We’re here when you need us, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
We’re here when you need us, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
We’re here when you need us,
24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Making arrangements
Planning a funeral can be distressing. Our reassuring staff make the experience as positive as possible.
Funeral Arrangements Hertfordshire
For generations, families across Hertfordshire have trusted Austin’s to help them arrange funerals with warmth, dignity, and attention to detail. Our dedicated arrangers are here to listen, support, and ensure every aspect of the service is handled with care — at our offices or in the comfort of your home.
Our caring team has created a simple step-by-step guide to help you through the funeral planning process, offering support and reassurance every step of the way.
We are available 24 hours per day with caring and compassionate advice delivered by a member of our experienced team.
One of our Funeral Administrators will spend time explaining the options available to you and will organise all aspects of the funeral service.
At Austins, we want to make this process as comfortable as possible for you. We have many offices conveniently located across Hertfordshire, and you are welcome at any of them. However, if you would prefer, our team is always happy to visit you to make the arrangements in the comfort of your own home.
We're here when you need us
If a loved one has passed, please contact your nearest funeral office for help, support & advice, 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
Registration of the death
In most cases, the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death can be collected from the doctor’s surgery or hospital the day after the bereavement, unless the death was sudden or unexpected.
Once you have the certificate, it must be taken to the local registrar’s office in the district where the death occurred. To make this process easier, we’ve provided contact details for the registrars across Hertfordshire below.
The registrar
The registrar will need the following information and documents when you attend your appointment:
- The Death Certificate
- Full Name of the Deceased
- Date and Place of Death
- Occupation
- Husband’s Occupation (Where Applicable)
- Residence of Deceased
- Place and Date of Birth of the Deceased
Preparation of the deceased
Prior to the funeral, many relatives and friends choose to visit their loved one in one of our chapels of rest. In such cases more extensive preparation is carried out in the form of embalming.
In most cases, this will enable you to visit up to the day of the funeral. The deceased may be attired in one of our special gowns. These are displayed with our coffin selection, in a brochure which you will receive when making the funeral arrangements.
Alternatively, you may prefer to provide us with clothing for the deceased. Please advise us of anything specific regarding the appearance of your loved one and we will do our best to meet your wishes.
Jewellery & personal possessions
When we receive your loved one into our care, they may be in possession of jewellery or small personal items. Please advise us if you would like these to remain with the deceased, otherwise they will be returned to you.
Small mementos and tokens may be placed in the coffin but please inform us of your intention to do so.
The cost and payment of a funeral
We know that when you’re arranging a funeral, questions about cost are often the first to arise. Concerns like “How much will this be?” and “How will we manage?” are completely natural, particularly if a death was unexpected.
Please let us reassure you. Our role at Austin’s is to gently guide you. We will listen to your wishes and help you create a beautiful, fitting tribute that also aligns with your budget. With honesty and care, we’ll walk you through every option and its cost, so you always feel comfortable and informed.
To ease the immediate financial burden, we don’t ask for payment for our services until after the funeral. We do, however, need to cover external costs (for example, fees for the crematorium or a minister) beforehand. We will explain these clearly and simply.
Many also find comfort in our pre-payment plans, which secure current prices for the future. We would be happy to discuss these with you. Above all, we are here to support you in creating a dignified service that honours your loved one within the means available.
We're here when you need us
If a loved one has passed, please contact your nearest funeral office for help, support & advice, 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
Funeral plans and prices
Our funeral plans
Our price list
Charges explained
Our funeral plans
We offer a choice of 3 funeral plans
With over 300 years funeral experience, we are proud to be Hertfordshire’s leading, family-owned and operated, funeral director.
The Austin family is committed to the continued provision of a caring, sympathetic and sensitive service to the bereaved and their loved ones.
We offer a choice of 3 funeral plans to suit your budget, all of which offer the following benefits:
- You can buy a plan for yourself or on behalf of someone else
- Plans can be personalised
- Plans can be done jointly
- Monthly payment options available
- Extra wishes can be added e.g. song choices
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Click below to visit the website of Ecclesiastical Planning Services, our funeral plan provider, for information about our set plans and to purchase online.Â
Our price list
Our funeral price list
All funeral directors are legally required to publish their price list for a standardised set of products and services.
This is to help you think through your options and make choices, and to let you compare prices between different funeral directors (because prices can vary).
Charges explained
Funeral charges explained
The funeral cost list, estimate and invoice are divided into four parts:
Primary Charges​
Primary charges include the essential charges of a funeral i.e. the service charge, the coffin, the hearse and limousines. These, with the exception of a limousine, are the minimum components of a funeral.
Other choices
Other choices are additional services chosen by you. These may include the provision of a special gown, the use of our chapels of rest for visiting, placing the coffin in church prior to the funeral service, the provision of a horsedrawn hearse, and the release of white memorial doves.
Additional charges​
Additional charges are those made for services in addition to the primary charges. These might include the removal of the deceased outside business hours, additional mileage charges, the removal and storage of an existing memorial stone, preparation of the burial plot and the interment of cremated remains.
Disbursements
Disbursements are services supplied by an individual or company independent of Austin’s. These include fees charged by doctors, ministers, cemeteries and crematoria. These costs are paid in advance, by Austin’s, on your behalf. At the time of arranging the funeral you will receive a written estimate of the funeral costs.
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