Capper & Jones Solicitors

Your solution starts here………

Tel: 01352 752020

Fax: 01352 756967

Email: mail@capperandjones.co.uk

Authorised and Regulated by Solicitors Regulation Authority

SRA Number: 00047132    

VAT No: 161 2915 79   **Current VAT rate is 20%

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Old Bank Chambers

1 King Street

Mold

Flintshire

CH7 1LA

Dealing with a bereavement is difficult enough but sometimes you might also be required to handle the administration of a loved ones estate.

You may have to arrange the funeral, go through personal papers to find out what assets and debts there may be, apply to the probate registry and deal with beneficiaries and other family members. Being a personal representative of an estate can be an onerous task. We can help by advising personal representatives what to do and even deal with the entire estate on your behalf.  All estate administration work is supervised by a qualified solicitor. Specific experience can be seen in the individual staff profiles.

Do we need to go through probate?

Depending on their value, assets which are held in a person's sole name (property, bank accounts, shares and other investments) will often require a grant of probate or a grant of letters of administration before they can be cashed in or sold. Some assets are owned jointly such as a joint bank account or a jointly owned house. Grants are not usually needed for these assets to pass to the surviving joint owner.

How long does probate take?

The "probate" procedure involves the personal representatives getting values of assets, taking from this any debt amounts and then sending an affidavit and details of value of the estate to the probate registry. The time involved largely depends on what is in the estate. If there is only a house then it will depend on the housing market and how quickly a sale can be agreed. If there are bank accounts (over £5,000 usually) then you may be able to get the grant within about one month. If there are shares however if could take longer. The more wide ranging the types of assets there are in an estate the longer it could take. If inheritance tax has to be paid, the values of the assets in an estate may have to be agreed with the inland revenue and this could take time.

Key stages of obtaining grant of probate

• Taking instructions,
• Obtaining estate values from executor
• Preparation of oath and HMRC forms
• Attendance to swear oath
• Submission to Probate Registry/HMRC
• Obtaining grant and copies and provision to executor

Key stages - administration of estate (as above if required plus the following)

• Payment of tax (if any)
• Providing  copy grant of probate to  financial institutions
• Collecting in assets
• Preparation of estate accounts
• Obtaining executor approval and distribution of the estate

Need some help?  

Initial advice appointment costs just £150 inclusive of VAT**