Is it possible to see someone's Will after their death?

[mrsmootoo]

An elderly family friend has died. We were quite close over the years (she was one of my mother's best friends) and I thought I might receive a small legacy but haven't heard anything. I don't know the solicitor and don't know her surviving family (one cousin). It's not a big deal, I'm just curious if this information eventually becomes public - I'm sure I've seen newspaper announcements about people's estates.

You can pay a small number of pounds to view them online but I think only once probate has been granted.

@milian

You can pay a small number of pounds to view them online but I think only once probate has been granted.

^This. I recently did exactly that, you can pay £1.50 to view online for 30 days or £10 for a hard copy. I viewed on line and printed a copy off...

It's a bit more expensive in Scotland but still public record and accessible to all.

How recently did she pass away?

Probate normally takes 1-3 months to be granted but is generally taking longer at the moment because of Covid and resulting backlogs. And that's at least 1-3 months after it's been applied for which may be several months after death.

I believe you can ask the solicitor that holds the will if you are a beneficiary, if that’s what you mean?

A family member did this last year and the solicitor was able to tell them they were not named in the will.

Is the Executor notified when someone requests a copy?

No none is notified when you ask fir a copy, it's a public document

It takes a lot longer than you'd think for things to be completed, even for straightforward estates so just because you haven't heard in the first few months doesn't mean you won't.

@DontMakeMeShushYou

How recently did she pass away?

Probate normally takes 1-3 months to be granted but is generally taking longer at the moment because of Covid and resulting backlogs. And that's at least 1-3 months after it's been applied for which may be several months after death.

DH died almost 3 months ago and I only started looking at what's needed for probate yesterday. Even though he has a straightforward estate that will all pass to me there's information e.g. from his pension companies, that I don't yet have so can't proceed. So yes, 1-3 months from when the application is submitted, but it takes time to get to that point.

Yes, exactly that @DayDate (I think we're in agreement here).

I'm very sorry to hear about your DH. My DM passed away 4 months ago and we only appointed a solicitor to start the process very recently.

You can view on government website once registered for probate.