Probate query: using solicitor, company or sorting everything yourself.

[Silverfoxxx]

Hello again,

Finally got the medical certificate & registered my Dads death (took ages), got 3 copies of death certificate, but everyone seems to be fine with a photo of it.

Hours of fun, hunting for the will, finally located it with solicitor miles away.

Next issue, if anyone could help? Thanking you all in advance as my stress levels are through the roof and far away.

Need to get probate, contacted the Co-op funeral/ legal service for fixed rate fee came to £7600! Never dealt with anything like this before, but in shock, seems very expensive!
Would a solicitor be cheaper, or has anyone dealt with it themselves, I am the named executor & sole beneficiary in the will.

I was expecting it to be about £3500 ( and would be having a meltdown over that), but over £7000!

If you could share your experiences, I would be extremely grateful- now getting daily headaches & still haven't had the funeral yet, but booked, writing the eulogy is not easy either 😢

Thank you

Echo everyone else - depends on how complex the estate is. My brother who is in finance did my dad's estate but just couldn't face doing my mum's a few years later.

My DH and I did a family friend's, that was a lot of work. But we were coming at it from a place of no knowledge of her financial affairs at all.

It's a difficult time, I am sorry for your loss.

Echoing it depends how complicated the estate it.
I've done it twice, once a slightly more complicated case with a solicitor
Second a few years later, a very straightforward case without a solicitor
Both IHT.

To be honest in the first case the solicitor just filled in the form and filed it.
I was the given the bulk of the work gathering the data/figures organising validations etc.
I can't remember how much it cost because the IHT was in the mix too and I think the solicitor dealt with some of the paying on that (our money via them)
So just did it myself the second time. HMRC are easy to get hold of for telephone advice probate end of things