A note from Natasha, our newest team member at The Probate Bureau.

Many people neglect to make a Will, which in my experience as an administrator for The Probate Bureau, result in a number of family issues. These can range from simple family feuds to unnecessary costs of tracking family members, adopted children unable to benefit from their parent’s estate and extra complications during probate administration. It becomes a much simpler process when a Will has been left, giving clear instructions on exactly how the deceased wished to provide for their families, friends or charities.

Probate administration varies with each estate, but the basics are always the same. This means one estate can be finalised much quicker than another depending on what assets the deceased possessed.

The administration of an estate involves a lot of patience and waiting for companies to respond to your letters, which I have found can take up to three weeks or more. This can be a frustrating issue when dealing with probate yourself, however, this is somewhat alleviated when you employ a third party to act on your behalf.

When trying to grieve for a friend or family member, it can be a relief to pass over the responsibilities of dealing with the estate to The Probate Bureau. You no longer have to worry about chasing organisations for answers to your questions. The technical jargon found on probate forms, which many clients find difficult to understand are all completed by The Probate Bureau. I have personally found that clients are much happier when The Probate Bureau is dealing with an estate on their behalf, as they feel less stressed about the process and feel more confident that the administration is being handled effectively.

During my time at The Probate Bureau, it seems to me, that people feel more secure when they can talk to someone, regarding the whole administration process. Clients often seem relieved, that their administrator, who is fully trained and deals with probate on a daily basis, can deal with all their issues. Each administrator is only a phone call away and can talk to them through each stage of the probate process. Clients often comment that they know they have someone there who can help bring closure, by finalising an estate quickly and professionally.

If you would like to talk to someone about administering probate, call The Probate Bureau today on 0800 028 2837.

A common situation posed to The Probate Bureau on its free helpline is the one Lisa finds herself in:

Her father remarried and didn’t make a Will. While her father was alive he had told the family and his new wife that he wanted his estate to go to his 3 daughters. The father even left a letter expressing his wishes. Unfortunately, because Lisa’s father didn’t make a Will, the whole estate passed to his new wife. Sadly, the new wife is now telling Lisa and her sisters to ‘get lost’.

Without a valid Will, signed and witnessed, Lisa and her sisters have no grounds to pursue the matter further.

This is becoming a frequent issue and one that is likely to be more prevalent as remarriages increase. Heartache, upset and family rifts can be avoided with a legally binding Will expressing your wishes.

To find out the cost of a Will, tailored to your circumstances, contact The Probate Bureau on 0800 028 2837 or email info@probatebureau.com.

Actually, you can have as many trusts as you like, but this is dependent on certain circumstances.  It is not unusual for people to have several different trusts for all sorts of reasons.  Trusts play a very important role in distributing property and possessions to family and friends in a very controlled manner. For more information about trusts click here or email info@probatebureau.com for futher advice.

As members of the Institute of Professional Willwriters (IPW), The Probate Bureau is now able to use the recently gained Office of Fair Trading (OFT) Code Approved Logo, which we will be adding to our website and stationery in the near future.

The IPW is the only Willwriting organisation with OFT Code of Practice approval. This means members of the public can be certain that when using The Probate Bureau they are dealing with an OFT approved Willwriter.

If you would like more information on preparing your Will or any other advice, call The Probate Bureau today on 0800 028 2837.

The Probate Bureau often gets to hear about the advice given to customers by companies claiming to handle probate in a professional and dignified manner.

In a recent case, a telephone enquirer, Carol, contacted The Probate Bureau’s free advice line to discuss her situation.  While talking to her it became evident that the advice she had received was not only inaccurate, but delivered in a highly inappropriate fashion.

Unfortunately, Carol’s husband was tragically killed in a road traffic accident, leaving Carol with assets requiring a Grant of Representation. Carol had already applied for the necessary forms from the Probate Registry with the intention of completing them herself.  In her opinion the forms appeared straightforward.

However, the funeral of Carol’s husband was arranged by one of the large corporate firms of funeral directors, who offered Carol a free appointment to discuss probate as part of their funeral package.

Regrettably, the representative who attended the appointment was aggressive in his approach scaring Carol into thinking she could not apply for probate herself. Furthermore, he advised that all her husband’s personal assets would need to be professionally valued “because the Tax Man wants his bit of it too.” He also told her she needed to place an advert in the London Gazette for at least 2 months, at a cost of £205.00 per month! Whilst aspects of these statements are true, they have been terribly conveyed to Carol.  Yes, personal effects are taken into consideration on the probate application forms, but a professional valuation would not be required unless the deceased had items of value.  With regard to the London Gazette, an advert costs just slightly more than £70 and is held electronically for 6 months. Any creditor would be able to source this data after Carol paid for just one month of advertising.  Horrifyingly, the representative went on to quote Carol £3,000 + VAT and disbursements to administer the estate on Carol’s behalf, a service she did not need.

More worryingly, during the meeting the representative did not take into consideration a lump sum of £47,000 Carol is about to receive from a pension. Nor the fact that Carol is on a widowed parents benefit. In a situation like this, Carol should have received advice about protecting her benefits and setting up a trust for the future benefit of her children.  Instead, Carol was likely to lose her regular income, which would result in her having to use her menial savings.

The fact that Carol can complete the Grant of Probate herself (a saving of £3,000+VAT), is not required to pay Inheritance Tax and is able to save £125.69 in placing appropriate adverts in the London Gazette, indicates how misleading and insistent some well known companies in this industry can be.

Not all companies are able to offer prudent advice and save you money, preferring to make a quick buck on products that are not appropriate or actually required. The Probate Bureau builds a different relationship with its clients. This works to the benefit of the client and helps to build the reputation of The Probate Bureau.  In many instances, The Probate Bureau can create estate- planning solutions even for the most modest estates, so probate can even be avoided altogether!!

The Probate Bureau offers intelligent sound advice from staff who are knowledgeable and care about their customers. If you would like to discuss your situation for free, contact The Probate Bureau on 0800 028 2837.