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.

Many people find selling a deceased person’s property a major obstacle in completing probate.  The sale of a deceased person’s property may be essential in order to clear any outstanding debts or Inheritance Tax. However one may not be able to sell a property without paying advance Inheritance Tax!

It is for reason such as this The Probate Bureau set up its own probate property service.  Selling a probate property is no different to selling any other property, but often house clearance, making good the property, arranging Home Information Packs and marketing the property, all take a considerable time to complete.

Our specialist probate property team work closely with the country’s leading Estate Agents to market every property and in doing so receive favourable rates on each property transaction. As part of our probate property service, we offer remedial work to prepare the property for sale. More extensive decoration services are also available should the need arise.  All Home Information Packs are carried out and completed as part of our services.

The Probate Bureau combines the use of professional probate administrators and probate property services to remove the difficult issues and responsibilities from the executors or family relative who is administering the estate.  For example, if the deceased person has two children who are to benefit from the property sale in equal shares, and one of the children is currently living in the property, the siblings would need to reach an agreement about what has to be done about the property.  Unless agreement is reached the person administering the estate has to act to resolve the matter.  In some cases this can be a daunting prospect as the person administering the estate is often a family friend or close relative.  The professional and legal knowledge required in dealing with this type of situation is often best handled by those in the profession.  In most cases, using professional administrators such as The Probate Bureau can work out to be as cost effective as doing it yourself and usually fair less stressful.

For more information on our probate property sales and probate administration sales contact The Probate Bureau on 0800 028 2837.

A recent MORI poll has indicated that on average the Independent Funeral Director gave the lowest quotation for a funeral. To find out the full facts click here.

Arguments and disputes can be traumatic enough at the best of times. Coming after the death of a loved one they can be soul destroying. Yet sadly too often just when people need the support and comfort of their nearest and dearest, the death of a loved one divides rather than unites.

Often these sad disputes could have been avoided altogether with a little foresight from the deceased and particularly ensuring the drawing up of a properly drafted Will. This is however of little or no consolation to the grieving relative faced with sorting out the mess that has been left behind.

In some instances, no matter what happens a dispute develops between families that usually requires professional mediation if the arguments are to be resolved.

Professional mediation needs a professional team of people to advise and guide families during a dispute. In such situations The Probate Bureau remains totally impartial and uses independent partners to conduct mediation.  If you find yourself in a situation where you cannot resolve a family argument give The Probate Bureau a call.