Probate matters

---

Our team has over 15 years of collective experience in delivering high quality work in all matters relating to wills and estate administration.

We have three members of the team who may work on your matter. Regardless of who works on your matter, they will be supervised by Mr HCS Perera, Principal Partner.

Mr HCS Perera – Solicitor/ Principal Partner

Mr Perera is the head of our team and has over 15 years' experience in private client work, specialising in wills and probate. Mr Perera has been working in this area since he qualified and has helped hundreds of families and individuals.

Katarzyna (Katrina) Khezour – Paralegal - (Polish Speaking)

Katarzyna completed her Legal Practice Course at the BPP Law School in London and holds a Graduate Diploma in Law (CPE) from the University of Westminster. She has also read law and administration at the University of Warsaw in Poland and holds a Masters degree in Roman Jurisprudence from Polish University Abroad in London.

Katrina joined Rest Harrow in February 2011 as a paralegal/caseworker and has been assisting Mr. HCS Perera, the principal partner with probate matters, residential/commercial property, civil litigation, immigration, employment and family matters.

Thilagini (Thili) Anandajeyarajah – Solicitor

Thili qualified as a Solicitor in October 2020. Thili completed her Legal Practise Course and Graduate Diploma in Law at the University of Law, Guildford, she also has an undergraduate degree in Health and Social Care with Criminal Justice from Nottingham Trent University and has completed the Graduate Diploma in Law and the Legal Practice Course at the University of law in Guildford. Thili joined the firm as a paralegal in November 2018. Thili works predominately in Conveyancing matters (commercial/residential), Wills and Probate, Immigration, Family and Civil Litigation. 

Probate Matters

Rest Harrow Solicitors provides this service for a fixed fee when applying for the grant of probate and charges betwen2% of the value of the estate when administering the estate.

Applying for the grant and administering the estate

We can help you through this difficult process by obtaining the Grant of Probate on your behalf.

The exact cost will depend on the individual circumstances of the matter. For example, if there is one beneficiary and no property, costs will be at the lower end of the range. If there are multiple beneficiaries, a property and multiple bank accounts, costs will be at the higher end.

How much does this service cost?

TOTAL:

• A Fixed Fee of £1,400 plus VAT (£280) = £1,680
• Our fee in regard to preparing and filing HM Revenue and Customs tax forms (IHT 400 and schedules): £450 plus VAT (£90) = £540
• Administering the estate between 1.5% - 3% of the value of the estate
• In the event that we have to submit a correct return to HM Revenue and Customs we will charge a further £350 plus VAT (£70) = £420
• In the event that the matter is contested we will charge at our hourly rates as each matter will differ per case: 

1. Solicitors and legal executives with over 8 years experience: £282 plus VAT (£56.40) = £338.40

2. Solicitors and legal executives with over 4 years experience: £232 plus VAT (£46.40) = £278.40

3. Other Solicitors or legal executives and fee earners of equivalent experience: £185 plus VAT (£37) = £222

4. Trainee solicitors, paralegals and other fee earners: £129 plus VAT (£25.80) = £154.80

Disbursements: 

1. Probate Court Fee: £155

2. Per copy of a grant: £1.50

3. Bankruptcy Searches: £2 per Beneficiary

4. Where necessary a post in the Gazette to protect against unexpected claims from unknown creditors: up to £262.50

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as court fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

The above fees include: Obtaining the grant of probate and administering the estate.

We will handle the full process for you. This quote is for estates where:

• There is a valid will
• There is no more than one property
• There are no more than 2 bank or building society accounts
• There are no other intangible assets
• There are 1-2 beneficiaries
• There are no disputes between beneficiaries on division of assets. If disputes arise this is likely to lead to an increase in costs
• There are no claims made against the estate

As part of our fixed fee we will:

• Provide you with a dedicated and experienced probate solicitor to work on your matter
• Identify the legally appointed executors or administrators and beneficiaries
• Accurately identify the type of Probate application you will require
• Obtain the relevant documents required to make the application
• Complete the Probate Application and the relevant HMRC forms
• Make the application to the Probate Court on your behalf
• Obtain the Probate and securely send copies to you

On average, estates that fall within this range are dealt with within 8-12 weeks. Typically, obtaining the grant of probate takes about 10 weeks.

If you instruct us to administer the estate for a price of between 1.5% -3% of the value of the estate then:

• Collecting assets then follows, which can take between 3 – 8 months. Once this has been done, we can distribute the assets, which can normally take up to 8 weeks.