There have been several cases recently of large-scale abuse of vulnerable people by famous names. Some of these left large sums of money although post mortem law suits exceeded these amounts. There’s new official guidance from The Law Society on how to … [Read more...]
Did You Know Compulsive Hoarding Unfolds in Five Stages?
Compulsive hoarders are different because they save items many others think are ‘useless’. However, value is in the eye of the beholder, and they have great difficulty getting rid of their beloved ‘collections’ These accumulations grow as a result of this reticence. … [Read more...]
How to Lay Claim to An Unclaimed Estate
When a person dies without a will in England or Wales – and there are no known blood relatives – the assets pass to the Crown as 'ownerless property'. This ‘bona vacantia’ as it’s quaintly called in Latin (meaning unclaimed goods) could be any possession from a … [Read more...]
What to Know About Declarations of Presumed Death
The probate system kicks in after a person dies. The trigger is a death certificate by a competent person. If there is a will then an executor implements it. If not, close relatives inherit. But what happens if there is no death certificate? The person signing the … [Read more...]
A Touch of Colonial India Surfaces in a Milton Keynes Semi-Detached
We don’t always find exceptional items when carrying out probate valuation in Milton Keynes, and other new towns in Buckinghamshire. However we often find something interesting enough to sell for the executors at auction. Take my visit to Milton Keynes to do an estate … [Read more...]
Late Roman Pearls Turn Up in Southampton Probate
Southampton has an interesting history, being on the Channel coast and open to invasion by the likes of Romans and Vikings. Buried hoards of their jewellery turn up from time to time to the delight of museums. This has spawned a generation of optimists pottering with … [Read more...]
Compulsive Hoarding and Buying-Shopping Disorder: Some Common Ground
Psychologists, mathematicians and statisticians in Australia have investigated the factors behind object choice, and object attachment. They published their work in early January 2020 and so this is hot of the press. They wanted to know the extent that priming … [Read more...]
How to Apply for a Grant of Probate on Your Own
Even if a person quite close you passes on, you may still need government permission before you dive in, empty their house, and share out their possessions. That because the administration wants to see fair play. You probably need to get a Grant of Probate, even if … [Read more...]
How Well Is Probate Shielded from Cyber Thieves
Cybercrime continues to plague the lives of honest people, and the chances of recovering our losses from these thieves are minimal. Today’s Wills and Probate published an alarming report on the topic on November 21, 2019. This reveals the majority of the UK’s 200 … [Read more...]
If You Think You Are a Hoarder Check These Signs
We sometimes wonder whether we have a medical condition after watching a television program about it. That’s a possibility with hoarding disorder, given that over three million British people have it to some extent. We have been receiving regular enquiries since the … [Read more...]
