Probate & Probate Services - UK

Probate is a term commonly used in the UK when talking about applying for the right to deal with a deceased person's affairs or a Probate Grant (called 'administering the estate').

In practice, different terms are used, depending on whether or not the deceased person left a will and where they lived. This information covers probate in England and Wales.

When you create your will you need to appoint Executors. It is common for people to appoint their closest family and nominate these as Executors.  It is worth considering appointing a professional Executor rather than your close family members. At the time of your death it is highly likely that your loved ones will be grieving, do they really want to take on the role of the Executor for your estate?

These duties of the Executor can include:-

• Discovering and listing all the assets, property, saving and other investments you have:

• having your estate professionally valued

• arranging your funeral

• ensuring the will is probated correctly

• gathering up information on outstanding debts and bills

•  working out what Income and Inheritance Taxes are due and making any necessary tax returns and payments

• completing and submitting all Probate Registry forms

• recovering all assets

• paying off all debts

•  ensuring all gifts and legacies are given to the correct beneficiaries

• creating a clear set of accounts for the estate and demonstrate to the beneficiaries how they have disposed of the estate

In addition, if your estate contains Trusts the Executors must ensure these are set-up correctly and passed to the Trustees to manage. The Trustees have many duties  including taking good care of the assets in their Trust and where they do not have the professional skills required they must employ suitably skilled people. Trustees are, at all times, accountable to the beneficiaries of the Trust they manage and if they act unwisely or inappropriately they can be sued by the beneficiaries.

We offer a range of probate, professional executor and professional trustee services.

These services can either be purchased as a package when we write your will or as required on a time and materials basis when the need arises.

The packaged service provides the services of Professional Executors and Trustees for you and any qualifying members of your family. By purchasing this service your loved ones will not need to worry about the arduous duties associated with being an Executor or Trustee.

The service has a fixed purchase price which covers all qualifying members of your family. On death Executor and Trustee duties are handled for a fixed percentage of the estate.  This percentage is capped so you your family will never pay more than the quoted percentage, but if the works actually costs less to complete you your family will pay less.

Capped packages are available giving a caped probate cost of 1.75 percent of the gross value of the estate or 1.25% of the gross value of the estate plus VAT. Trusts are also administered at a fixed capped fee of no more than 1% of the value of the Trust annually.

If you need help or assistance in dealing with a deceased estate general guidance can be obtained free of charge from your local Probate Office.

If you do not want to expose yourself to the various liabilities of being an executor or trustee and you wish to appoint a professional probate company why not give us a call.

Wills, probate establishing and managing trusts can be complicated areas. We work with a specialist team of Solicitors that deal exclusively with these matters and can relieve you of this burden.

If you need help with probate please give us a ring on you will be glad you did.

UK Probate Services