Berkshire, Surrey, Hampshire and the South East

Helping navigate digital estates with clarity, care and technical expertise.

When someone dies, their digital life often remains complicated, hidden and hard to access. We help executors, families and professional advisers understand what exists, what matters and what can be recovered safely.

Digital estates are now part of ordinary estate administration.

Most people leave behind email accounts, phones, cloud storage, passwords, photos, subscriptions, domains, banking apps, business systems and home technology. For many families this is overwhelming. For advisers, it can be outside their usual work and carry unnecessary risk.

We provide calm, practical and well-documented technical support. We do not provide legal advice. We work under clear authority from the executor, attorney, solicitor or appropriately authorised person.

What we do

Provide expert confidential advice at a difficult time to navigate technical and IT systems.

Account and access support

Assistance identifying key accounts, understanding recovery routes, preparing evidence and working through official provider processes for services such as Google, Microsoft, Apple and social platforms.

Device and data review

Practical review of laptops, phones, tablets, backups, home storage and other devices to help locate important documents, family photos, business data and administration records.

Small business digital estates

Help where the deceased was the only administrator for domains, websites, email, Microsoft 365, accounting systems, payment platforms, cloud services or client data.

Subscription and service discovery

Finding recurring online services, cloud accounts, hosting, software subscriptions and digital assets that may need to be preserved, transferred, cancelled or documented.

Home technology mapping

Understanding broadband, Wi‑Fi, smart home devices, NAS storage, CCTV, alarm systems and home networks so families know what is present and what needs attention.

Reporting and handover

A clear written summary of findings, actions taken, outstanding risks and recommended next steps for the family, executor or professional adviser.

For professional partners

A trusted technical partner for cases where digital access becomes a problem.

We work with people who need reliable technical help without taking on the work themselves. This may include accountants, family law practices, probate solicitors, financial advisers, funeral directors, will writers and estate administrators.

The aim is simple: reduce uncertainty, avoid informal shortcuts and give the adviser and family a clearer picture of the digital estate.

Useful referral situations

  • A family cannot access important email or cloud accounts.
  • A business owner has died and no one knows who controls the systems.
  • Subscriptions, domains or hosting services are still active.
  • Documents, photos or records may be on devices or backups.
  • The home technology setup is complex and undocumented.

How it works

A careful process, not guesswork.

  1. 1

    Initial discussion

    We understand the situation, urgency, known accounts, devices and who has authority to instruct the work.

  2. 2

    Authority and scope

    Before handling sensitive information, we agree who is instructing the work, what may be accessed and what the boundaries are.

  3. 3

    Discovery

    We identify accounts, devices, services, risks and practical recovery routes using a structured checklist.

  4. 4

    Action and recovery

    We help work through official account recovery, data handover and service administration steps where appropriate.

  5. 5

    Report and handover

    The family or adviser receives a clear summary of what was found, what was done and what remains unresolved.

Built around trust

Digital estate work can involve private messages, financial information, business records and personal memories. It needs to be handled carefully, with written authority and a clear audit trail.

Digital Estate Help has over 38 years IT experience and has worked with goverment departments and social services, handling sensitive information and worked with vulnerable and stressed people.

Background checks can be provided upon request.

Security and boundaries

Discreet, documented and professional.

  • Written authority: work is carried out under agreed instruction from the appropriate person or adviser.
  • Limited access: we only access what is needed for the agreed scope.
  • Clear records: actions, findings and recommendations are documented.
  • No legal advice: we support technical discovery and recovery, working alongside legal and financial professionals.

Why this exists

Created from a real-world problem.

This service grew from helping a bereaved family understand a complex digital life: email accounts, cloud services, business systems, phones, devices, subscriptions and home technology. Most families are not prepared for this work, and most professional advisers do not want to become technical investigators.

The goal is to offer a practical, human and technically competent service that makes a difficult situation easier to understand.

Start with a confidential conversation

Discuss a family situation, client referral or professional partnership.

Based in Wokingham and working across the South East.