Estate Administration Solicitors in Bognor Regis, West Sussex
Our team of trusted and experienced probate lawyers are available to help you through the entire procedure, explaining confusing legal jargon, and giving you clarity and reassurance when you need it most.
Estate Administration / Grant Of Probate Solicitors In Bognor Regis, West Sussex
We fully understand the loss of a loved family member or friend is an emotional and stressful time for anyone and dealing with the estate administration can be the last thing you want to start going through. To help you through a difficult time, MJR Solicitors offer a complete grant of probate and estate administration service that takes full responsibility for dealing with your loved one's estate on your behalf, giving you complete peace of mind.
Our experienced team of estate administration and probate solicitors are available to give you practical help and straightforward, jargon-free advice to help you in your time of need. From dealing with legal, tax, and property issues to distributing the estate, let MJR Solicitors give you the personal support you need so you don't have to deal with it alone.
Honest advice
Personal one-to-one service
Dedicated firm
Local experienced team
Straightforward outlined costs
What Does An Estate Administration Solicitor Do?
As specialist probate and estate administration solicitors, MJR Solicitors has the right legal, financial, and administrative skills – and people skills – to help support you through a potentially daunting probate and estate administration process.
As such, we’re best placed to help you understand any type of Will and its legal terms, as well as being able to explain what happens if your loved one dies without making a Will (intestacy). We also have the expertise and experience to deal with any potentially complicated financial issues that can occur, such as Capital Gains Tax and Inheritance Tax.
With various forms and tax returns to complete when dealing with an estate, our estate administration solicitors can work with HMRC directly to make sure any relevant tax exemptions or reliefs are applied, that all tax calculations are accurate, and that all payment deadlines are met. It's crucial to keep track of all money that enters and leaves the estate during the process and we can prepare detailed estate accounts for you.
Here’s the basic outline of what MJR Solicitors can offer you during your estate administration:
Establish if Will or Intestacy
Gain details of all assets and liabilities
Complete tax forms
Apply for Grant of Probate (or variant)
Administering estates
Complete estate accounts
Distribute estate according to the Will
Deal with any Trust provisions included in the Will
Advise on varying provisions in Will
Our team of trusted and experienced estate administration solicitors are available to help you through the entire procedure, explaining confusing legal jargon, and giving you clarity and reassurance when you need it most.
Do You Need An Estate Administration Solicitor?
You don’t have to use a solicitor to deal with any estate administration or probate matters if you don’t want to. But it can be a lengthy and time-consuming process, taking in many hours of detailed admin. But it’s not something you should take on if you’re not confident and you could create more problems for yourself if you do.
Our MJR estate administration solicitors can help with as much or as little of the probate process as you want. It may be that you just need a little help coping with one particular asset in more detail, allowing you to administer the estate to the beneficiaries yourself. But if you choose to do it yourself and you make any mistakes, you could be held legally or financially responsible.
By contacting us, we give you access to specialist estate administration and probate solicitors who can handle the entire process for you. By instructing us to work on your behalf, we’ll take complete responsibility for everything while making sure each beneficiary of the estate receives the full inheritance they're entitled to while reducing any personal or financial risk.
How MJR Estate Administration Solicitors Can Help You
With MJR Solicitors being experienced in all aspects of estate administration and probate, our trusted team of solicitors will take care of the whole process on your behalf while giving you individual and personal service in a difficult time.
Always available to give you the practical help and legal advice you need, we can gather any information, complete forms, obtain the Grant of Probate, and distribute the estate to the beneficiaries on your behalf. Whatever you decide and whatever you need, we’re here to help.
