Probate help

[ClickAndCollect]

Please.

How do we start re the house?

I'm assuming get a valuation - is this just a case of contacting an estate agent? What would this cost?

What about the contents of the house? How do we value that for probate?

Mum died intestate. Got a ball park figure for the house based on recent sales. Contents were all donated to charity so that was out of the equation (there was really nothing of worth) Really depends on how much the house is worth. Did one parent die intestate and pass on alllowances to the surviving spouse? It is a hard time and really stressful. Try and get some free advice - there are government websites that deal with intestate estates. If you have a will and can sell the property I would recommend going to 3 estate agents for a valuation. We approached 2 and there was a £60k difference. Have just completed last week for £30k above the lowest agent's valuation. Agents usually charge 1-1.5% in our area (North London). Hope that helps.

We recently had to deal with a parents house. We just put £3000 for value of contents and that was accepted. Replacement value for insurance value was £40000 but resale value is much less. We couldn't even give some items to charitys because of lack of fire safety certificates.

It depends. If the estate is not going to be chargeable to inheritance tax then just get the property valued for sale by a couple of estate agents and take an average. If the estate is taxable then you should get a professional valuation done by a RICS qualified surveyor for which you will have to pay. The cost will depend on the size and complexity of the property ( eg if very old, unusual design or lots of land then more expensive to value). The cost will depend on the type of property but will usually start at about £150 + VAT. The surveyor may be required to negotiate with HMRC and the District Valuer on your behalf if they query the valuation.
The same applies to household goods and chattels really. If lots of valuable stuff like paintings, antiques, jewellery, vintage cars etc and the estate is taxable then get a professional valuation done. Most auction houses will have valuers attached to them. Again expect to pay a minimum of £150 + VAT. If most of the stuff is valueless then get a couple of house clearers to give you a quote and use that. It may be worth getting individual items valued for insurance purposes anyway.
I'm a probate lawyer so you can PM me if any more questions.