Probate & Estate Administration
What is Probate?
A Grant of Probate is a Court Order providing legal authority to deal with and administer the Estate of someone who has passed away. The responsibility lies with the executors of a Will who often appoint a professional to deal with the Probate and Administration on their behalf. Probate will almost always be required where property is involved (except jointly owned property after the first death) and typically for bank accounts worth over £20,000 (although it’s not unusual for banks to require it for much smaller amounts).
We have two services available, the Grant Assist Service, or Full Administration:
Grant Assist Service | For Estates which are relatively straightforward, and the Executors would prefer to distribute any inheritance, transfer / sell any assets themselves, but require assistance with obtaining the Grant of Probate, we will:
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Full Administration | This involves the same steps as above, in addition to the more complex stages after receiving the Grant, by fully administering the Estate. On behalf of the Executors, we will:
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Cost
We aim to provide clients with a clear and fair indication of our fees, which will depend on whether we have been instructed for the Grant Assist Service, or for Full Administration:
| A fixed fee of £750 to be paid when the Grant of Probate application has been submitted. |
| A fixed fee of £950 to be paid when the Grant of Probate application has been submitted. |
Full Administration for an Estate value up to £325k | An hourly rate of £180 with the average administration taking between 10-25 hours of lawyer time. Fees to be deducted from the Estate. |
Full Estate Administration for an Estate value over £325k | A fixed fee of 1.5% of the gross value of the Estate to be deducted from the Estate. |
Disbursements
Third party costs are also payable in addition to our fee, and we will provide an estimate of these fees at the start of the process. Below is an example of some of the fees which may be incurred:
| Application Fees | £300 + £1.50 per copy |
| Land Registry Title | £6-12 per property |
| Bankruptcy Search | £2 per property |
| ID Verification | £6 per person |
| London Gazette Advert | £300 plus VAT |
| Conveyancing Cost | To be quoted |
Example Cost
No VAT is currently charged on our services and please be aware that the above are just examples and many factors can influence the number of hours involved in dealing with an Estate, but we will always keep you informed if it looks likely that we will need to amend the initial estimate we have provided to you. Additionally, as the conveyancing and estate agent work is externally sourced this can vary.
Instructing Alexander Legal Services
During our first meeting, we will advise you of the process, the likely cost and the timescales for completing the application. We will ask you to bring certain documents with you so that we can begin to value the deceased’s Estate and determine the complexity of the work ahead. Some of these documents include:
The deceased’s Will;
The deceased’s death certificate;
Details of any property;
Bank statements; and
- Contact details for all Executors and Beneficiaries.
Regulation & Insurance
Our Probate services are Authorised by CILEx Regulation (authorisation number 3001391) and are also covered by insurance and by CILEx Regulation compensation arrangements. Further details of our Regulatory and Insurance arrangements can be found here.