Wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney, Probate and Elderly Client Work
Wills
Everyone should have a will to ensure that assets are distributed in accordance with the wishes expressed in a Will. If a person dies without a Will, their wishes may not be carried out and they can leave complicated problems for their family to deal with. We offer a fixed price service for single Wills and mirror Wills.
Lasting Powers of Attorney
Appointing attorneys to help deal with your affairs at the point at which you are no longer able to, is something that everyone should consider. Attorneys can be appointed to look after your property and finances; and to make decisions relating to your health and care. The role of an attorney is to act on your instructions, or if you no longer have capacity, to act, as if they were you; and always in your best interests. We offer a fixed price for setting up and registering Lasting Powers of Attorney.
We are happy to make home or hospital visits if you are unable to come to us.
Probate
We can deal with all aspects of Probate work.
Dealing with even the most straightforward estate can be daunting and can generate large amounts of correspondence with asset holders and government departments.
We offer a range of services from a stand alone grant of probate application to full estate administration, which includes winding up the estate, distributing assets and dealing with any taxation aspects.
How much will it cost?
We charge £250 plus VAT per hour for Probate and Intestacy work. In most cases we can offer a fixed fee as follows:
- Grant of Probate/Letters of Administration £750 plus VAT and disbursements*
- Grant of Probate /Letters of Administration with a long form IHT return (IHT 400) £1,500 plus VAT and disbursements*
- Estate Administration 3-5% of the gross value of the estate plus VAT and disbursements* – Each case is looked at on an individual basis and on occasion we will agree a smaller percentage or a fixed price if the particular circumstances allow.
* The disbursements will include but are not limited to the grant application fee which is usually £273 plus £1.50 for every extra sealed copy of the grant.
For grant of probate applications, we aim to prepare and submit the grant application within 28 days of receiving the required estate information. It is currently taking about 28 days for the grants to be issued.
We expect that estate administration will take between 6 and 12 months from the date of death.
We offer initial appointments without charge or obligation for all estate matters.
All work in this area will be carried out by Jill Owens or Kath Monteith, both directors in the firm. Both Jill and Kath have experience in all areas of non-contentious private client work.
Please call 0191 297 0123 for further information or to arrange an appointment