During probate clearance, furniture and belongings are sorted, valued, distributed, sold, donated, or disposed of depending on the terms of the will, the wishes of the estate's beneficiaries, and the executor's instructions. No items should be removed or sold before the … [Read more...]
What should you do with items found in a deceased person’s home?
When someone dies, the belongings found in their home become part of their estate and must be handled carefully by the executor or administrator of the estate. Every item - from furniture and jewellery to vehicles and everyday household effects - may need to be … [Read more...]
What happens to personal papers found during a probate clearance?
Personal papers found during a probate clearance must be carefully sorted, retained where legally required, and securely destroyed where appropriate. The executor of the estate holds legal responsibility for ensuring that documents are handled correctly. Mishandling … [Read more...]
What happens to valuables found during a probate house clearance?
Valuables found during a probate house clearance must be included in the estate's inventory and declared to HMRC as part of the Inheritance Tax assessment. This applies regardless of whether the items were expected or discovered unexpectedly - every asset belonging to … [Read more...]
Who pays for probate house clearance when there is no money?
When there is no money in an estate, the cost of probate house clearance typically falls to the executor to fund initially, with reimbursement from estate proceeds once assets are realised or the property is sold. If the estate is genuinely insolvent, clearance costs … [Read more...]
What items cannot be removed during a probate house clearance?
During a probate house clearance, certain items cannot lawfully be removed until the estate has been properly valued and, in most cases, until probate has been granted. This applies to all assets forming part of the deceased's estate, including furniture, jewellery, … [Read more...]
What Counts as a Personal Chattel When Somebody Dies?
What counts as a personal chattel when somebody dies, is everything they owned, could touch and move, and could go with them when they moved elsewhere on earth. When they died they obviously could not take them with them. Their family now faces an important question: … [Read more...]
How To Live With A Compulsive Hoarder
Figuring out how to live with a compulsive hoarder can be a challenge for both family members and life-partners. Because hoarding is more than untidiness or poor housekeeping. It is a recognised mental health condition, in which a person struggles to discard … [Read more...]
Determining the Value of Property Fairly
Determining the value of property fairly, is an essential step in distributing the assets in a deceased estate. A building and the land on which it stands, is likely to be the most valuable possession the deceased left behind. We share the factors determining how much a … [Read more...]
Inescapable Importance of Accurate Valuations
We wrote this article about the inescapable importance of accurate valuations, because they matter more than many people realize. Value affects how much tax we pay, what we can claim from insurance, and how fairly we share our assets upon death. Put simply, if values … [Read more...]
