When someone dies and you’re faced with probate, it’s important to think about whether you employ a professional legal firm to administer the estate or if you decide to do it yourself. Whether you handle all the tasks involved in…

When someone dies and before you start the probate process, it’s important to complete some initial tasks to secure the deceased’s property and check on their correspondence. These tasks should be attended to as soon as possible, in preparation for…

When someone dies without leaving a valid Will, they are said to have died 'intestate'. Their estate is then distributed in accordance with the rules of intestacy.

These rules determine who is entitled to inherit the deceased's estate, including their property, personal possessions and money. They also establish who has priority to apply to administer the estate.

Who can deal with the deceased person's affairs?

Many people assume that the deceased's next of kin will automatically be responsible for administering their estate. However, this is not necessarily the case...

Executors have the power to deal with the deceased’s assets from the date of death. But if the value of the deceased’s estate exceeds £5,000, then the executors will need to obtain a ‘grant of representation’ in England & Wales…