Advice on probate

[crackadawn]

Can I ask advice about whether I need to pay a solicitor to do the probate for my dads house.

its a simple will, everything to me. No wife, I was his only child

well under inheritance tax threshold.

I don’t want to mess anything up, solicitor asking about £1500. However ChatGPT is saying it’s all very easy.

also for anyone that been through it, how did you find getting valuations, solicitors mentioned not to tell estate agents it was for probate and to get three valuations

Sorry to hear about your dad.

I’ve done it twice for my in laws fairly recently. It wasn’t difficult, can do it all online and there’s a very helpful chat option if you get stuck.

I would recommend you chase them up if you haven’t heard anything after a few weeks … I had missed something on one of the forms. Nit sure how long it walks have taken them to
contact me about it!

I did it myself. It couldn’t be simpler and costs less than £300 (as opposed to the several thousand my parents’ solicitor wanted).

Get everything in front of you, will, codicils, accounts details, I’m pretty sure I got only one valuation, IHT form.

As far as I remember, you can dip in and out of it and save it as you go.

Also you’d have to give the solicitor all the details about his finances .. so once you have that info you may as well do it yourself!

We got three valuations, we do tell them it was for private but we would be selling it eventually.

I did probate for my late Dad and Father in Law, both were under IHT as both were married and widowed, so both got a limit of £650,000. I didn’t get a valuation of house, just used recent Zoopla prices for a house that was similar. I then phoned the Probate helpline, they asked value of house, money in bank and any other investments, items of value, was he married etc., They then told me what form I needed to fill in online. It was quite simple, but I did need to check a couple of things again before I submitted the form. I was told not to worry, I wouldn’t be in trouble if a mistake was made. You send off the original Will, so make copies. All straightforward, I think they do a property search, but other than that, it was painless and quicker than using a Solicitor.

We only got one red book valuation for DM’s house. One larger local firm wanted a £300 fee to value it, but we went with the only (very small) agent that had an office in the town, no valuation fee and they sold it for us without it having to go to market within weeks (and they dropped their % sale fee too).

We did use a solicitor though, who also did the conveyancing when we sold the house. She also did a deed of variation for me so I could pass some of my share to my DC.

I did it myself - it’s not impossible, some of the forms are a bit mind-boggling in some places, but if the estate is simple then it should be easy enough.

Keep all your notes and workings as there’s a lot of back and forth.

I made a spreadsheet to keep track of everything: all bank / building society accounts, pension info, insurances, valuables etc.

I did it myself, i'd recommend it over paying a solicitor - they'll basically be asking you for the same information that you'd be giving HMRC/probate anyway.

For valuations I just asked 2 local firms to value the house, I did explain it was for probate (and one of them later did the sale).

The forms are available online. You can save as you go. The instructions/help files are actually helpful! Though, if you are small of brain like me, you might need to read them carefully and take it slow. Also remember you are bereaved and there's an emotional toll, too, so be gentle on yourself and good luck with it.

So sorry to read about your Dad

Probate is the last service you can do for people you love. I’ve done it for several elderly relations and found it very straightforward. It starts with a simple list of their assets, name and account details of banks etc.

You would need to provide that to solicitors so if you are not confident, start by putting that together and see how you go.

The next step is to write to each organisation to ask for a valuation. Again, very straightforward and confidence building.

Alongside these letters and waiting for replies, have a look at the on line forms to make sure you can answer all the questions.

if you get stuck at any point, you can pay for legal advice for that specific point. And of course can still ask solicitors to pick up from your preparations.

Ive ended up using a solicitor to transfer ownership of a property and to wind up a trust. Otherwise it’s pretty straightforward and very very satisfying last service for someone you love.

Hope it goes well with you.

Also, when you phone any organisation look online for the number or ask to be put through to the bereavement department, as they will have the info you need.

It’s very straightforward, particularly when no IHT is involved. I’ve done it twice in recent years and it’s got a lot quicker. Gathering the information is the hard part and you’ll have to do this whether or not you pay a solicitor!

I would do it yourself. As pp have mentioned you will need to collect all the information for the solicitor so you may just as well complete the form.
I have done it twice for both my parents.
sorry for your loss.
edited to add - I got two local agents to value the house.

I did mother in law's it was a straight forward will only DH was a beneficiary.
Mums I got a solicitor as there were lots of accounts, policies and bonds. Plus 3 beneficiaries.
Cost was £6000 and it was to me money well spent.

I've done several including my mum's. Her estate was well below IHT threshold.

I rang the IHT people for advice and they advised me no need to get a written valuation just put my estimate on the IHT form. My estimate was based on recently sold neighbours and wasn't far out.

Using a solicitor for a simple probate doesn't save you any work but will make it take much, much longer.

Much easier and quicker to do it yourself for a simple estate. The probate office are really helpful if you need to ask about anything.

So sorry for your loss.

Dont rely on ChatGPT as it does give the wrong information randomly and it doesn't check latest guidance from the Probate Registry/Gov. I have had a few arguments with ChatGPT on the topic!
I offer a halway house service between DIY/solicitors - I complete probate applications and inheritance tax calculations for clients who need that, and offer a DIY guide for people plus after care service for £29.99 including checking your form/online application before you send it off/submit it.

Having been involved in probate for parents, in laws and a maiden aunt I found doing it myself was easier and quicker (and far cheaper) than going through a solicitor. You end up doing a lot of work with a solicitor.
Wouldn't have bothered with the solicitor but dSIL and dBIL would have accused me of wrongdoings.