Obtaining Grant Of Probate

Obtaining Grant of Probate

This service is used by individuals who are named as an executor of a deceased’s estate and wish to administer the Estate themselves.

The process involves:

Taking instruction
Advising on the will and codicils
Obtaining details and valuations of assets and liabilities
Meetings to discuss and review matters
Completing the Probate Application and Inheritance Tax Forms
Obtaining the Grant of Probate/Letters of Administration

When obtaining Grant of Probate/Letters of Administration, we calculate fees on a time spent basis. Our fees vary dependent upon the size and complexity of an estate. Complexity is not always linked to the value of the estate as sometimes a small but complex Estate can be more time consuming to resolve than a large straightforward one.

On average we estimate obtaining the Grant of Probate/Letters of Administration will cost from £1,000 to £2,000 + Vat at the standard rate (currently 20%) and disbursements.

Regulatory Information

We are licensed for the reserved legal activity of non-contentious probate, in the unlikely event that we cannot meet our liabilities to you, you may be able to seek a grant from ICAEW’s Probate Compensation Scheme. Generally, applications for a grant must be made to ICAEW within twelve months of the time you become aware, or reasonably ought to have been aware of the loss. Further information about the scheme and the circumstances in which grants may be made is available on ICAEW’s website: www.icaew.com/probate.

If you would like to talk to us about how we can improve our service to you, or if you are unhappy with the service you are receiving, please let us know by contacting Richard Hall, Head of Legal Practice. We will consider carefully any complaint that you may make about our probate services as soon as we receive it and will do all we can to resolve the issue. We will acknowledge your complaint within five business days of its receipt and endeavour to deal with it within eight weeks. Any complaint should be submitted to us by letter.

If we do not deal with it within this timescale or you are unhappy with our response you may of course take the matter up with our professional body, the ICAEW and the Legal Ombudsman. Complaints to the Legal Ombudsman should be made within six years of the act or omission or within three years of you becoming aware of the issue and in either case within six months of our written response to your complaint to us. The contact details for the Legal Ombudsman are:

Letter: Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ

E-mail: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk

Telephone: 0300 555 0333