DBF Wills
Professional Will Writing Services.
Most estates have to go through probate, whether a will is present or not. It ensures the deceased estate passes to the right people and all Tax due on death is identified and collected. If your estate is over £5,000, before it can be collected for distribution, a Grant of Probate must be obtained. This means the Will must be formally recognised at the local Probate Registry.
All Banks, Building Societies and Insurance Companies will insist on seeing a Grant of Probate before they pay out and your house will not be able to be sold. If your estate is worth more than £325,000 it may be liable to Inheritance Tax and you would be wise to enlist the help of a professional.
If you are acting as an Executor in a Will then you are personally liable for any debts, so professional advice is essential. As an Executor in one of our Wills you have the following options when dealing with the estate:
¨ Ask us to refer you onto our professional contacts
¨ Do the work yourself with our help. If you wish to complete the work yourself all subscribing clients have access to our advisory service. Complete as much as you can and then arrange a visit of one experienced consultants who will help complete the paperwork for you.
¨ Pop into your local Bank or Solicitor and ask them to complete probate for you.
¨ The problem with this is they charge for their services and you will pay £2500 - £5000 for a simple estate. Ask for a quotation before they start work.
If you need to apply for probate and would like application forms. Any problems then telephone 01792 846998 and we can send some to you.
Dealing with Probate Yourself
If you are the appointed executor and wish to deal with probate yourself, the following is a very basic idea of the process involved ~ you will receive a booklet from the probate office to help
¨ Complete the yellow (assets) form and the blue (next of kin) form and submit to the probate registry with an original death certificate and the original Will.
¨ Advertise for creditors locally and in the London Gazette.
¨ After 2 - 3 weeks you will receive an appointment date to attend the court to confirm the details, pay the fee and swear an oath.
¨ Another 2 - 3 weeks later you will receive the grant of probate to send to the institutions holding the money to release any assets for distribution.
¨ Distribute assets, prepare accounts and keep for twelve years.
~ Warning ~
If an executor makes a mistake and does not follow the directions of the Trustees Act 1925 they could be personally liable to the deceased creditors.
~ Don't panic ~
All subscribing clients have access to our probate and administration service, so you can be assured that if anything should happen to you we will advise your executors how to deal with your estate.
Discounts are available to anyone who writes a Will with us.
Not our Client?
We have contacts that can give you professional advice and assistance in dealing with probate or you can ask them to do it for you subject to their current fees at that time. Their fees will be significantly lower than that of a bank or solicitor.