Probate

Vincents solicitors has an experienced team of Wills and Probate solicitors who can help with every aspect of Probate. If you need some Probate Advice contact one of the Probate Solicitors for Free Initial Advice. Alternatively you can complete our online probate enquiry form.

What is Probate?

Probate is the handling of the estate, (properties and possessions) of someone who dies. This entails collection of all money, possessions and property, paying of all debts and then distributing the estate to those who are legally entitled to benefit from it. The beneficiaries are usually set out in a will. Any executors of a will must apply to the Probate Registry for a Grant of Probate. A Grant of Probate is a legal document giving Grant of Representation, which gives legal authority to collect in all of the estate assets.

Other types of Grants of Representation come in the form of Letters of administration. These are issued in cases where there is either no Executor named in a will or in cases where a will has not been made at all.

Why is a Grant of Representation Important?

It is important to obtain a Grant of Representation from the Probate Registry in order to gain access to the estates assets. For example a bank will need proof that you are legally entitled to access to the deceased’s bank accounts etc. You will need to supply them with a Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration.

Who can obtain a Grant of Representation?

Firstly to apply for a Grant you must be over 18 years old. If a will hasn’t been made then priority is given to:

•  Husband or Wife
•  Sons or Daughters (Grandchildren if Sons or Daughters are already deceased)
•  Parents
•  Brothers or Sisters
•  More Distant Relatives

A solicitor may also apply for a Grant of Representation on your behalf.

How do I contact a Probate Solicitor?

You can contact our Probate team Free or complete our enquiry form online and we’ll get back to you. You can be assured of professional advice and an excellent service.  

What are the Costs?

Applying for the grant, collecting and distributing the assets

We anticipate this will take between 5 and 15 hours work at £201 per hour. Total costs are therefore estimated at between £1,005 plus VAT and £3,015 plus VAT. The exact costs 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 multiple bank accounts, costs will be at the higher end.
We will handle the full process for you.

This quote is for estates where:
• There is a valid will
• There is no more than one property
• There are no more than £300,000 in the bank or building society accounts
• There are no other intangible assets
• There are between 2 and 5 beneficiaries
• There are no disputes between beneficiaries on division of assets. If disputes arise this is likely to lead to an increase in costs.
• There is no inheritance tax payable and the Executors do not need to submit a full account to HMRC (IHT 400)
• There are no claims made against the estate

Disbursements not included in this fee:
• Probate application fee, currently £156.50
• £5 Swearing of the oath and £2 per exhibit (per Executor)
• Bankruptcy-only Land Charges Department searches (£3 per Beneficiary)
• The cost of putting a post in The London Gazette – Protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors.
• The cost of putting a post in a Local Newspaper – This also helps to protect against unexpected claims.

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as court fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf but will charge for the cost of the above disbursements over and above our legal costs to ensure a smoother process.

Potential additional costs
• If there is no will or the estate consists of any share holdings (stocks and bonds) there is likely to be additional costs that could range significantly depending on the estate and how it is to be dealt with. We can give you a more accurate quote once we have more information.
• If any additional copies of the grant are required, they will cost £5 (1 per asset usually).
• Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included.

How long will this take?
On average, estates that fall within this range are dealt with within 6 and 9 months. Typically, obtaining the grant of probate takes 12 weeks. Collecting assets then follows, which can take between 6 and 8 weeks. Once this has been done, we can distribute the assets, which normally takes 4 weeks.