How to choose a funeral director

When a loved one passes away, you might want to look for a reputable funeral director to help you with the arrangements to help ease the burden during a difficult time. There is an abundance of funeral directors all over the UK but it's not always easy to find the best one to fit your requests or budget.

We’ve created this guide to cover everything you might want to think about, essential questions to ask and what to look for when choosing a funeral director. 

What does a funeral director do?

Funeral directors usually offer a range of services that can be tailored to fit your needs and budget. These services often include:

• Collecting the person that has died and transporting them to the funeral home
• Preparing the body for the funeral and/or viewing
• Organising the paperwork for the burial or cremation
• Providing the coffin (for burials) or urn (for cremations)
• Organising the funeral service 
• Organising 3rd party services such as transport, order of service programs, music, floral arrangements and catering for the wake

You could always take up the tasks of organising the funeral itself and ask the funeral director to take charge of organising items such as the coffin, hearse or transport for close family.

How to choose a funeral director

You might want to think about some of the below actions/points when searching for a local funeral director:

1. Don’t settle on the first funeral director you speak to and take your time considering the below points to make a shortlist when making your decision
2. Always compare prices and services
3. Make sure they provide the services you need
4. Take the time to research recent online reviews to get a feel for the quality and level of service they provide
5. Ask for recommendations from friends and family that have used local funeral directors in the past
6. Check the location and areas they cover as you may need to take the time to visit them to sort out the arrangements, however, most Will visit you at home
7. Check what payment options they offer and ask for a breakdown of their prices as well as 3rd party costs

Finding a funeral director

In the first instance, you should always check if the person had a prepaid funeral plan in place. You can also use services such as The Funeral Planning Authority to help trace funeral plans if you can’t find them yourself.

We also recommend that you try to find out if the person had made a Will which could include funeral requests. You can usually find out if a person had a Will by:

• Searching the house
• Asking other family members
• Asking their solicitor
• Asking their bank
• Carrying out a Will search on the National Wills Register

If you are looking for a funeral director near you, you can use online services such as the Death-notices.co.uk or National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD) to search a host of endorsed UK funeral directors that have been reviewed independently.

Questions to ask a funeral director

Below we’ve noted some suggested questions to help you find out more about the funeral director before you make your decision. 

• Who Will be responsible for arranging the funeral?
• What services do you provide?
• Where Will we meet to make the funeral arrangements?
• Can you provide the coffin or are we able to purchase it separately?
• Who conducts the funeral?
• How do your services differ from other funeral directors?
• Do we have to pay a deposit?
• Can we arrange our own transport?
• When Will payment be taken for the funeral?
• Will you find a celebrant for the funeral service or have any recommendations?
• Do you offer continuity of care services or bereavement support?

How much does it cost?

A report created by SunLife found that the average funeral director fee was is £2,749. With the costs of goods and services increasing throughout the UK in 2023 and beyond, this can be a large expense if the person that has passed away doesn’t have a funeral plan in place. 

Don’t be afraid to ask for less expensive options to make sure the funeral remains within budget and is affordable. You can also ask family and friends to help if you are struggling to cover all the costs yourself.

You might like to read: How Much is a Basic Funeral in the UK on Average?

Do you need a funeral director?

If you decide not to use a funeral director and are happy to take on planning the funeral arrangements, you Will need to contact local cemeteries and cremation to gather the information along with potential coffin providers, florists and printers for the order of service.

There are no set rules around having to use a funeral director's service for a funeral, however, most people choose to use their services as they don’t have the experience of arranging a funeral.