Wills & Probate | Steele & Son with Bagot Heyes Solicitors

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Legal services to businesses and individuals throughout the Ribble Valley and Pendle.

Clitheroe: 01200 444321 | Barnoldswick: 01282 813385 | Email: click to send email

We appreciate that making and reviewing your Will is very important. Ensuring that your wishes are carried out not only gives you peace of mind, but also makes everything easier for your loved ones at a difficult time. Not making a Will, known as dying intestate, or having a Do-It-Yourself or D.I.Y. Will, can create many problems - not least of which could be, that those you may want to remember could receive nothing, whilst others may benefit.

We have a wealth of experience in Estate Administration and Probate, and can guide you through the many issues you may encounter when dealing with the Estate of a person who has died. We can apply on your behalf for Probate which you may need if you are appointed to deal with the estate of the deceased, or letters of administration if the deceased died having made no will. You may have questions around possible payment of Inheritance Tax, funeral bills and or other debts, we are here to help with all these matters which can seem to be complicated.

As always we are happy to meet with you, at either of our offices, to talk through your wishes and answer your queries.

Wills & Probate

Any questions?

We are pleased to respond to customer enquires for quotations and also answer any questions you may have.

Clitheroe Office: 01200 444321

Barnoldswick Office: 01282 813385

Email address: SteeleReception@steeleandson.co.uk

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Additional services

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Making a Will | Estate Administration & Probate

For a basic will we charge a fee of £75.00 plus vat.

For Basic ‘mirror wills’ for couples we charge a fee of £125.00 plus vat.

If a home visit is required then an additional charge will be necessary.

A complex will (for example, one creating a trust – or several trusts - or involving estate and/or tax planning) will require a bespoke service and costs estimate.

If this is the case we would advise you at the time of taking your instructions that the basic will fee will not apply and that the cost of the will(s) would be based on the time required to complete the instruction. Only work completed by a Solicitor will be charged to your file and our Solicitors hourly rate of will be notified to you in writing.

Timescale:

A basic will usually requires only several days to complete. Complex wills may require longer.

Will Fees

Every estate is unique. The service we provide on will be tailored to your requirements. For this reason, we do not provide fixed fees. The cost of our probate services has two main aspects: our professional fees, which are based on the amount of time we spend working on your or the estate’s behalf and, disbursements. Only work completed by a Solicitor will be charged to your file and your Solicitors hourly rate of charge will be notified to you in writing.

Disbursements are fees charged by third parties for services they provide. Both our professional fees and disbursements vary on a case by case basis.

Our probate services fall into two categories:

Obtaining the Grant of Probate only (‘Grant only’); or

Obtaining a Grant of Probate and administering the estate

We are always happy to explain matters to you and to discuss your specific requirements.

If there is no will, different rules govern how the estate’s assets are distributed. We would need to discuss the estate and your requirements in more detail before providing an indication of the likely costs.

Grant only:

If you need assistance in obtaining the Grant of Probate only, our professional fees are likely to be £595.00 plus vat.

This will include taking your instructions throughout, completing the necessary documentation, probate oath and making the application to the Probate Registry on your behalf.

It will not include dealing with issues not directly related to obtaining the Grant of Probate or dealing with tax on the estate. If there are complications with the will, estate or executors, we may need to charge more.

Court fee: Currently £155.00 plus £1.50 for each extra copy of the Grant

Grant of Representation and Administration of the Estate:

The overall costs of administering an estate vary significantly depending on the following factors:

One or more of our Partners acting as executors

Complexity of the will and any challenges on the validity of the will or specific gifts

Size of the estate and number of separate assets and accounts involved

Number of executors named in the will and their whereabouts

Number of beneficiaries named in the will

Number of lifetime gifts made by the deceased

Debts or liabilities on the estate

Charity involvement

Disagreements between executors or beneficiaries

Any disputes or unexpected claims on the estate (not dealt with in the will)

Taxation issues – and the amount of dealings with HMRC

Liaising with valuers and other professionals (Accountants, for example)

Land Registry involvement

Our professional fees for administering an estate are based on a time charged basis (i.e. how long we spend working on your behalf) and an estate value element – usually (but not always) added at the end of the administration of the estate. This can range from 0.5% to 1.0% of the value of the asset. If one of the Partners is named in the will (or acting) as an executor, this is likely to increase to 0.75 to 1.5%. We will advise what we estimate the value element to be close to the outset, once we understand more about the estate and its assets.

If the estate does not attract any tax, the costs are likely to be in the region of £1,000-£3,000 plus vat for our fees, plus disbursements. We will provide a more accurate estimate of the costs at the outset.

Due to complexity and time requirements, if the estate is likely to attract tax charges the costs of our fees for obtaining the Grant of Probate and administering the estate are likely to increase – usually into the region of £3,000-£10,000.

Extremely complex or valuable estates and/or tax arrangements can exceed this.

Disbursements:

Court fee: Currently £155.00 plus 50p for each extra copy of the Grant

Statutory notices for creditors: up to £250.00 plus VAT

Land registry fees

Asset valuation fees

Carriage charges for unusually large or valuable gifts

Home clearance fees

The information above is not exhaustive; there may be issues which cause our professional fees and disbursements to vary. This can often result in a lower fee.

Conveyancing: Work in relation to property owned by the estate will be charged separately.

Other work:

It may be that you need advice on whether a will is valid, or how a will or the terms of any trust created by the will should be interpreted. The costs of this and any other issue(s) not directly related to obtaining the Grant of Probate or administering the estate will vary on a case by case basis. Our professional fees will always be commensurate with the complexity and time requirements of dealing with the matter on your or the estate’s behalf.

Timescale:

Probate matters always vary in timescale. As a guide, it usually takes between 2 - 4 months before the application for a grant of probate can be made. Complex and/or high value estates can take significantly longer.

We will always be happy to answer queries at each stage as to the likely timescale.

Probate Fees