Many customers call Affinion Probate advising that they have been quoted thousands of pounds elsewhere to obtain Probate and administer an Estate. However, when discussing the details with the customer it is often the case that this is not what the customer actually needs, it’s just that they didn’t know there was another (and much less expensive) option!
At Affinion Probate we firmly believe in customer choice. For some customers, having the secure knowledge that a solicitor will be managing the entire Estate means that not only do they know that everything will be dealt with correctly and efficiently, they also don’t have the time burden sitting on their shoulders. However, for a lot of customers the Estates they are responsible for administering are relatively simple, and where this is the case using our Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration only service makes total sense as they can then administer the rest of the Estate themselves.
For example, a simple Estate Administration might have a property that needs to be sold or transferred to the new owner, a couple of bank accounts, and one or two beneficiaries. This is actually quite simple to administer, and as such in many cases the Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration only service is a very good option. Affinion can advise on how to close down the bank accounts, and we also offer property sales, conveyancing, and property transfer services as well should they be needed.
Full estate administration can be a sensible option in certain cases. These are:
- Complex Estate – where the Estate has, for example, many assets and liabilities, trusts, tax issues that need to be resolved
- High risk – particularly where there is likely to be inheritance tax to pay, using the full estate administration service means that in most cases the risk of incorrectly filing the inheritance tax returns is removed from the Executor / Administrator
- Time – where the executor doesn’t have the time to administer the Estate. It takes on average 50 hours of work to administer an Estate.
- Burden – for some people, the burden of responsibility to the Estate and beneficiaries is enough reason to choose the full Estate administration service
- Family / beneficiary / Executor tensions – where there are tensions between interested parties is can be very sensible to get a professional to administer the Estate. This eradicates the typical difficulties that can be faced in these scenarios.
Ultimately, the choice is an individual one. At https://www.affinionprobate.co.uk/ we always present the options and make a recommendation, however the choice is the customer’s. So if you have been to a solicitor and been quoted thousands of pounds, give Affinion Probate a call and see what other options might be available to you, it could save you thousands.
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