HOW WE CAN HELP YOU

The estate will then need to be administered. This means dealing with all the assets (such as property, personal possessions, shares), any bank accounts, paying any liabilities, including inheritance tax and income tax and finally distributing the remaining assets to the estate’s beneficiaries.

As accountants, we are already very well qualified and experienced in dealing with IHT tax calculations, completing, and filing tax forms and are often in the best position to assist.

At a time of bereavement, we can advise you what to do when a family member or loved one passes away, whether they have left a will or not.

As part of our probate service, we will deal sympathetically and efficiently with applying for a grant of probate and the administration of the estate, relieving you of the worry and responsibilities.

We offer a free, no obligation initial conversation to discuss your requirements and the likely cost of our fees.

Hollands Probate Limited is licensed by the Institute of Chartered accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) to carry out the reserved legal activity of non-contentious probate in England and Wales.

Both Directors can both provide this service – Kate Barry & Philip Barry

Our Services

We offer 3 levels of service depending upon your needs.

• we only apply for the grant of probate and you administer the estate yourself.*
• we complete HMRC form IHT400 and apply for the grant of probate and you administer the estate yourself.*
• A full probate service which includes completing HMRC form IHT400, applying for the grant of probate and the administration of the estate.*

*We reserve the right to review the fixed fee or hourly rate should circumstances out of our control come into play. We will be open, transparent, and timely with our conversations with you regarding this.

How long will it take?

This will depend on the complexities of each case; however, most estates are settled within 6 to 9 months. It typically takes 10-12 weeks to obtain the grant of probate and the remainder of the time to administer the estate. Timescales are often dependent on third parties such as the Probate Office and Financial Institutions.

Complaints

We aim to provide you with a fully satisfactory service and seek to ensure that this is so. We undertake to look into any complaint carefully and promptly and to do all we can to explain the position to you. We will acknowledge your letter within 10 business days of receipt and endeavour to deal with you complaint within 8 weeks.

If we’re unable to resolve your complaint internally, you may be able to refer it to the Legal Ombudsman, which investigates complaints about the services provided by firms providing legal services. The Ombudsman will expect you to have used our internal procedure in the first place.

The contact details for the Legal Ombudsman are:

T 0300 555 0333

Post Legal Ombudsman PO Box 6167 Slough SL1 0EH UK

E enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk

The time limits for referring a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman are:

• within six months of the firm’s final response;
• one year from the date of the act or omission being complained about; or
• one year from the date when the complainant should have realised that there was cause for complaint.

If your complaint relates to professional misconduct, rather than our service, and you are not satisfied with our response, you should contact our regulator ICAEW. Further information about how to raise a concern is available on their web page: How to make a complaint

Regulatory information

Hollands Probate Ltd is regulated by the ICAEW for probate services. The ICAEW administers a Legal Services Compensation Scheme to accord with the requirements of the Legal Services Act 2007.Hollands Probate Ltd retains professional indemnity insurance in line with regulatory requirements.