Wills

When someone has died, the executor(s) appointed in their Will, or a family member if there is no Will, often need to go through the difficult process of obtaining a Grant of Probate or a Grant of Letters of Administration (if there is no Will), so that they can collect in the financial assets, sell any property, settle any debts, expenses and Inheritance Tax, and then share the remaining estate out between the beneficiaries. Prestige Solicitors can help you with that process, either by just obtaining the Grant for you, or by dealing with the full administration of the estate if you prefer.

At Prestige Solicitors we appreciate what a stressful time this is and aim to provide a professional and caring service to assist you in administering the estate.

We will meet with you as soon as possible to guide you through what is needed and how to take the matter forward.

The temptation to save money by applying for probate personally instead of seeking professional advice is understandable. However, there may be unwanted complications and costly mistakes created by a “DIY probate”.

We can offer a fixed fee service for just obtaining the Grant on your behalf or we can provide a full estate administration service.


Grant Only

We can deal with the application for the Grant for a fixed fee if you are able to provide us with date of death values and balances for all the estate assets and details of any debts and expenses. Once the Grant has been obtained, you would deal directly with the financial institutions in collecting in the assets and paying the debts and expenses, and then distributing the remaining estate between the beneficiaries.

Fixed fees for just obtaining the Grant:

Legal Fees (from) £500 + VAT

Probate Court Fee £273 (+ £1.50 for each copy Grant required)

As part of our fixed fee we will:

• Provide you with a dedicated and experienced probate practitioner to work on your matter

• Identify the legally appointed executors or administrators and beneficiaries

• Identify the type of Probate application you will require

• Obtain the relevant documents required to make the application

• Prepare the Probate Application

• Make the application to the Probate Court on your behalf after you sign the forms

• Obtain and provide you with the Grant of Probate/Letters of Administration

Will Pricing

Single Will – from £150 plus VAT

Mirror Wills – from £290 plus VAT

Severance of Joint Tenancy – £100 plus VAT

Additional charges for home visits – £30 plus VAT per visit *

*(in the OL2 postcode area. We will provide you with a price for other areas on request)

Probate and Estate Administration

When someone has died, the executor(s) appointed in their Will, or a family member if there is no Will, often need to go through the difficult process of obtaining the Grant of Probate or Grant of Letters of Administration, so that they can collect in the financial assets, sell any property, settle any debts, expenses and Inheritance Tax, and then share the remaining estate out between the beneficiaries. Prestige Solicitors can help you with that process, either by just obtaining the Grant for you, or by dealing with the full administration of the estate if you prefer.

At Prestige Solicitors we appreciate what a stressful time this is and aim to provide a professional and caring service to assist you in administering the estate.

We will meet with you as soon as possible to guide you through what is needed and how to take the matter forward.

The temptation to save money by applying for probate personally instead of seeking professional advice is understandable. However, there may be unwanted complications and costly mistakes created by a “DIY probate”.

We can offer a fixed fee service for just obtaining the Grant on your behalf or we can provide a full estate administration service.

Grant Only

We can deal with the application for the Grant for a fixed fee if you are able to provide us with date of death values and balances for all the estate assets and details of any debts and expenses yourself. Once the Grant has been obtained, you would deal directly with the financial institutions in collecting in the assets and paying the debts and expenses, and then distributing the remaining estate between the beneficiaries.

Fixed fees for just obtaining the Grant:

Legal Fees (from) £500 + VAT

Probate Court Fee £273 (+ £1.50 for each copy Grant required)

As part of our fixed fee we will:

• Provide you with a dedicated and experienced probate practitioner to work on your matter

• Identify the legally appointed executors or administrators and beneficiaries

• Accurately identify the type of Probate application you will require

• Obtain the relevant documents required to make the application

• Prepare the Probate Application

• Make the application to the Probate Court on your behalf after you sign the forms

• Obtain and provide you with the Grant of Probate/Letters of Administration

Dealing with the full administration of the estate (Non-fixed fees):

In circumstances where we deal with the full administration, our charges are calculated based on time spent working on the matter. We also charge a separate fee based upon a percentage of the gross value of the estate. We handle the payment of the disbursements (costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties).

Work is charged for on a time basis, at an hourly rate of £255 for a senior solicitor and £177 for a junior solicitor/non-qualified probate practitioner. VAT is then added.

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. If there are multiple beneficiaries, a property and multiple bank accounts, costs will be at the higher. If there is no Will or the estate consists of any share holdings (stocks and bonds) or there are many different bank and savings accounts, 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 a full Inheritance Tax Account has to be prepared, this often takes up to 5 hours additional work, with more time spent arranging to have funds released to pay the Inheritance Tax. Any disputes between beneficiaries, or any claims against the estate, will result in additional cost. Where the additional percentage of the estate value is charged, this is 0.25% of the value of any land and property in the estate and 1.0% of the gross value of the rest of the estate, both plus VAT.

Disbursements in addition to the fee:

· Probate Registry application fee of £273.00 (plus £1.50 for each additional sealed copy Grant required)

· Bankruptcy Searches (£2.00 per beneficiary)

· Land Registry fee for up to date copy of the property Register of £3 per Title Number

If you require protection against unexpected claims from unknown creditors, Statutory Notices can be posted in the London Gazette and a local newspaper. The typical cost is usually approximately £200-£300 for these Notices.

As part of our fee we will:

• Provide you with a dedicated and experienced Probate Solicitor/Practitioner to work on your matter

• Identify the legally appointed executors or administrators and beneficiaries

• Identify the type of Probate application you will require

• Obtain values or balances for the estate assets

• Obtain the relevant documents required to make the application

• Complete the Inheritance Tax forms and arrange for payment of any Inheritance Tax due (where applicable)

• Draft the Probate application and prepare forms to collect in the assets

• Make the application to the Probate Court on your behalf after you sign the forms

• Obtain and provide you with the Grant of Probate/Letters of Administration

• Advertise for creditors (if required)

• Collect in the assets and pay any debts and legacies

• Prepare the final estate account for your approval and then distribute the estate