People buying a probate property

[kirinm]

How did you cope? I know there has been a problem with probate but nobody will explain what it is. We’ve been strung along for months. We really have no choice to hold on as the market is extremely slow (houses sell quickly, very few come on). We’ve seen literally everything that has come on in our area.

Anyway, are we entitled to know what the hold up is? What they’re doing about it. I know they’ve been asked for more info which was supposedly sent in April. My solicitor isn’t engaging much. Their conveyancer has been utter shit from day 1.

Having absolutely no insight into what is happening is driving me mad.

The 2 years is the big flag, your suppose to pay inheritance tax within 6 months of death if they are over a year and a half past that (was the same in our case) somethings gone royally tits up.

It took 6 months to get into a position to apply for probate on my mum’s complicated estate but it was granted in 6 weeks. We didn’t go to market on the house until probate was granted to avoid this situation.

We are still viewing things as and when something comes on. We’ve made a few offers too. I do wonder if it’ll end up in repossession but I’m not sure if there would’ve been IHT or not.

Took us about 9 months to get hours. There were disputes about unpaid service charge. Looking back I think we should have walked away but we really liked the place.

We’ve had an update. They have apparently now applied for a code from HMRC. I thought this was what happened first but does anyone with experience know if this can happen late in the day too?

I have said this before, but I still think it- I don't think people ought to be legally allowed to market a property before they have got probate. Until they have, they are not the owners of the house- probate could be refused because another will turned up, or anything. It's time this was cleared up.

Currently going through probate myself. This comment hits the nail on the head. My dad died December 2023, we got probate a few weeks ago. Luckily for us, because we live 200 miles from the property, have very busy jobs, and the property was full of 50 years of stuff, we are only just ready to put it on, but I sympathise with people who are ready much sooner. It's frankly shite that it takes so long and must push lots of people into debt, but it doesn't mean putting the property on before probate is granted is morally right!

As for what they are doing about it. Probably nothing because they can't. Trust me solicitors take ages. They don't tell you what they are doing unless they need in put from you or you ask. Oh and ours charges £35 per 10 minutes work on the case, so if you ring them of email them just to ask where you are up to and they spend some minutes answering that query, that's minimum at extra £35! Expect it to be another 6-12 months before the house is ready for sale!

We threatened to sue the estate agents when we found out just before exchange that it was actually a probate sale and they'd failed to tell us. The sellers got an emergency probate in 3 weeks and exchange was only delayed by a fortnight not the 6 to 8 months they casually landed on us. So I would ask for that.

We walked away from a probate purchase. Inheritors siblings were fighting so much about selling. We heard later that the courts had to intervene and one was struck out as executor.

Wow, boyfriend’s father passed away in April, he’s using the solicitor his dad appointed as executor. They’ve been very slow so far, a few weeks ago said they were ready for probate and it was taking six months at the moment!
He got two valuations on the house - one agent has been restrained and said put the house on when you’re ready, the other has been really pushy and told him he has people lined up and to put it on before probate granted! He’s a bit off-putting tbh.

The one my boyfriend is using is £300 per hour and charges in 20 minute blocks. She talks verrryyy slooowlyyy. Clever.