Help with the process of paperwork etc..

I don't know if this is helpful but a few years ago l was in the same position with my brother who was a hoarder and died intestate. l had little idea of his finances, although l knew he owned his small house outright. I checked his home, as far as l could, for a will/paperwork/valuables and employed a clearance company to clear the house. Some hoarders hoard money, my brother spent very little and appeared not to trust banks much. If you use house clearance I would be there when they are doing it, at least initially, you don't know what they might find and as they clear some space you can see what is there. If they don't want you there, don't use them.
I visited some banks where he had accounts myself but ended up instructing a solicitor to untangle the paperwork, house sale etc and although l can't remember how much it was l thought it was fair, it took a lot of the stress and distress off me and the solicitor's fee, clearance fee etc all came out of the house sale.
My brother struggled with mental health all his life and died too young. I miss him.

Whoever registers the death is given a code number to inform Tell us Once. It includes the local authority, DWP, DVLA. It does not cover everything though eg private pensions.
Martin Lewis’s Forum has a useful guide and you can ask questions and get help from others there. GSM has already given sound advice.
forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6289161/deaths-funerals-probate-board-sticky

Sadly, it’s a lesson to be learned that we should all make a will, however poor we may consider ourselves to be.

There is a number you can phone to let all government agencies know, instead of contacting each one separately.

www.gov.uk/after-a-death/organisations-you-need-to-contact-and-tell-us-once

Thankyou all for your help

You need to shred paperwork that isn’t needed if it contains name, address, bank etc details. I have used a mobile shredding service in the past, they turn up with a big van and shred huge amounts of paper very quickly and give you a certificate to confirm it’s been done (though you can watch it happening).

It sounds a nightmare.. I'd get loads of black bags and a skip and just work my way through the house.. very good luck

You will. Good luck.

My husband is next of kin. Definitely no Will made . We will get there...thankyou all.

Good advice from GSM. Good luck.

You may find a will, or correspondence with a solicitor indicating that one has been made. As sister in law you are not a blood relative. If there is a blood relative who is capable and willing to do so they should apply for letters of administration to enable the estate to be administered, if there is indeed no will. If there is no blood relative able and willing then they might ask you to undertake the task.

Thankyou for your help. No will but we are here direct family members.

Thankyou

I assume you have the death certificate and have made copies and that you are the person responsible for dealing with all this. What I mean is, has she left a will naming you as executor?

If there is no named executor, a person, usually a friend, family member or another interested party, may come forward and petition the court to become the administrator of the estate by obtaining letters of administration.

If that person is you, this would be a start:

www.gov.uk/when-someone-dies

Note the Tell Us Once facility for dealing with government departments.

And this from Age UK:

www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/money-legal/legal-issues/what-to-do-when-someone-dies/

That sounds grim. I fear you are going to have to sort through all the paperwork to establish exactly what her assets are. I doubt any website could help you with that. Tell the DWP, bank, building society and private pension providers of her death without delay.