What happens when someone dies? Dealing with probate and estate administration
Death demands grief so grieving is the right thing to do. It also requires acceptance and the ability to move on when we are able to do so. With death there comes the responsibility of registration of the death, dealing with funeral arrangements, finding out whether the deceased left a Will and dealing with their affairs and what they left behind.
When someone dies it can be a difficult and overwhelming job to sort things out and to know where to start whilst going through the grieving process. Firstly, you need the legal right to be able to deal with the person’s estate. If there is no Will this can make the process more complicated and you must make sure that the estate is distributed to the right people. Depending on whether the person owned property, had bank accounts, savings or other investments, you may need to apply for a grant of representation (often referred to as a grant of probate) from the Court before you are able to deal with any of the assets. Often there are bills to pay and you may have inheritance tax to pay and have complicated forms to fill in – many people find the process complex and time consuming and stressful, particularly if they have work and family commitments to juggle at the same time.
We have all heard the stories of estates that take years to administer and where the relatives wait and wait to receive anything at all. We have years of experience in dealing with applications for probate and administering the estates of people who have died. We can easily handle all or part of the process and avoid the administration of the estate ending up as one of the horror stories.
We often work on a fixed fee and only charge for the work we do – unlike some firms and financial institutions offering probate services, we don’t add on extortionate percentage rates, and there are no upfront costs to pay. Our fees are available to view on our website and we are transparent and up front about everything we do.
Clowes & Co. Solicitors is here to provide our clients with the peace of mind that the estate will be dealt with efficiently, swiftly and accurately and relieve the time and burden that dealing with a person’s estate can bring. Contact us today for our help and expert guidance.
What we do:
• Identify whether there is a Will and explain what the Will means;
• Explain what happens to the estate if there is no Will;
• Value the estate, calculate any inheritance tax that may need to be paid and ensure that the forms are submitted on time;
• Make sure funeral expenses are paid quickly from the estates that the family does not have to find the money to pay the funeral costs;
• Advise on whether a grant of probate is required, prepare the forms and make the application to the probate registry;
• Close accounts, sell property and collect in the assets of the person who died;
• Deal with online accounts and digital assets of the deceased;
• Identify and pay any bills or debts e.g. loans, credit cards, utility bills;
• Make sure that no future claims can be made against the estate after the money and property has been distributed;
• Provide an account of the estate and distribute the assets to the correct beneficiaries.
Have you been assigned as an executor of a person’s estate, or are you likely to take on this role in the future? At Clowes & Co, we understand some of the issues involved when acting as an executor. It can be a potentially difficult job at an emotional time. We have created a guide which gives some of our top tips for acting as an executor and will help you to avoid the potential pitfalls you may encounter. You can download it here.
Why choose us?
- Identifying whether the deceased left a Will and explain what the Will means.
- Advising on what happens to the estate if the deceased did not leave a Will.
- Value the estate, calculate any inheritance tax that may need to be paid and ensure that the forms are submitted on time.
- Advising on whether a grant of probate is required for the estate and make the application to the probate registry.
- Identifying and collecting the assets of the person who died.
- Arranging for funeral expenses to be paid from the deceased’s bank account.
- Identifying and advising on digital assets and/or accounts held by the deceased.
- Identifying and pay any debts e.g. loans, credit cards, utility bills and making sure that no future claims can be made against the estate.
- Distributing the estate to the correct beneficiaries.
- We can help you with all or any part of the process and can offer fixed fees to ensure the cost of administering the estate is kept to a minimum.
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20-22 Leek Road, Stockton Brook, Stoke on Trent. ST9 9NN
Mon – Fri: 9.00 am – 5:00 pm
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