Land and improvements thereon are usually the largest single asset in any deceased estate. Therefore one of the first tasks of a curator should be to trace any fixed assets, and secure them and any improvements. Today we turn our attention to the HM Land Registry … [Read more...]
Dealing With a Deceased Estate in England
An executor, or administrator of an estate acts as a ‘personal representative’. They are legally responsible for dealing with the deceased estate's assets. These include money, property and possessions of the person who died, as at that time. This responsibility … [Read more...]
Certified Copies of Documents in England
Applying for probate in England and administering estates both depend on documentary evidence. If the originals are missing or misplaced, a legal battle may ensue to ask a court to determine the truth. Having certified copies of documents in England could circumvent the … [Read more...]
How to Apply for Probate in England and Wales
Almost every person who dies in England or Wales leaves possessions behind. Probate law protects their interests, and seeks to allocate those resources as they would have wished. If you are a close relative or beneficiary you may like to help in these circumstances. … [Read more...]
How and Why to Place a Deceased Estate Notice
After a person dies they leave an estate behind them. This is a legal term for their property, possessions, investments, creditors, and other obligations. Although estate originally meant any land and buildings they owned. A deceased estate notice begins the process of … [Read more...]
Your Next of Kin Is Not De Facto Your Custodian
A next of kin has no legal status in Britain to make decisions on behalf of another, whether disabled or deceased. Yet how often don’t we hear people saying ‘So-and-so is my next of kin. They’ll take of my affairs when I am gone.’ However, the truth is your next of kin … [Read more...]
How to Value a House and Contents for Probate
A deceased estate must be valued for inheritance tax purposes before there can be any question of dividing up the assets. This article explains how to value a house, and contents because these often make up a significant part of any estate. It is worth mentioning … [Read more...]
First Step After Loved One Dies in England or Wales
Losing a loved one leaves a traumatic hole in your heart, whether or not you expected it. You may wish to close the door on society for a while. However, you may not be able to do so if they appointed you executor, or you otherwise have to take the first step after your … [Read more...]
Who Gets Your English and Welsh Assets When You Die and Your Will is Invalid?
This article is about assets in England and Wales that are your legal entitlement. You can only bequeath things that you truly own. Because if you try to include anything else, the rightful owner could challenge your will and even overturn it completely. You should … [Read more...]
How to Make a Legal Will that Holds Water
I was helping clear a family home after one of two life partners died. ‘If only I knew how to make a legal will,’ the survivor told me ‘I could have stayed on and retired here. But you see my partner died intestate, and because we never married everything has to go to … [Read more...]
