Utility Warehouse – known as UW – is unusual among UK energy suppliers. Rather than selling a single service, it bundles gas, electricity, broadband, home phone, and mobile all onto one monthly bill. That convenience is part of its appeal, particularly to older households who prefer dealing with one company. But it does make the bereavement process a little less straightforward than notifying a single-service supplier: you may be dealing with several services at once, even if there’s only one account to call about.
The good news is that UW has a dedicated bereavement team, a specific phone number, and an email address for exactly this situation. One call – or one email – covers every service the deceased had with them.
Quick reference:
- Bereavement team: 0333 005 8356
- Email: bereavement@uw.co.uk
- Online help: help.uw.co.uk – bereavement guidance
- Have ready: Death certificate, account number, meter readings, Will or Grant of Probate (for any refund)
- Do not cancel direct debits until you have received and settled the final bill
How to notify Utility Warehouse of a death
The most direct route is to call UW’s dedicated bereavement team on 0333 005 8356. This is a specific bereavement line – not the general customer service number (0333 777 0 777) – and you’ll speak to someone who handles these situations as their primary role. The number is an 0333 number, which costs the same as a standard 01/02 number and is included in most mobile and landline call bundles.
If you’d prefer not to call, you can email bereavement@uw.co.uk instead. This is useful if you want to put things in writing, attach scanned documents, or simply find a phone call difficult during a period of bereavement.
UW also publishes a bereavement form that you can complete and submit by email.
Because UW is a private multi-service provider, the government’s Tell Us Once service does not cover it. Tell Us Once notifies government departments (HMRC, DWP, the DVLA, and local councils) automatically, but private companies like UW must be contacted directly. See the what-to-do hub for a full checklist of organisations to notify.
When you contact UW – by any method – have the following ready:
| What UW needs | Where to find it |
|---|---|
| Deceased’s full name | Death certificate |
| Date of birth and date of death | Death certificate |
| Home address and postcode | Any UW bill or correspondence |
| Account number | Any UW bill or the UW app |
| Final meter readings (gas and electricity) | Read the meters at the property, or photograph them |
| Your own name, phone number, and relationship to the deceased | – |
| Will or Grant of Probate (for refunds) | Solicitor or probate registry |
You don’t need all of this before you make the first contact. UW can log the notification immediately and follow up for outstanding documents. What matters is making contact promptly so that billing is correctly cut off from the date of death.
If you’d rather notify UW as part of notifying multiple organisations at once, services like Settld can do this on your behalf. Settld is free to use for bereaved individuals.
What documents you’ll need
UW does not require original documents – a scan or clear photograph of the death certificate is accepted. The full list is:
Proof of death:
- A copy of the death certificate (issued by the register office after registration)
- If the coroner has not yet released the body, an interim death certificate is also accepted
Account details:
- The deceased’s full name, date of birth, date of death, and home address
- The account number, found on any UW bill or through the UW online account
Meter readings:
- For gas and electricity, take readings as close as possible to the date of death. A photograph of each meter with a visible timestamp on your phone is perfectly adequate.
For a refund:
- UW requires a copy of the Will or Grant of Probate before issuing any refund. This is specific to UW – not all utility companies require probate documents before settling a credit balance. If the estate is small and probate is not being obtained, contact the bereavement team to explain the circumstances.
Your identity:
- UW may ask for your contact details and your relationship to the deceased. A formal identity document is not usually required simply to notify them, but it may be needed if there is a credit balance to release.
If you are the executor handling a large estate and notifying multiple organisations, it’s worth ordering several copies of the death certificate from the register office. Each copy costs £12.50 in England and Wales (source: gov.uk). For utility companies, standard copies rather than certified copies are generally accepted.
What happens to each service
Because UW runs all services under one account and one bill, a bereavement notification covers everything at once. However, what happens to each service depends on the circumstances. Here is how each one is handled:
Gas and electricity
UW will close the deceased’s energy account and generate a final bill based on meter readings taken as close as possible to the date of death. The bereavement team will ask you to provide these readings when you make contact.
If someone is continuing to live at the property and wants to keep the energy supply running with UW, the account can be transferred into their name. The new account holder will need their own details and will set up a fresh direct debit.
If the property is now empty – which is the situation most executors find themselves managing – the standing charges continue to run daily until the account is formally closed or transferred to the estate. Notify UW of the empty property status as early as possible. Energy supplies are often worth keeping running in an empty property (to prevent burst pipes in cold weather and to satisfy the requirements of the buildings insurance), but the account should be in the right name.
Broadband and home phone
Broadband and home phone can be kept on by a household member who is remaining at the property. UW’s bereavement team can arrange a transfer to a new account in the surviving household member’s name.
If no one is continuing at the property, the broadband and home phone services will be cancelled. UW will let you know whether any early termination charges apply. It is worth asking specifically about this when you call, particularly if the deceased was mid-contract.
