£850 + VAT

1. Basic fee

Estate of 1 property and up to 4 accounts

Estate of 1 property and from 4 up to 10 accounts

PLEASE NOTE: If there are over 10 bank accounts in the Estate the work will be provided at an hourly rate and we will provide you with an estimate of our fees.

There will be additional fees of

• £150.00 plus VAT for up to 3 shareholdings
• £250.00 plus VAT for 3-5 shareholdings
• £350.00 plus VAT 6-10 shareholdings

PLEASE NOTE: If there are more than 10 shareholdings the work will be provided at our hourly rate and we will provide you with an estimate of our additional fees

3. Additional fees – beneficiaries

There will be additional fees based on the number of beneficiaries as to the Estate

Please note that these fees can change and may not be payable – i.e. not relevant – in all Estate matters

• Court fee of £273.00
• Additional death Certificates – £11.00 each
• £1.50 for each office copy of the Grant required (1 per asset usually)
• Bankruptcy only – Land Charges searches – £1.00 (per name searched)
• Swearing of the Oath  – £7.00 (per Executor)
• Advertisement of the death of the deceased and the distribution of the Estate (this helps to protect against unknown or unexpected claims on the Estate) – the fees are not fixed and can range between £300.00 plus VAT – £500.00 plus VAT depending on the publications concerned

PLEASE NOTE

Other disbursements will be advised as required, for example:

• Accountant’s fee for potential Income Tax return (estimated £1750.00 – £3500.00 plus VAT)
• Asset tracing fee (estimated £1000.00 – £2500 plus VAT)
• Lost beneficiary (estimated £1000.00 – £3000.00 plus VAT)
• Lost share certificates and share registrar and/or sale agent fees on transfer or sale of the shares or re-issuing of uncashed dividends (estimated £200.00 – £750.00 plus plus)

We do not carry out conveyancing work and the sale of any property will incur additional fees. We will obtain quotes from other Solicitors for your consideration as required. We are unable to speculate on what such fees will be at this stage as the fee will be based on the value of the property, the registration of the transaction at HM Land Registry, the complexity of the transaction etc

6. Property transfers

Transfers of property (into the names of beneficiaries for example) where there is no actual sale will incur additional fees for which a quote from other Solicitor can be provided should this be required.

Work will be carried out by Nicola Brooks, a Partner. Nicola completed her legal training at Knights & Sons in Newcastle under Lyme (now Knights plc) and qualified as a Solicitor in 1992. She has dealt with a large number of Estates of various complexity and value throughout her legal career and attends relevant professional development courses annually.

Nicola will (but the steps are not limited to those below):

• Obtain the relevant information and clarify the assets and debts of the Estate and make contact with beneficiaries, financial institutions and other relevant parties
• Draft the Oath for swearing to make the application for the Grant
• Apply for the issue of the Grant to HM Courts and Tribunal Service and complete any necessary Inheritance Tax forms (where the Estate is less than £325,000.00) and deal with any necessary enquiries
• Advertise the death of the deceased and the distribution of the Estate in relevant publications
• Obtain the Grant and send to relevant financial institutions to release or collect in the assets and pay the debts of the Estate
• Refer to a Property Solicitor for any necessary property issues to be dealt with
• Prepare the Estate Accounts
• Distribute the remaining assets in accordance with the Will or laws of intestacy

On average, Estates that fall within the category above are dealt with within 6-12 months. The Grant can take on average 8 – 16 weeks (delays in HM Courts and Tribunal Service occur) to be issued from application being made ( but this can be longer)