automatically terminate contracts. Most contracts continue and charges remain payable.

• Banks block accounts once they are notified. Payments for the funeral and ongoing housing costs are usually still possible if invoices are presented.
• You must notify Old-Age and Survivors’ Insurance (AHV) and Disability Insurance (IV) so that pension payments can be stopped. Any pension paid in excess will be reclaimed. At the same time, check whether there is an entitlement to a survivor’s pension.
• The pension fund will not contact you automatically. Act promptly: entitlements to survivors’ benefits are subject to limitation periods.
• Notify the health insurer using the death certificate. The premium will be refunded on a pro-rata basis.
• Check household contents, liability and life insurance policies. You should not cancel household contents insurance prematurely while the home is still furnished.
• Cancel subscriptions and memberships: Serafe, telecommunications, newspapers, clubs, gym membership and streaming services.
• Arrange mail forwarding with the post office. This is the most reliable way to uncover outstanding obligations that nobody knew about.

Within 1 month: Public inventory

If you are unsure whether the estate has more debts than assets, you may request a public inventory (öffentliches Inventar) from the responsible notary’s office. The deadline is one month from learning of the death and cannot be extended.

The inventory records assets and debts through an official call to creditors. If you then accept the inheritance, you are generally liable only for the debts included in the inventory. As a rule, you are not liable for debts that were not declared.

→ In detail: Public inventory in the canton of Zurich

Within 3 months: Accept or disclaim

The deadline for disclaiming the inheritance is three months. For statutory heirs, it begins when they learn of the death. For appointed heirs, it begins when they receive official notification of the testamentary disposition. Anyone who takes no action will, once the deadline has expired, have accepted the inheritance unconditionally, including all debts.

Anyone who sells furniture, removes items or has the home cleared interferes in the estate. You may thereby lose the right to disclaim the inheritance. Actions solely intended to preserve the estate are permitted: locking the home, turning down the heating, disposing of perishable food and looking after pets.

→ In detail: Disclaiming an inheritance: deadlines and consequences

At the same time: The tenancy agreement

The tenancy agreement does not end with the death. It passes to the heirs, and rent remains payable. Heirs may give notice with the statutory three-month notice period for the next statutory termination date. If the death occurs in the middle of a month, this can quickly amount to four or five months’ rent.

An earlier end is possible only with a reasonable replacement tenant or by agreement with the property management company. Both are worth trying, but this is often done too late.

→ In detail: Ending a tenancy after a death

Afterwards: The clearance

Clearance should begin only once the position of the heirs is clear: the disclaimer period has expired or the inheritance has been knowingly accepted, any seals have been removed, and a representative of the heirs or an executor has been appointed.

Plan the clearance date by working back from the date when the home must be handed over. Allow at least one week between clearance and handover so that there is time for final cleaning and any minor repairs.

What the clearance company should know before the appointment:

• Is there a deadline for handing over the home? If so, what is it?
• Do all heirs agree, or is an executor acting?
• Which rooms or items are excluded?
• Is there any indication that valuables, cash or documents are present?
• Who will receive the key afterwards?

A reputable company will ask these questions without prompting and inspect the home before quoting a price.

The order in one sentence

Formalities and the will come first, followed by contracts and deadlines. The decision to accept or disclaim the inheritance comes next, and clearance comes last. Bringing it forward does not save time and creates a risk of liability.