Funeral
Costs ...
Pre-paid funeral plans
More and more people want to ease the future burden on their family
by arranging and paying for their own funeral in advance. This is
a simple process. We will help you to plan the funeral of your choice
and freeze the cost of our services at present day prices.
We recommend our Independent Way Funeral Plan which we offer in
association with Golden Charter, who are the UK’s biggest independent funeral
plan provider. We are proud to be one of the independent family companies
originally involved in founding Golden Charter Funeral Plans in 1990.
The Independent Way is a package that enables us to create a funeral
plan to reflect a person’s individual wishes, because it is
our experience that no two funerals are the same. To ensure the plan
is properly tailored to you, it’s best to arrange a face to
face meeting with one of our funeral directors. We can visit you
at home, at our offices or any discreet location of your choice – without
any obligation to purchase a plan.
The cost depends entirely on your specifications and
the level of service you require, so it’s important that you
create the plan with a funeral director. However, the examples below
will give
you an idea of the minimum cost of a burial or cremation plan
in London at today’s prices (November 2009).
- A basic cremation
might consist of the hearse and no limousines, an early service
in, for example, St Marylebone Crematorium
and a standard coffin (Brook). The cost could be as little as £1,640,
payable at £35.88 per month over 5 years. Or if you
should choose to pay over one year (interest free) payments
would
be £136.66
per month.
- For a basic burial, Levertons advise you to either
select and buy your plot now, or set aside provision for
the grave
to be
bought when it is needed. This is because grave prices are beyond our control
and prone to highly unpredictable fluctuation. Using a
simple coffin
(Eton), a hearse and no limousines, an early morning service
at the graveside or in the cemetery chapel, and a rough estimation of the
cost of opening an existing grave, a plan for £2,700
should be adequate. Twelve payments over a year would accrue
no interest
and each payment would be £225. Payments of £59.07
per month would take 5 years to complete. Remember that
this does not
include the cost of the grave itself. Contact your chosen
cemetery or burial park for a quote.
In both cases described above, you will have covered the
essential costs of your funeral. If your family wish to
add limousines,
viewing, flowers, announcements
and so on, they are at liberty to do so, unless you stipulate otherwise.
Once you have paid for your plan, Levertons guarantee there will
be no more to pay for our own professional services as detailed
in your
plan.
However,
the
third party costs, known as ‘disbursements’, which we pay on your
behalf, are out of our control. These include cemetery and crematoria fees, doctors’ fees
for cremation certificates, paying the celebrant, newspaper notices,
etc. If these costs have increased dramatically during the life of
the plan, a contribution
from your family may be required to meet any shortfall.
You can pay by making a single payment in full by cheque, credit
or debit card. You can also choose monthly instalments tailored
to suit
your circumstances.
If you are under 70, you can pay over 10 years.
Drop into a Levertons’ branch at any time to speak to a funeral director,
or phone us to arrange an appointment.
More information about Golden Charter can be
found on their website.
Bespoke coffins are now available for those who
want a personalised coffin, designed in advance. You choose the
text or images you would like on the exterior, and a hand-made,
eco-friendly coffin or casket will be made especially for you
when the time comes.
Find out more at Bespoke and themed funerals.
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