Here’s a more detailed list of what our probate and estate administration solicitors can do for you:
Contact the doctor or hospital to report the death and obtain the medical certificate for the cause of death, providing the coroner is not involved
Contact the funeral director to start making arrangements for the funeral
Locate the Will
Register the death and obtain copies of the death certificate
Secure the deceased’s assets and property if it’s left unoccupied
Find and read the will, if there is one, and confirm its validity
Contact the personal representatives if they have been named in the Will or, if there are no personal representatives, determine who is entitled to administer the estate
Find all documents relating to the deceased’s life, both financial and otherwise
Register the death with asset and liability holders
Open a bank account on behalf of the estate
Contact the Probate Registry and get all the relevant forms sent to you
Complete the appropriate forms and send them back to the Probate Registry along with the original Will and death certificate
Complete the IHT400 form if the estate is subject to inheritance tax (if it’s worth more than £325,000 or if certain circumstances apply, such as foreign assets valued over £100,000)
Arrange funds to pay inheritance tax and the probate fees
Receive the grant
Place the statutory advertisement for creditors and claimants
Send a copy of the grant to all asset holders and request payment of all funds
Pay all creditors
Complete stock and share transfer forms and draft an assent for the property
Pay beneficiaries and distribute all legacies (once accounts have been approved by the personal representatives)
This is by no means an exhaustive list and complications can arise through rentals, unknown assets, and unknown liabilities that we can help and advise you on. For more detail on our estate administration services, contact MJR Solicitors today on 01243 945 054 or download our Wills and Probate Checklist.
How Much Will Estate Administration Cost?
We’ve made our probate and estate administration fee structure as simple as possible. We can either work at an hourly rate of £230 (+ VAT), or we can agree to a full estate administration service with you at a fixed cost, which in most cases will be between 0.5% and 3% of the value of the estate.
Any expenses will be outlined at the start of the process and will be subject to additional VAT. The amount and description of expenses and disbursements may vary, but will typically include:
- £273 – Probate Registry Fee
- £1.50 per sealed office copy of the Grant of Probate/Letters of Administration
- £200 (approx) – Section 27 Notice to Creditors
- £185+ (approx) – Premium Asset Search
- £90 (approx) – Certainty Will Search
For more information on searches, see the section below.
Usually, we’re instructed to deal with probate and estate administration from the very start until the conclusion. We’ll do our utmost to ensure you’re given an accurate quote for our involvement in the process and will keep you regularly updated with our progress, confirming costs at every stage.
Should you wish for us to obtain the grant only, we can provide you with a list of what to do (we call our to-do list). Once you give us the information needed, we’ll complete the tax forms, pay the tax due (from the deceased estate), and then obtain the Grant. We’ll then return this to you to finalise the estate. Our Grant-only packages start from £995 plus VAT.
What Searches Do Estate Administration Solicitors Do?
Estate executors or administrators have certain responsibilities and can be held personally liable for mistakes during the process. Therefore, we always suggest (even when you’re confident there is no other Will) completing a search.
You need to be sure the Will you’re using is the final Will and testament and there are no others, otherwise, the beneficiaries who have missed out will come to you for answers. If a beneficiary comes forward later, you can show proof you acted diligently and reasonably in your endeavours to act on behalf of the estate.
Together with the Law Society, we recommend Certainty, the National Will Register, to conduct a search. To give you peace of mind in different areas, these searches can include:
This performs a National Will Register search and includes a REACH search that contacts solicitors closest to the deceased’s last known address and places they may have made their Will. Certainty accesses around 5 million registered Wills and even searches Will writers who may not be registered with Certainty. If a Will can’t be located, it places a missing Will notification on the Certainty Will Register.
We use Estate Search, an online financial asset tracking system to help executors ensure they can attempt to trace any assets, including those thought to be lost or forgotten over the course of the deceased’s lifetime, so they can be distributed to the correct beneficiaries. Searches are made for the following key components:
- Personal Pensions
- Life Policies
- Occupational Pensions via DWP (230,000 registered schemes)
- Unit Trusts and Investment Trusts
- Investment Bonds
- National Savings and Investments
- Building Society and Bank (dormant accounts)
- Shares registered with Capita and Computershare
- Wills registered with the National Wills Register
Not so much a search, but a public notice that fully indemnifies the personal representatives against any claim. We always recommend this notice, even if you acted as the deceased’s lasting power of attorney and are fully confident you know the estate and all liabilities. It stops any comeback on you in the future for something you could not reasonably have been expected to know.
The notice is placed in the London Gazette and the local newspaper area of the deceased and will ask any potential claimants to come forward in a 2-month window. After that time, if they haven’t come forward, you’re protected. However, if the debt was one that you should have reasonably been aware of, this notice is for the unknown debtors.
How Long Does Estate Administration Take?
