Electricity contract and district heating contract of a death estate

The electricity vendor will not know about the death of a customer until someone informs us about it. Deaths must be reported to the electricity vendor so that the electricity contract can be transferred to the death estate. 

Each joint owner of an death estate may postpone the due date of a bill for up to three months while waiting for the estate inventory to be completed. A civil document or report on family relationships provides the electricity company with the information on the parties to the estate already before the completion of the estate inventory, which makes it easier to manage the estate.   

This also helps avoid any unnecessary additional costs due to unpaid bills.

Nothing happens to the electricity contract automatically.   

Once the relatives start taking care of the affairs of the deceased, the electricity supplier should also be informed of the matter without delay.  

If another person, such as the widow/widower, continues to live in the deceased person’s home, a new contract is made under that person’s name, meaning that the previous electricity contract is automatically terminated.  

If the property or apartment remains in the joint ownership of the estate, the electricity contract may remain in the name of the estate or it can be made in the name of the joint owners of the estate. In both cases, the joint owners are also jointly responsible for paying the electricity bills.  

The electricity contract may be in the name of the estate for as long as the property or apartment for which the electricity contract has been made is managed by the undivided estate. 

After the estate inventory, an electricity contract is made in the residents or tenants name, with the old electricity contract ending automatically. If there is no need for an electricity electricity contract after the estate inventory, please contact our customer service to terminate the contract.  

The joint owners of an estate decide on matters regarding the estate.   

When a relative has died, it is important to establish who will manage the estate. Usually, the joint owners of the estate decide about such matters. The joint owners may also authorize one person to manage the estate by signing a power of attorney.  

The estate inventory must be completed within 3 months of the person’s death. However, a civil document or report on family relationships provides the electricity company with the information on the joint owners of the estate already before the completion of the estate inventory, which makes it easier to manage the estate.  

Yes, it can. Each joint owner of a death estate may postpone the due date of a bill for up to three months while waiting for the estate inventory to be completed. 

In any matter concerning the payment of the estate’s bills, please contact our payment services at maksamisenpalvelut@vaasansahko.fi. 

Please remember that without separate notification, an unpaid bill may be transferred to debt collection. 

The estate inventory can be delivered safely electronically, by mail or in person.  

You can provide us with a power of attorney and copies of documents electronically here. 

If the deceased person’s home is left empty, and there are plans to sell it, the electricity contract can be terminated as unnecessary right away. In such a situation, also a fixed-term electricity contract can be terminated.  

However, properties should always have a valid electricity contract. The electricity contract for a property can be made in the name of the death estate or the joint owners of the estate.  

Remember that when an electricity contract is terminated, there will be no electricity until a new electricity contract is made. So please consider carefully whether there is a need for electricity or not. For example, water pipes may freeze in the winter, which is why at least basic heating should be maintained until a new electricity contract has been made.   

The electricity contract may remain in the name of the death estate, or a new contract can be made in the name of the joint owners of the estate, or a new tenant.   

Terminating the electricity contract of a death estate requires the consent of all joint owners of the estate. 

The easier way of taking care of things is for the death estate to authorize one person to handle the electricity contract. Matters related to a deceased person’s electricity contract may also be taken care of by an external estate administrator.  

The most important thing is that the person has a power of attorney signed by all parties to the death estate, and has therefor the right to make decisions regarding the electricity contract.  

We recommend that as soon as possible after the death of a relative, the parties will agree on who will be authorized to manage things for the death estate.  

You can prepare a power of attorney electronically or print out a template here. 

Any power of attorney is terminated upon death.  

A civil document/report on family relationships is an official certificate of a person’s personal data in the Finnish Population Information System. The report on family relationships can be ordered from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency and the civil document can be ordered from the parish of the deceased person. 

The civil document provides the electricity company with the information on the joint owners of the estate already before the completion of the estate inventory, which makes it easier to manage the death estate.