Current Probate Timelines

[Patiencerunningthin]

Would really like to hear from other people to get a sense of timelines and experience in current probate. Dad died in May. Will was through his trusted UK bank. Family believed we were executors but surprised to find bank- and their legal subsidiary partner- is so they’ve been dealing with it all.
First legal meeting mid May. All docs submitted. I’d done most of the ground work believing I was executor so handed over a well documented position.
Lots of errors, lost paperwork and unnecessary delay from legal agent. Escalated to complaint. They responded that this is all normal and it’s a lengthy process. Probate application made mid August and advised we should have Grant of Probate this week. Legal team haven’t advised of any delays along the way. Heard nothing so lots of chasing this week to find case handler changed and now an 18 week process at least.
It’s Newcastle probate office if that jogs anyone.
Whilst I accept there is a legal process, there are outstanding bills - including the food for the wake (£1500) and window installation (£4.5k), which is affecting a small family run firm. There is money available to pay these bills but it cannot be released with GOP.
We can’t sell the house and now have hefty utility bills for an empty property.
The cost for this terrible service is £6.5k which knowing our dad, it’s highly unlikely he knew that fee.
Anyone share their experience to make me feel better.

We're also with Newcastle probate office, I think our application went in June/July and they said its just in review at the moment. We don't hold out much hope for it being done before Christmas. You can't get any information out of the probate office really. We have a buyer for the house who I imagine must be going mad.

Helpful to hear. While I was searching threads I read that we could have requested the professional executors relinquish. We’ve missed the boat now but the whole system is a farce.
We were advised to hold off marketing the house until we had GOP but frustrated that it probably would have sold better in the summer.

I submitted probate app in mid August. After 3 weeks I hadn't received notification that they received my application, so called them (30 min queue/wait). Once connected the guy confirmed my application had been received, had a quick check and said it all looked OK, but stated he wasn't a practitioner. 5 days later probate was granted. 4 weeks in total from submission to grant of probate .
The call definitely sped up the process and have read similar occurrences.

I phoned on Thursday and was on hold for over an hour. Unfortunately, as professional executors are dealing with it the probate office won’t discuss with us.
The executors are not particularly helpful or, it seems, proactive. Just have to sit and wait I think.

My dad's solicitor applied for probate for my mum last week in Newcastle....we won't hold our breath fortunately dad has enough to live on.

I had similar with my dad, wish I’d been sole executor but he appointed a solicitor too ( friend from church) , in the intervening years they retired and sold their business to someone dad had no connection to. This firm assigned a senior partner who refused to renounce, then charged handsomely to take her time, mess up the transfer of shares, etc etc. Probate was slow too. It was so much easier when I did my mums estate on my own. I’m a strong believer that unless it’s a complicated or contested will, most sensible and reasonably intelligent lay persons can do probate.

Midlands. Application went in May/June probate still hasn’t been granted.

You can put an alert on the probate which will notify you when its been granted. www.holmes-hills.co.uk/news/2022/july/how-can-i-find-out-if-probate-has-been-granted/

I was executor for my mum's will with my husband. We applied for probate at the end of December. The will was straightforward. It took until April & the involvement of our MP to expedite it, due to mistakes at the probate office. We did everything online so not sure where it was dealt with.

Thought I’d update you- productive couple of calls from manager within the executor service. Started with an apology and recognition that we’ve been let down. I cried and could barely speak- don’t think I’d realised how stressful this has been. Things are motoring and practically funds are being released to settle bills that do not not require GOP.
Big delays in Newcastle office so expecting GOP mid December now.

Online applications are coming back very quickly (one or two weeks) but paper applications sent to Newcastle are taking bloody forever. They're currently working on July applications. I honestly don't know what the hell they're doing up there. The current hold time to speak to them is at least an hour (at least an hour of that miserable cow droning "did you know...")

I sent probate application in on 24 August and got my reply on 15 Nov; i received the documents in the post today. It wasn't Newcastle though.

I did the whole application myself and felt sure i would have messed it up. But nothing too major it turns out.

I'm not relishing the idea of liquidating and seeking all the assets. There's something to be said for being able to rant at the solicitor to crack on, although that fee is frightfully expensive.

OP did you get probate in the end? We submitted in July, they received and logged 1st Sept and we're still waiting (Midlands).

Funny enough @ZeppelinTits it’s been granted today. A few days before it’s physically received to start the next process but at least there’s an end in sight now.
20 weeks from application and 32 weeks from initial meeting with agency acting as executor.
We’ve had an excellent manager who has been tenacious in pursuing it but delays are ridiculous.