Estate value estimator
A few questions about what they owned, what they owed and what they gave away, to get a loose baseline for the estate. Nothing is saved unless you ask us to send it to you.
Did they own their home?
Property is usually the biggest single thing in an estate.
Common questions
What value does HMRC want for possessions?
Open market value on the date of death: what the item would realistically sell for, not what it cost new and not the insurance replacement value. That is why second-hand prices are the right starting point.
How much is a houseful of contents usually worth?
For a typical UK home, ordinary contents come to a few hundred to a couple of thousand pounds in total. Clothes, everyday furniture and kitchen goods are worth far less second hand than people expect. Jewellery, tools, antiques and collections are where the value usually sits.
Do joint accounts and jointly owned homes count?
Usually they pass straight to the surviving owner and sit outside probate, though the share can still count for inheritance tax. Note them, then check the ownership type before you rely on a figure.
Do I need a professional valuation?
For a house, and for any single item likely to be worth more than £500, yes. HMRC expects a proper valuation where an item materially affects the estate. Everything else can be a reasoned estimate you can explain.
Do gifts they made count?
Gifts made in the seven years before death can be added back for inheritance tax, so record them even though they are not part of the estate you now hold.
