Funeral Costs Lowered For Bereaved Families After Govt Order

Bereaved families are going to be protected from paying over the market rate for a funeral for their loved one, after a government order has gone ahead to ensure all funeral directors remain competitive with their prices. 

A recent assessment by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) revealed five per cent of funeral directors have not complied with transparency rules, which was designed to ensure families are given all the information they needed to plan and pay for a funeral. 

Senior director of remedies at the CMA Adam Land said: “The CMA put these rules in place to ensure bereaved families can trust the funeral service they buy is the one that best meets their needs.”

He added funeral directors will now be given better guidance to comply with the transparency rules, ensuring families are more aware of the total cost of a funeral so it is easier for them to compare with other providers. 

There will also be greater enforcement action for funeral directors that continue to breach the rules. 

According to SunLife, the average cost of dying, including the funeral, send-off expenses and professional fees, was £9,200 last year, having increased by 3.8 per cent since 2021. 

However, basic funeral prices have dropped by 2.5 per cent over the year, declining from £4,056 to £3,953.

The cheapest type of funeral in 2022 was a direct cremation, costing just £1,511 compared with a burial at £4,794.

Send-off expenses include things like catering, the wake, flowers, funeral announcement cards and any extra costs for a professional service.