Keeping the Body at Home Before the Funeral: Your Rights

The idea that a body must immediately leave the home after death is a relatively modern assumption, driven largely by the professionalisation of the funeral industry over the past century. In many cultures and faith traditions, keeping the deceased at home is the norm. In the UK, the right to do so remains entirely intact — and a growing number of families are reclaiming this option as part of a more personal and meaningful farewell.

Your legal right to keep the body at home

English, Welsh, and Scottish law does not require a funeral director to be involved in funeral arrangements. There is no legal obligation to use a funeral director at all. Once a death has been registered and the appropriate paperwork obtained, a family can manage every aspect of the funeral themselves — including keeping the deceased at home until the time of burial or cremation.

The legal position is as follows:

• No statute requires that a body be removed from the home within any specific timeframe
• The person who takes responsibility for the funeral (usually the next of kin) has the right — and in law, the duty — to make arrangements for disposal of the body by burial or cremation
• There is no licence or permit required to keep a body at home in England or Wales
• The main legal constraints concern the final disposal: burial and cremation are both regulated

Practical considerations: temperature and time

The most important practical consideration when keeping a body at home is temperature management. Natural decomposition begins immediately after death and accelerates with warmth. For families wishing to keep the deceased at home for several days, maintaining a cool environment is essential.

General guidance:

• Ideal temperature: Below 10°C significantly slows decomposition — a cool room, perhaps with the window open and a fan, can help
• Dry ice: Available from specialist suppliers, dry ice (solid CO2) can be placed around the body to maintain a low temperature — home funeral guides can advise on safe use
• Cooling units: Some home funeral guide services and specialist funeral directors can provide a portable cooling unit for hire
• Typical timeframe: With appropriate temperature management, most families keep the deceased at home for between three and seven days; up to ten days is achievable in cool conditions, though individual circumstances vary

Embalming is not a legal requirement and is not necessary if the body is kept cool. Many families choose not to embalm, particularly for natural or green funerals. Embalming involves the use of chemical preservatives and is carried out by a trained embalmer.

The paperwork: what you need before the funeral can proceed

Whether or not a funeral director is involved, certain documents must be obtained before burial or cremation can take place.

For burial:

• Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD): Issued by the attending doctor or medical examiner — this is the document used to register the death
• Registration of death: The death must be registered at the local register office, which issues a green 'Certificate for Burial or Cremation' (the disposal certificate)
• Burial authority permission: From the cemetery or burial ground where burial is to take place

For cremation:

• All of the above, plus two additional cremation forms (Cremation Form 1 and, in some cases, Form 10) must be completed by doctors
• Since the introduction of the Medical Examiner system in England and Wales, most deaths are now scrutinised by an independent medical examiner, which has streamlined the cremation paperwork process

Families managing their own funeral arrangements can obtain all these documents directly. The register office, the GP surgery, and the crematorium will provide the necessary forms.

The role of a home funeral guide

A home funeral guide (sometimes called a death midwife or end-of-life doula in a funeral context) is an independent professional who supports families through the process of managing their own funeral arrangements. Unlike a funeral director, a home funeral guide does not take over — they advise, educate, and empower families to carry out the process themselves.

A home funeral guide can help with:

• Advising on temperature management and the practical care of the body at home
• Walking families through the paperwork and registration process
• Helping to wash and dress the deceased if the family wishes
• Providing or sourcing a coffin or shroud
• Helping plan and lead the ceremony itself
• Liaising with the crematorium or burial ground on the family's behalf

Home funeral guides typically charge between £500 and £2,000 for full support, depending on the extent of involvement and region. The Good Funeral Guide (goodfuneralguide.co.uk) and the Natural Death Centre (naturaldeath.org.uk) both maintain directories of practitioners.

Washing, dressing, and laying out the body

Washing and dressing the body of a loved one is an intimate and meaningful act that many families find deeply comforting. It is something that families have done throughout history and across most cultures. There is no health risk to family members washing a body — standard hygiene precautions apply, as with any care task.

What families should know:

• Rigor mortis: The body stiffens within a few hours of death and relaxes again after 24-48 hours — washing and dressing is easier before rigor sets in or after it passes
• Position: The body is best laid flat on a firm surface; the jaw and eyelids can be gently closed and held in place initially
• Gloves and care: Disposable gloves are advisable; treat the body with gentleness and dignity at all times
• Leakage: Some bodily fluids may be released in the hours after death — a home funeral guide can advise on managing this practically and discreetly