Probate & Estate Administration

Probate & Estate Administration

What is Probate?
A Grant of Probate is a Court Order providing the legal authority to deal with and administer the Estate of someone who has passed away. The responsibility lies with the executors of a Will, who will often appoint a professional to deal with the Probate on their behalf. Probate will almost always be required where property is involved (except jointly owned property after the first death) and typically for bank accounts worth over £20,000 (although it’s not unusual for banks to require it for much smaller amounts).

We have two services available, the Grant Assist Service, or Full Administration:

Grant Assist Service

For Estates which are relatively straightforward, and the Executors would prefer to distribute any inheritance, transfer / sell any assets themselves, but require assistance with obtaining the Grant of Probate, we will:

  • Value the Estate;

  • Liaise with bank accounts, asset holders etc;

  • Complete the necessary application forms; and

  • Apply for the Grant of Probate.

The pre-application steps of valuing the Estate and preparing the application can take up to 3 months. Once the Grant of the Probate is received, usually within 4 months of the application being sent, it will be sent to the Executors who can carry out the next steps themselves.

Full Administration

This involves the same steps as above, in addition to the more complex stages after receiving the Grant, by fully administering the Estate. On behalf of the Executors, we will:

  • Take on all of their responsibilities and duties;

  • Value the Estate;

  • Apply for the Grant of Probate;

  • Collect in all the assets;

  • Pay any debts, liabilities and tax from Estate funds;

  • Assist with the sale / transfer of any properties via a conveyancer instructed by you. Note: although we do not provide conveyancing services, we can liaise directly with any firm you instruct to sell Estate property;

  • Distribute all the assets; and

  • Produce final Estate Accounts.

The post-Grant of Probate stage can still take another 3 months depending on the complexity of the Estate (in addition to the pre-application timescales above). An Estate which includes property to be sold could prolong the process by several months.


Cost
We aim to provide clients with a clear and fair indication of our fees, which will depend on whether we have been instructed for the Grant Assist Service, or for Full Administration:


Disbursements
Third party costs are also payable in addition to our fee, and we will provide an estimate of these fees at the start of the process. Below is an example of some of the fees which may be incurred:

Example Cost

No VAT is currently charged on our fees and please be aware that the above are just examples and many factors can influence the number of hours involved in dealing with an Estate, but we will always keep you informed if it looks likely that we will need to amend the initial estimate we have provided to you. Additionally, as the conveyancing and estate agent work is externally sourced this can vary.

Instructing Alexander Legal Services
During our first meeting, we will advise you of the process, the likely cost and the timescales for completing the application. We will ask you to bring certain documents with you so that we can begin to value the deceased’s Estate and determine the complexity of the work ahead. Some of these documents include:

  • The deceased’s Will;

  • The deceased’s death certificate;

  • Details of any property;

  • Bank statements; and

  • Contact details for all Executors and Beneficiaries.

Regulation & Insurance
Our Probate services are Authorised by CILEx Regulation for probate, Authorisation number 3001391 and are also covered by insurance and by CILEx Regulation compensation arrangements. Further details of our Regulatory and Insurance arrangements can be found here.

A full list of required documents will be sent ahead of your appointment.mplexity                                                                                                                           000 - £6,000