Probate services to help ease the burden on you
The loss of a loved one is distressing and traumatic. Following bereavement, we can offer you a full range of estate administration and probate services to help relieve some of the pressure and administrative responsibilities.
Our team understand how stressful probate can be, that's why we're committed to providing probate services that will help make this tough time much more manageable.
We can advise you, assist you with, or undertake on your behalf the following:
- Applying for the appropriate Grant of Representation or Letters of Administration (probate)
- Administering the whole estate from start to finish
- Arranging deeds or variation for IHT planning or any other purposes
- We can also assist with contested probate
Contact us today on wills@pm-law.co.uk or phone 0114 350 3860.
How can we help you?
What is probate?
Probate is the legal right given to someone to handle an individuals 'estate' (their money, property and possessions) when they die. Probate is used to describe the legal and financial process of dealing with the estate of a person who has died.
In order to do this, you must apply for 'grant of probate' - this is the legal document(s) required to give an individual access to the bank accounts and other affairs of the deceased. However, grant of probate can only be given if the person left a will.
When is probate needed?
It all comes down to the size of the estate and the value of other assets that are left. In cases where there is no property left, and less than £5,000 in the bank, there's usually no need for probate. Some assets can be handled without probate if their value is low enough. It's also important to note that banks set their own limits for probate, so always check this where possible.
What probate services do we offer?
We understand how stressful the death of a loved one can be. That's why we're always looking to ease the burden on you any way we can. We can advise you, assist you with, or undertake on your behalf the following:
- Applying for the appropriate Grant of Representation or Letters of Administration (probate)
- Administering the whole estate from start to finish
- Arranging deeds or variation for IHT planning or any other purposes
- We can also assist with contested probate
Our probate solicitors have all the skills and experience necessary to guide you through this process. We want to help give you confidence in the choices you make through clear, succinct advice that you can trust.
More information on wills, trusts and probate
If you couldn't find the answers you were looking for on this page, we've got plenty more information on wills, trusts and probate on the following pages:
Probate FAQs
Didn’t find the answers you were looking for? Look at the FAQs below for more information on our probate services.
We will discuss your needs with you in detail and advise you on the best course of action. Our fees are:
Grant only: Fixed fee £800 + VAT
Full probate including obtaining grant, collecting and distributing assets: £200 per hour + VAT
In addition, disbursements will be payable. These are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties such as court fees. We handle the payments of these on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.
Disbursements include:
- Probate court fee - £279 including copies
- Bankruptcy-only Land Charges Department searches – £2 per beneficiary.
- Post in The London Gazette – Protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors – estimated cost £85 + VAT.
- Post in a Local Newspaper – This also helps to protect against unexpected claims – estimated cost £120 + VAT
On average the whole process can take between 4-12 months to complete. Obtaining the grant of probate can take 6-12 weeks alone.
The next step is collecting the assets, which can take between 6-12 months. It's then a case of distributing the assets, which normally takes 6-12 weeks. Every case is different and it may be that timescales are shorter or longer than this depending on your circumstances.
This depends on how their assets were owned. Couples tend to own their home as joint tenants and have shared bank accounts so, if this is the case with you, then probate isn't required.
However, if there are any assets in the sole name of the deceased, then you will need a grant of probate in order to distribute them.