Mobile
If the deceased had a UW mobile SIM, this service is treated separately from energy and broadband within the same account. The bereavement team covers mobile as part of the same notification, but you should confirm explicitly that the mobile service has been flagged. Ongoing monthly charges will continue until UW has formally processed the cancellation.
If a household member was using a number on the account and wants to keep it, UW may be able to transfer the mobile service. Ask the bereavement team for the options available.
The Cashback Card
Utility Warehouse offers a cashback rewards card that accumulates discounts from partner retailers. If the deceased held a UW Cashback Card, the bereavement team handles the closure and any remaining cashback balance as part of the same process. Any refund due from the cashback card is issued to the estate alongside refunds from other services.
Probate and the UW account
UW is a multi-service provider, not a financial institution, so probate is not required to close the account or transfer services. However, it is needed before UW will issue a refund.
If the deceased’s account was in credit at the time of death – which is common where direct debits have been running ahead of usage – UW requires a copy of the Will or Grant of Probate before they can release the credit. Once received, the final bill is produced the following month and any refund is issued to the estate (source: UW bereavement FAQs).
To provide bank details for the refund, or if the estate doesn’t have them already on file, you can call the bereavement team on 0333 005 8356.
If there is a debit balance on the account – money owed to UW – that balance is a debt of the estate, not of the surviving family members personally, unless they were joint account holders. UW cannot pursue relatives for debts that are solely in the deceased’s name. See Citizens Advice on debts after death for more on this.
For a guide to the probate process itself, see gov.uk/applying-for-probate.
How long does it take?
For a straightforward case, the UW bereavement process runs as follows:
- Notification: You contact UW. The account is flagged immediately, and debt collection or direct debit activity should be paused.
- Documents: You submit the death certificate (and, for a refund, the Will or Grant of Probate).
- Final bill: UW produces the final bill the month after they have received both the meter readings and the relevant documents.
- Refund or settlement: Any credit is issued to the estate; any debit is settled from estate funds.
The biggest variable is how quickly documents are provided. If meter readings and a copy of the death certificate are sent promptly, the process can complete within four to six weeks. If the estate is waiting for Grant of Probate before sending documents, the timeline extends accordingly.
Keep a note of the date you first contacted UW, the name of the person you spoke to, and any reference number given.
Tips and things to watch out for
One call covers everything – but verify each service. Because UW bundles services, a single notification should flag gas, electricity, broadband, home phone, and mobile at the same time. That said, confirm explicitly with the bereavement team that each individual service has been noted. Occasionally, systems for different services aren’t automatically linked.
Probate is required for refunds. This is a notable difference from many other utility suppliers. If the account was in credit and you want the refund issued, you’ll need to wait until you have the Will or Grant of Probate to send to UW. Plan for this in your estate timeline.
Standing charges on empty properties accumulate quickly. Gas and electricity standing charges run daily regardless of whether any energy is being used. Even a brief period between the date of death and closing the account can add up to significant charges. Notify UW as soon as possible.
Do not cancel the direct debit immediately. Wait until you have received and settled the final bill before stopping payments from the deceased’s bank account. Cancelling early can leave an outstanding balance that becomes harder to settle later. See our guide to what happens to direct debits after a death for more detail on this.
Early termination fees. If any of UW’s services were on a fixed-term contract, there may be early exit fees on cancellation. It’s common practice among utility and broadband providers to waive exit fees in bereavement cases – ask the team specifically whether this applies.
Automated reminders may still arrive. If you receive a payment reminder or automated bill after notifying UW, call back with your notification reference number and confirm the bereavement has been logged correctly. Automated systems and bereavement processes sometimes don’t communicate immediately.
The Cashback Card has its own balance. If the deceased accumulated cashback on the UW Cashback Card, that balance belongs to the estate. Raise this explicitly with the bereavement team – don’t assume it will be included automatically.
Summary
To notify Utility Warehouse when someone dies, call 0333 005 8356 or email bereavement@uw.co.uk. One notification covers all services – gas, electricity, broadband, home phone, and mobile. Have the death certificate, account number, and final meter readings ready.
UW requires a copy of the Will or Grant of Probate before issuing any credit refund. The final bill is produced the month after UW receives both meter readings and documents.
For other energy and utility suppliers, see our guides to notifying British Gas, notifying OVO Energy, notifying E.ON Next, and notifying Octopus Energy. For broadband and phone, see our guide to notifying BT and notifying Virgin Media.
Sources: UW bereavement help page (verified May 2026); UW bereavement refund FAQ (verified May 2026); UW bereavement form, August 2023; Settld – notifying Utility Warehouse (verified May 2026); gov.uk – death certificate copy costs; gov.uk – applying for probate; Citizens Advice – debts after death