What is estate administration?

What the work actually consists of

In roughly the order it happens.

• Find the will, and confirm who the executors are
• List everything owned and owed: accounts, pensions, investments, property, vehicles, possessions, loans, cards, tax
• Value the estate at the date of death, including the property
• Work out whether inheritance tax is due, and whether probate is needed at all
• Apply for probate or confirmation if required
• Collect the money in, close the accounts and sell or transfer the property
• Pay the debts, the funeral bill, the tax and the costs
• Produce estate accounts and distribute what is left to the beneficiaries

Who is legally allowed to do it

If there is a will, the executors named in it. If there is no will, the closest relative under the intestacy rules applies for letters of administration and becomes the administrator. Executors can do the work themselves, use a solicitor for part of it, or hand the whole thing over. They remain responsible either way.

How long it takes

Six to twelve months is typical. A straightforward estate with no property and no tax can finish in three or four. Property, inheritance tax, missing paperwork, overseas assets or a dispute can take it past two years. The probate registry itself is usually the shortest part of the wait.

What you can hand over, and what you cannot

You cannot hand over the legal responsibility of being an executor unless you formally renounce or appoint someone under a power of attorney. You can ask Alenity to take forward the notification work: notifying organisations, chasing replies and keeping records. Where the estate needs legal work, we can help you understand what to ask a specialist. You appoint and instruct them yourself.