Sadly, this is difficult to calculate. Once we have the correct information to apply for Probate, this can be as little as two weeks from sending the application. However, Covid restrictions have meant this can now be around twelve weeks from application. We always aim to administer estates as quickly as possible and estimate an average of 12 months, but larger, more complex matters may take longer. Remember that if a property is part of an estate, then the probate will take as long as the property takes to sell, in order to distribute the proceeds.
Contact MJR Solicitors today
Contact us today for more information and advice on all our probate and estate administration solicitor services or to arrange your no-obligation, free initial consultation. Send us a message, call us on 01243 945 054, or email the team directly at mark@mjrsolicitors.co.uk or info@mjrsolicitors.co.uk today.
Our happy clients are our results
"10/10 for everything. We were making simple wills and Mark was courteous, professional and gave us confidence in all he did. It was all straightforward."
Mr & Mrs Steele
"Having never used a Solicitor before we found the whole experience easy, relaxed and, although a legal matter, it was informal feel whilst being professional. Mark was friendly and welcoming and on a level with us, coming across as a nice person you can relate to. He is very knowledgeable and offers excellent advice and information, answering all our queries."
Mr & Mrs Sharp
"A massive thank you to Mark Riley and Beverley Rayner for allowing me to accompany them on a few occasions whilst they advised clients (in their capacity as duty solicitor) at the police station.
I’m currently working towards becoming an accredited Police Station Legal Representative, and so being able to observe Beverley and Mark in this role proved to be invaluable experience and an important addition to the personal study section of my portfolio. Thanks to their thorough, professional and sensitive approach with their clients, I have learned a huge amount. It has given me the grounding I need to continue towards my goal."
Mrs C
"10/10 to all questions"
Mr L
"Thank you for your good work"
Mrs D
"10/10 to all questions"
Mr B
"Quality service quick and easy advice. Fees are great and no messing around. MJR cut staright to the point Got a motoring offence ?! Easily sorted from overseas. Definitely would recommend"
Mr P
"Thanks for sorting out my will also power of attorneys. Not a pleasant subject having to think about when I die, but it was done in terms I understood and quickly now it's something I don't have to think about. Thank you again."
Mrs H
"10/10 for everything. Mark was very friendly and knowledgeable and explained everything simply in order for us to understand. Very efficient and helpful."
Mr & Mrs S
"Wouldn't use anyone else. Great help, advice and a superb professional service."
Mr R
"You have been very flexible regarding meetings.... and you have made a difficult time far less stressful. Very reassuring. Very straightforward and understandable."
Mr A
"Patient and Helpful" 10 out of 10 for all questions."
Mr S
"10 out of 10 to all questions."
Mrs E A Walters
"Definite 10 out of 10 to all questions, I think your service was excellent and I cannot think of how to improve it. Everything was dealt with most efficiently and my sister and I were very pleased."
Mrs E R Hector
"10/10 for everything. Mark was reassuring and efficient."
Mr B
"10/10 to all questions, thank you very much for your excellent service I will recommend you to all my friends."
Mr L
"We are so grateful to Mark for all his help and considerable patience regarding the recent preparation of our wills and for the invaluable advice concerning a Trust for our grandson. He took all the time that was needed to ensure that we understood the relevant aspects of this complex subject. He explained the legal ramifications in terms that a layman could understand and he made sure the resulting arrangement was fully in line with our intentions. It has set our minds at rest to know that this important matter has been so efficiently dealt with and thus we no longer need to feel concern over it. Full marks in all departments to MJR Solicitors; it is hard to see how such a friendly and professional service could be improved."
Mr & Mrs G
Would definitely recommend...very easy to contact and our Will was arranged and signed in a week!
Marie Pattenden
For your legal needs
We provide a unique and personal service by delivering the highest quality legal services and advice in a down to earth manner.
As your solicitors we will be at your side throughout your case, we will listen to you with care and understanding, and give you clear expert advice based on over 35 years’ experience in wills, probate and family law.
So, you can have complete confidence that you are receiving the best legal advice to achieve the best outcome in your case.
Middleton Office:
4 Bankside,
128 Middleton Road, Middleton-on-Sea, PO22 6DB
Littlehampton Office:
Arcade Business Centre, 2a Arcade Road, Littlehampton, BN17 5AR
Call us on: 01243 945054
Mon to Fri 9am to 6pm
Thanks for your message! We’ll be in touch soon.