Executor on Mums will - questions

[lokijet]

My mum died last week and my brother and I are executors

the will appears to be written in trust with a few specific bequests and the remainder for the benefit of myself and my brothers on an equal basis - I don’t expect it to fall into IHT as she will benefit from my dads allowances (he died many years ago) and the house is likely to be a redevelopment plot.

I’m used to dealing with finances but there are a couple of points m not sure how they work in practice

natwest appears to freeze the accounts when advised of death but won’t set up executor accounts without a grant of representation - I thought that related to probate and understood takes some time to sort?

what happens to things like utilities which will still need to be paid while sorting her house?

im able to cover funeral expenses and await reimbursement from the estate -likewise there were some pre death costs met on her behalf - im assuming I just need to ensure we keep good records ?

any guidance on how to manage the next steps of what looks like a lot of admin and decluttering

thanks

I would ring around local solicitors and get quotes for them to take over the executor role from both of you.

Clearing the house is enough of a chore without doing the paperwork.

The funeral expenses can be paid from her account directly, you need to basically take the bill into branch, you do not need probate for this. The utility bills will be transferred to an estate account once you inform them and will need to be paid, this can either accumulate until probate is granted or pay and claim back if you can afford it.

yes to decluttering and getting rid of things with zero value. Anything with value cannot be distributed until probate is granted but should be secured if needed eg we brought jewellery back to ours and locked in the safe, insuring it on house insurance which was only £9 extra. Probate once submitted was quicker than expected, a few weeks but not the year we’d be led to believe for a complex case

Utility companies will freeze account but will carry on supplying gas, electricity, water etc., then when you get probate you settle any outstanding money owed. Council tax just stops. You have to get house insurance as Executor, I stayed with the same company as my Dad had. Bank will pay funeral bill from your Mum’s account, once you give them the invoice. I didn’t bother with getting a separate bank account, as my brother and I trusted each other. Most banks have departments that deal with probate, and some even let you have the money if it’s below a certain amount just by seeing the Will. The Probate helpline was very helpful to me, he also was just below the threshold, so I was able to complete the form, I had a couple of queries, but again called them for help. Sorry for your loss, we ended up just getting a house clearance guy in to take everything after we had gone through everything.

I'm sorry for your loss.

Our bank were happy to transfer all funds in the deceased's current account to me as executor once I provided a copy of the will and proof of identity, they said they do this if the balance is under £50k so you might see if your bank will do the same. It is fine to have met costs out of funds as long as you keep records.

Call the utility companies and ask for their processes and they will tell you and mark the account as deceased. Make it clear that you want the utilities to stay connected and that you will be paying as executor. If anyone says you don't owe anything make sure you keep a record. I had B Gas trying to collect after 1.5 years but had it in writing that the estate didn't owe anything so they gave up chasing me. Council tax still generally needs to be paid, check with the council.

You will need specialist empty property insurance if the house is empty although sometimes existing buildings insurance allow a grace period, ours did for a year.

I kept a spreadsheet with details of all direct debits and which had been cancelled, all income and what it was, all outgoings and what it was so that at the end I had a complete list of everybody who had been informed and all cash in and out. You can only distribute funds once you have grant of probate. You need to keep all records for 12 years. If you haven't used the "tell us once" service when registering the death remember to tell HMRC, DWP and any pension providers.

Good luck, it's a right pain in the arse!

Oh, and really importantly, remember you are not personally liable for any costs as executor.

If you ars named executors you don't need grant of representation. Like pp say, take in a copy of the will and death certificate, the bank should release funeral funds, have you used the tell us once service which informs the council, dwp. Sorry for your loss.

"natwest appears to freeze the accounts when advised of death but won’t set up executor accounts without a grant of representation"

They freeze the accounts so that no more money can go out of them for eg direct debits/ standing orders etc.

That is why you need to contact the utility companies.

For Natwest, if the total amount held by the deceased with them is less than £50k then they will close the account and transfer the money to you without probate.

All of the executors need to sign an Account Closure Form and send the usual details eg death certificate, will, the executors ID etc.

"any guidance on how to manage the next steps of what looks like a lot of admin"

Natwest explains things here:

https://www.natwest.com/life-moments/bereavement.html

"im able to cover funeral expenses and await reimbursement from the estate"

As you say, just record all the expenses and then claim them back when Natwest close the bank account and transfer the funds to you.

Thank you all - getting death certificates today so starting paperwork tomorrow!!

It is daunting, what I did was phone one company each day. Doing Probate yourself will save you money and should be quicker than using Solicitors and there’s lists of help online with forms. We didn’t get an Estate Agent valuation, we just looked at prices for similar houses in the road that had sold within the last 6 months.

I found it really helpful to keep a basic diary - just a note every day of what I did, who I spoke to about what, money spent.

Citizens Advice website is excellent.
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/family/death-and-wills/what-to-do-after-a-death/

I work for a utility company and I'm pleased so many other posters have given brilliant advice. Let the company know your Mum has passed away when you have the headspace too. Account will go into the name of the executors of her estate, and the bill will be settled when the house sells, not before. You have zero need to pay a penny, they won't chase for it, and the utilities will not be switched off.

As others have mentioned use the tell us once service. Each bank / building society has a different threshold for requirement of probate so contact the bereavement team at each of them and they will advise you sensitively. It’s a bit of a marathon and not a race scenario and you are newly grieving so just tackle thing in stages and be kind to yourself

Not sure if it's been said already, but when you ring utility companies, banks etc. make sure to speak to their bereavement department. You'll be treated better.

I'm sorry to hear about your mum.

If you feel able to do it yourself, just keep good records (the diary idea mentioned by a PP is excellent) as it’s a process to follow and pretty straightforward. In addition, even if a solicitor handles it, you will still need to gather all the information anyway, so it’s almost as much work for you. Sorry for your loss (I should have put that first)

Check with your local council re C Tax,may not be payable for 6 months,all other utilities can be paid on sale of property.
You must insure the empty property and will pay more.