Mandatory Fields
Overview

When a person dies, the named executor, beneficiaries or heirs have the primary right to administer their estate. A referral should be made to the Public Guardian and Trustee (PGT) when these people are not willing or able to take on these responsibilities, or if they cannot be identified or contacted.

We will confirm receipt of the referral and complete an assessment to determine whether or not we will take on the administration of the estate. We will let you know once a decision has been made. The Coroners Service, hospitals, funeral homes, health authorities, the police and other service providers can submit this form directly to the PGT. Before submitting, please ensure that you have spoken to the executors, beneficiaries or heirs, if known. Where there are multiple service providers involved with a deceased, please ensure you are the appropriate service provider to send the referral and make note within the referral of any other service providers involved.

If necessary for our assessment, we will make inquiries to gather information about:

  • The assets in the estate
  • If there is a will
  • Contact information for executors, beneficiaries or heirs to inquire if they are willing to administer the estate
  • Funeral preference details

If we gather sufficient information to determine that the PGT will not be administering the estate, we will stop further inquiries. If the PGT decides not to administer the estate and arrangements for the deceased are still required, the PGT may make a referral to the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction’s (MSDPR) Funeral Assistance program.

If you are not sure if a referral to the PGT is appropriate given the situation, you can contact the PGT’s Estate and Personal Trust Services division at 604-660-4444 or estates@trustee.bc.ca.

Information you provide is for the purpose of assessing whether the PGT will administer an estate. Information is collected under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIPPA) and other applicable legislation. If you have any questions about the collection, use or disclosure of information, contact the PGT's Information and Privacy Officer at 604-660-4444 or mail@trustee.bc.ca.

Summary of the deceased
Please provide as much information as possible.
Please share any name(s) that this person may use that is not their legal name.
Date of birth known?
Calculated age based on the date of birth. If the date of death is known, the age will be calculated from that date.
Was the deceased receiving provincial social assistance benefits and under 65 years old?
The Personal health number is a 10-digit number. Do not include dashes, spaces, or letters.
Is the deceased Indigenous?
Was the deceased living on a reserve?
Did the deceased have a will?
Details about the death
Please provide as much information as possible.
Date of death status
Place of death
Suspected cause of death
Please provide the location name if the remains are at a business or facility. (name of funeral home, name of hospital, name of care facility)
Was the BC Coroners Service called when the deceased was discovered?
Were the police called when the deceased was discovered?
Residence details
Please provide as much information as possible.
Residence status
Residence health or safety concerns
Safety concerns could include rodents, bed bugs, needles, hoarding, hazardous materials (including biohazards such as bodily fluids) or firearms. This helps us with safety planning when we agree to act as administrator and may need to enter the residence.
Is anyone living in the residence?
Real property ownership, financial institution accounts and belongings
Please provide as much information as possible.
If the deceased owns properties other than any identified in the previous section, please use this space to list them and provide address details. You may enter up to 10 properties.
Property 1
Please list all known bank accounts at financial institutions. If you need more, add additional lines. You may enter up to 10 bank accounts.
Bank account 1
Please list anything that may help us find the deceased's financial assets, such as vehicles, wallets, financial/insurance/pension-related statements or correspondence, credit cards, debit cards, items found in wallet, personal identification, art, precious metals, and other valuables.
Other 1
Location of item
People in the deceased's life
Please provide as much information as possible to help us identify friends, family and other people known to the deceased who may be able to provide details related to their life. We may locate and talk to these people during our review.
You may enter up to 10 persons.
Person 1
Relationship
Is the person aware of the death?
Supporting documents
Please attach any supporting documents related to the adult that you think will support this referral. Please include a copy of a will if you have one.
Attach any additional documents to support this referral

Document file types can be any and only these formats: .pdf, .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .rtf, .txt, .jpg, .jpeg, .tiff, .tif, .csv, or .png.

Each file must be under 25 MB, and the form has a 150 MB limit for all attachments.

Please do not password-protect files, as this will prevent the PGT's system from scanning for viruses. Files that cannot be checked for viruses will be securely deleted.

Referring party
Please provide your contact details so we can contact you about this referral.

Sections in this form

Download a copy of your referral for your records before you submit. You will not be able to save a copy of the form after you submit it.