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Full Estate Administration

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Our experienced Bereavement Team has extensive experience in dealing with sensitive matters in estate administration. We understand the pain and hurt you and your loved ones are going through and can bring you peace of mind, while providing professional support.

Jones Whyte has one of the largest Estate Administration teams in the UK and are trusted to administer approximately £140 million of estates across Scotland, England and Wales.

Your personal legal advisor will handle the bereavement process on your behalf from start to finish, allowing you to focus on your family and friends at this difficult time.

We do not charge any upfront fees for probate/executry administration.

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Contact us for a confidential discussion about your case.

What Is Included In Our Full Estate Administration Services?

The relevant steps will include:

  • Talking you through the death registration process and steps required to organise a funeral for a loved one including payment options for a funeral.
  • Advising on the terms of a will or,  if no will, on the rules of intestacy.
  • Identifying all of the deceased’s assets (property, investments and possessions) and all of their liabilities (debts ranging from loans to utility bills), to determine the value of the estate.
  • Arranging valuations of assets including property and contents within a property.
  • Paying Inheritance Tax to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) where applicable and submitting the correct Inheritance Tax return (which is required even if no tax is due). Then applying to the Probate Registry (in England and Wales) and Sheriff Court (In Scottish Estates) for either the Grant of Probate (England and Wales) or Confirmation (Scotland). This is a document confirming who has the legal authority to administer the estate.
  • After the grant of probate/certificate of Confirmation has been issued, realising /ingathering the assets.
  • Preparing estate accounts for all payments in and out of the estate and showing the balance left for distribution to the beneficiaries. Sending the estate accounts to executor for approval and signature.
  • Either transferring assets to the beneficiaries and/or distributing the balance of the estate in line with the terms of the deceased’s will or in accordance with the rules of intestacy.

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Get in contact with our experienced legal professionals today for support with your case.

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In addition to the above, our bereavement team can provide the following services as part of the full estate administration:

  • Obtaining a medical certificate from the doctor.
  • Registering the death with the local Registry office.
  • Obtaining the death certificate.
  • Organising the Funeral. We will try our best to respect all of your loved one’s funeral wishes, including the type of service (burial, cremation, etc.), the location, music and hymns as well as complying with any religious beliefs. We will also arrange flowers, liaise with the minister to prepare a suitable eulogy, inform friends and family of the funeral and place obituaries in local paper.
  • Making sure any and all properties are secure. This will include arranging insurance and changing locks if necessary.
  • Collecting all paperwork from the property, or any executor and relatives, allowing us to write to all the various companies and organisations they had any dealings with and identify all the assets and liabilities in the estate.
  • Organising for properties to be cleared and for any gifted items to be delivered to the appropriate beneficiaries.
  • Offering supports and guidance to executors and family members, either through appointments at any of our offices or on video meetings or telephone.
  • Offering supports and guidance to executors and family members, either through appointments at any of our offices or on video meetings or telephone.
  • Arranging re-direction of post.
  • Liaise with all organisations that your loved one had dealings with, such as service providers, cancelling any appointments, etc.
  • Arrange for the property to be properly maintained if it is unoccupied. If necessary, we can organise cleaners and gardeners, have bins put out and generally keep the property looking tidy and presentable, which will be particularly helpful if it is to be sold.
  • Speak to estate agents and arrange for any properties to be marketed and sold. We can then work alongside our firm’s property department to handle the legal side of the sale.
  • Distributing monies to all beneficiaries, and work closely with Tracing Agents to research the family tree and locate any family members who may be difficult to contact.

Questions you might have

How long does it take to settle an estate?

If you are considering full estate administration, you may want to know how long it takes to settle an estate.

There isn’t one answer to this question, unfortunately. It depends on the size and complexity of the estate, but it is generally between six and 18 months.

Simple estates made up of a single property and cash can be settled fairly quickly, while complex estates, perhaps with several properties, overseas assets and more, can take much longer.

How much does the full estate administration service cost?

We understand that many circumstances are different and we often need to provide much more help, advice and support. We are able to offer a range of tailored services at different costs based on individual needs, the support they need and the complexity of the estate. No one is the same and therefore we pride ourselves on tailoring our support for each and every client. We also understand that people like to understand what things are going to cost and therefore we will give you a clear estimate before we do anything for you.

If we are administering the estate from start to finish we will be charging fees on an audited basis. This would mean that the file would be assessed once the work has been completed by an independent auditor (otherwise known as a law accountant) who will determine what is a fair and reasonable fee to charge based on factors including the number of assets, value and complexity of the estate and number of beneficiaries that have been engaged with.

This provides the executor with full transparency that a fee has been charged to only reflect the work undertaken based on the individual circumstances of the file.

Meet the experts

Our experienced and approachable team can provide much needed legal and practical support in a sympathetic, efficient and clear manner.

Meet the whole team

Other services from Jones Whyte

The estate planning team at Jones whyte offer a wide range of services. These include:

Jones Whyte’s friendly and experienced Bereavement team are here to support you and to ensure your loved one’s wishes are respected.

If you need help applying for confirmation, call our Probate Solicitors please fill in the contact form or call us on 0330 174 1234

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We are authorised and regulated by the Law Society of Scotland (www.lawscot.org.uk) and Solicitors Regulation Authority (www.sra.org.uk)
A list of members of our firm is available upon request from our Registered Office at The Connect Building, 3rd Floor, 59 Bath Street, Glasgow, G2 2DH

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