Probate and Estates

When someone dies, someone else has to deal with their "Estate". A person's Estate will include the money, property and any possessions they had at the time of their death. The process of Probate involves collecting what is due to the Estate, settling any debts due (including taxes) and dividing the net Estate among the respective beneficiaries.

All assets (including property) in an Estate will remain frozen, until the Probate Registry gives the authority (via a document known as a Grant of Representation) to the individual(s) nominated in your Will, the "Executor". If you have no Will, then it is up to the most appropriate member of the family to act on behalf of the Estate.

If there is a Will, the Estate will pass to the people named in the Will. If there is no Will certain rules known as the Rules of Intestacy will apply.

Whether you are an Executor or the next of kin, we can provide practical guidance to help you deal with the administration of an Estate. We can help you determine the size of the Estate for Probate and Inheritance Tax purposes. We can prepare an application for the Grant of Representation on your behalf and collect monies due to the Estate and settle any outstanding debts and pay any tax due.

We can arrange the transfer or sale of any investments and handle the sale or transfer of any property or land owned by the deceased. In appropriate cases we can advise on further tax planning by means of a variation of the Will or the relevant intestacy rules.

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