A lease is a long-term financial commitment so it’s easy to understand why many customers are concerned about what will happen in the event that they pass away before the end of the contract. To help alleviate some of these concerns we’ve put together the below guide to give you a little more information on the process.
In the unfortunate event that the lease holder passes away before the end of the contract then we will try to make everything as easy as possible for their family.
We will do our very best to help provide you with the relevant information and contact details for the finance company you will need to get in touch with. Where possible we can also assist with getting any early termination quotes needed from the funder.
When you get in touch with us please can we ask you to have the below information to help us locate the lease details on our system:
In most cases there will be an early termination charge that is applicable if the lease is to be ended before the contract is due to expire.
Alternatively, the funder may be able to look at transferring the lease to another person’s name if the vehicle is still required for the remainder of the contract. This is not an option that all funders offer and those that do look at it on a case by case basis.
Please note that if the lease also has a guarantor then it will usually become their responsibility to continue payments until the end of the contract. We would suggest that they get in touch with the funder as soon as possible to discuss payments.
We’ve spoken to each of our funders to get a little guidance from them on their process. Most of them did advise that every case is looked at individually and that you will usually need to contact them directly but have given us the general guidelines below.
Please be aware that if your lease is through manufacturer finance then they advise you contact them directly. We’ve included a full list of contact details below.
ALD:
ALD advise that they will need the lease holder’s relatives or their estate to contact them directly, which can be done by calling their customer relations team on 01179082000 option 1 then 7.
They will also require a copy of the death certificate to be sent to them.
Once they receive this, they will contact you to discuss arranging collection of the vehicle.
Alphabet:
Alphabet have advised that in the event of a contract holder’s death they would require a copy of the death certificate and power of attorney.
You will need to let Alphabet’s Customer Service Team know on 03700120392, and option 4, they will be able to advise on where to send the documents.
Once they have received these documents Alphabet will arrange for an early termination on the contract. The liability of this will fall to the estate to pay.
Arval:
If the lease is with Arval then they will require notification and a copy of the death certificate to be emailed to them at ARVALUKSME.Broker1Customers@arval.co.uk.
You can also contact them via phone on 03706004499.
Once they’ve received a copy of the death certificate Arval will then be able to look into and amend the account and contact the relevant party to arrange collection of the vehicle.
Hitachi:
If the lease is with Hitachi you can either contact them directly or get in touch with us and we can notify them of the death on your behalf.
Their Customer Services Team can be reached on 03444632900 option 1 then 4 and then 5.
Once they have been notified of the death they will require a copy of the death certificate, which will then be passed onto their Accounts Department.
Depending on who contacted them Hitachi’s Accounts Department will then either let us or you know what the next steps will be.
In most cases there will be an early termination cost that is payable by the estate, but this is could only 50% or less of the remaining payments.
LeasePlan:
LeasePlan advise you to contact them directly to let them know if the lease holder has passed away.
Once they have been notified of a death LeasePlan require a copy of the death certificate to be emailed to financebrokercs@leaseplan.co.uk and the contact name, number and email address of who they will need to contact.
When LeasePlan have received the death certificate they will then work to arrange collection for you.
They have advised that the vehicle will usually be collected at a £0.00 balance but that the process for arranging this can take a little time so immediate collection may not be possible.
Leasys:
Leasys treat the death of any contract holder on a case by case basis so you will need to get in touch with them directly and they will be able to go through their process and the available options.
You can call them on 03445614611 or email them on contractsmanagement.uk@leasys.com.
Please note that they have advised that they will require a copy of the death certificate to be sent to them.
Lex:
Lex have advised that they would need to be sent a copy of the death certificate as soon as possible after they are notified of a contract holder's death.
You can email this to them at Customer.Services@lexautolease.co.uk or if you want to discuss this over the phone you can call them on 03448796633.
Once they have received this, they will then close the account down and be in touch to arrange collection of the vehicle.
Wessex Fleet:
If the lease is with Wessex Fleet then an early termination charge would be applicable and liability would be passed to the estate.
Wessex Fleet advise that they will look at the death of any lease holder on an individual basis and would look to agree a favourable termination with the estate.
The cost of the early termination would be based on the vehicle condition and the mileage being within the agreed limits.
If you need to notify Wessex Fleet of a death or discuss any aspect of this process then you can contact them on 01722322888 and speak to their Customer Services Team on option 3.
It is likely that you will need to contact the funder directly to discuss the lease with them. Please see the below list for all our funders’ contact details.
ALD - 01179082000 (option 1 then 7)
Alphabet - 03700120392 (option 4)
Arval - 03706004499
Audi Financial Services - 03700102007
BMW Financial Services - 03705050150
Hitachi - 03444632900 (option 1 then 4 then 5)
LeasePlan - 03444935811
Leasys - 03445614611 (option 1 then 4)
Lex Autolease - 03448796633 (option 5)
Mercedes-Benz Finance - 03708470700
Nissan Finance - 03330090231
Seat Financial Services - 03703334446
Skoda Financial Services - 03703334449
Renault Finance - 03330090233
Volvo Financial Services - 01926401203
Volkswagen Financial Services - 03700102022
Wessex Fleet - 01722322888 (option 3)
If your lease company is not listed above just give us a call and we can provide these for you.
If you have any further questions then please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us on 03302210000.
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