Probate and Administration of Estates

Our service includes:

• providing you with a dedicated and experienced probate solicitor to work on your matter
• accurately identifying the type of probate application required and advising you on the procedures involved
• making relevant enquiries to ascertain the assets and liabilities of the estate
• if necessary, accounting for Inheritance Tax
• obtaining a grant of probate or letters of administration
• collecting in the assets of the estate
• settling any debts and funeral expenses
• preparing estate accounts
• accounting to beneficiaries
  
  

Where appropriate we will also deal with:

• establishing will trusts
• obtaining grants de bonis non
  
  

Advice can also be provided in relation to Inheritance Act and other potential claims and we can deal with:

• caveats and citations
• probate actions
   

Our Charges

No estates are the same, some are inevitably more straightforward than others.  We charge according to the time spent to deal with each estate so that our charges fairly reflect the complexity of a matter, Current hourly rates vary between £126 and £275 per hour plus VAT depending on the experience and qualifications of the individuals working on your matter. Most of the work in this area will be carried out by experienced solicitors namely directors of the firm, Molly Twomlow and Eleanor Twomlow or the head of department, Lynn Wheeldon all of whom charge at £275 per hour plus VAT.

Typical Fees

We are always happy to provide estimates for particular estates but, typically, our charges for a simple estate would be based on a time estimate of:

8 – 20 hours   £2,200 – £5,500 plus Vat and disbursements

A simple estate would be one with:

• a valid will
• a single property
• a small number of bank or building society accounts
• no other intangible assets/investments
• a small number of beneficiaries
• no disputes between beneficiaries on the division of assets 
• no inheritance tax payable
• no requirement for the executors to submit a full account to HMRC
• no claims made against the estate
  
  

The exact cost will depend on the individual circumstances of the matter. For example, if there is one beneficiary and no property, costs will be at the lower end of the range; if there are multiple beneficiaries, a property and several bank accounts, costs will be at the higher end.

Factors that would make an estate one of greater complexity and therefore lead to additional costs would include:

• the absence of valid will
• multiple properties
• more extensive investments
• a larger number of beneficiaries
• disagreements between the beneficiaries or personal representatives
• inheritance tax payable
• an existing trust
• a will creating a trust
• life policies
• lifetime gift
  
  

Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included.

We can give you a more accurate estimate once we have more information.

Disbursements

Disbursements are costs related to the estate that are payable to third parties. The most likely disbursements in a simple estate will be:

• Probate application fee: £300.00
• Copy probates: £1.50 each
• Statutory advertisements:  £250.00 – £300.00  + VAT
  
  
  

How long will it take?

Simple estates are typically dealt with within 9-12 months. Applying for the grant can take approximately 2 months, waiting for the Probate registry to process the application and issue the grant currently takes up to another 4 months. Collecting assets then follows, which takes around 2 months. Once this has been done, we can prepare estate accounts and distribute the assets, which normally takes another month.

This timescale will likely be exceeded if there is a Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) enquiry and, if there is a property to sell, that may also increase the timescale dependent on how long it takes to complete the sale.

Get a more accurate quote

Every case is different: contact us to discuss the specifics of your case and we will be able to give a bespoke estimate.2300