Expert wills and probate advice in Blyth and Ashington

Probate
Your matter will be attended to by a qualified solicitor, of at least 10 years experience, with the additional assistance of support staff, such as legal secretaries.

Our fee assumes that:

• there is a valid Will

• there is no more than one property

• there are no more than 3 bank or building society accounts

• there are no other intangible assets

• there are between 1 and 5 beneficiaries

• there are no disputes between beneficiaries on the division of assets

• there is no inheritance tax payable and the executors do not need to submit a full account to   HMRC

• there are no claims made against the estate

• there are no share holdings

If any of the above are not true then it could increase the estimate for the costs in relation to the matter.

Probate Costs

We do not operate a set fee for probate matters. Instead, our charges will be based on the time spent dealing with a matter, such as meetings with you and others, considering, preparing and working on papers, preparing correspondence and making and receiving telephone calls. The current hourly rate of our solicitors is £205.00 plus VAT.

The exact cost will depend on the individual circumstances of the matter. For example, if there is one beneficiary and no property, costs will be lower than if there are numerous beneficiaries, a property and multiple bank accounts. 

When we discuss the matter with you at the outset, we will be able to estimate the fees and disbursements for you – disbursements being costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as court fees. We handle the payment of disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

These fees can range from £1,000 plus VAT to £15,000 plus VAT as it greatly depends on the size of the estate itself and the amount of work required to appropriately deal with all the assets and liabilities and then paying out monies to beneficiaries.

This includes a charge we are entitled to make according to the value of the assets of the estate, according to Law Society Guidelines as follows:

Non Solicitor acting as Executor: 1.0% of the gross estate less property or land, plus 0.5% of the property or land.

Solicitor as Executor: 1.5% of the gross estate less property or land, plus 0.75% of property or land.

At the start of the transaction our initial estimate for the costs will be given to you and also we set out the above information so that you are informed from the start.

Disbursements

Below are some of the Disbursements which may be required in relation to dealing with a Probate matter but is not an exhaustive list as each matter is different.

• If Grant of Probate is necessary then there is a Probate Fee of £155.00 plus £0.50 per additional sealed copy if requested at the time of the application for the Grant which rises to £10.00 per copy if requested after the Grant has been issued.
• Bankruptcy Searches against Beneficiaries costing £2.00 per person searched.
• S.27 Trustee Act Notice placing an advert in the local paper and/or London Gazette requesting unknown creditors come forward within 2 months we receive a quote for each advert we place and this is usually in the region of £250.