Technical article

The First 48 Hours: You Are the Executor and the House Is Full

A phone camera does the photographing, and the steps above are short ones.

By Neil Solomon · 4 min read

Imagine your mother has died, and you are named as her executor. Her house holds coins in a cabinet, watches in a drawer, boxes in the attic, and a storage unit you have only just heard about. The funeral is in two days. What comes first?

The sources agree on a short list. They are written by trust officers, law firms and an insurer, so each is named below.

Secure the house and the small valuables

Two New York trust officers, writing in 2025, list the first steps. Locate the property, including storage unit charges that show on statements. Change the locks and alarm codes. Notify the insurance agent.

A Canadian law clerk's article says to secure the wallet, keys, passport and chequebook at the outset, then photograph and describe the valuables. An Australian guide says an executor must identify assets, secure property and keep insurance, and that poor records can expose an executor to personal liability.

One Holland & Knight article notes that obituaries list funeral times. It says the home is better not left unattended during services. A collectibles columnist writes that objects often disappear in the days after a death, and that many people offering help is a reason for care.

Photograph before you touch

The columnist advises photographing or filming everything and restricting access. An Ontario law guide says to photograph and video every room with timestamps before anything is discarded. A US executor-attorney, quoted by the American Bar Association's journal, found about US$12,000 in cash in 500 empty potato-chip bags in a hoarder's home. His point was that valuables can be mixed with junk, that sorting comes before discarding, and that careless clearing can expose an executor to the heirs.

Hold off on selling

For the United States, Treasury Regulation 20.2031-6 requires a sworn appraisal and statement before the executor sells or distributes items of marked artistic or intrinsic value ahead of an IRS investigation. Over US$3,000 in total, an expert's sworn appraisal goes with the estate tax return. The 2026 exclusion is US$15,000,000, and Form 706 is due nine months after death.

Keep the insurance going

In the UK, Trustee Act 2000 section 34 lets a trustee insure property, and section 35 applies the Act to a personal representative. One UK insurer's blog says some household policies cover a vacancy for anything up to 30 days. It says some insurers allow about 30 days to report a death. If the insurer is not told, the policy continues but is likely to become invalid. After probate, only the executor can take out the policy, in the executor's name. Terms vary by insurer, so the policy itself is the place to look.

The objection

You might say that grief is hard enough, and a list of tasks feels like a weight. It may. A phone camera does the photographing, and the steps above are short ones. The columnist's warning about many people offering help is a reason to choose one or two helpers with care.

Who this touches

The family, who may arrive for the funeral and be near the house. The neighbors. The insurer. And the papers, since photographs and a dated list are what an executor later shows to the heirs.