We can help you with:
- Making a will
- Lasting or ordinary Powers of Attorney
- Probate applications
Why should I make a will?
- If you want to decide who inherits your property
- If you wish to appoint guardians to look after your children
- If you prefer to minimise your inheritance tax liability
- If you want to control the age that youngsters inherit your property
- If you want to provide for a spouse or partner
then you need to make a will. The law sets out particular rules about which family members are entitled to receive your property if you do not make a will, and these rules may not give the results that you expect. Making a will and directing how your property is distributed will avoid such problems.
How do I make a will?
Contact me, Stephen Gadd TEP at gilliangadd@btinternet.com or phone me on 01293 553434 to make an appointment. Normally I will send you a client will questionnaire to complete. We will then meet up at our Horsham or Crawley office, and a draft document will then be sent to you.
Stephen holds the prestigious STEP Advanced Certificate in Will Preparation (Cert AWP accreditation) and has over 30 years’ experience in will writing, obtaining probate and estate administration.
How much will it cost me?
Our standard fee for making a will is around £225 plus VAT for a single will and £395 plus VAT for a married couple. VAT at standard rate is chargeable on all our fees.
Powers of attorney
For a person who is worried about who will look after their affairs for them if they cannot do so by themselves or for family members who have a relative who is becoming infirm, I can prepare a Lasting Power of Attorney, which gives one or more people the power to deal with your financial affairs on your behalf, subject to whatever limitations or restrictions that you impose. I can also prepare a different Lasting Power of Attorney, by which you can appoint one or more people to make decisions for you about your health, care and welfare if you become unable to do this yourself.
How much will it cost me?
Our standard fee for preparing and registering a Lasting power of Attorney is from £375 and £450 plus VAT for 2 powers of attorney. VAT at standard rate is chargeable on all our fees.
Contact me, Stephen Gadd, on 01403 262520 or 01293 553434 or at gilliangadd@btinternet.com or at gillian@gilliangadd.com
How much will it cost me?
Probate costs
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.
We will handle the full process for you.
Fees between £995 plus VAT and £1,795 plus VAT can be anticipated in matters where:-
There is a valid will
There is no more than one property
There are no more than 4 bank or building society accounts
There are no other intangible assets
There are less than 4 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 is no inheritance tax payable and the executors do not need to submit a full account to HMRC
There are no claims made against the estate
Disbursements in addition to our fees can include:
Probate application fee of £155-160 (currently under review by HM Government)
£7 Swearing of the oath (per executor)
Bankruptcy-only Land Charges Department searches (£2 per beneficiary)
£110 Post in The London Gazette – Protects against unexpected claims from unknown creditors.
£150-250 Post in a Local Newspaper – This also helps to protect against unexpected claims.
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.
Potential additional costs
If there is no will or the estate consists of any share holdings (stocks and bonds) there is likely to be additional costs that could range significantly depending on the estate and how it is to be dealt with. We can give you a more accurate quote once we have more information.
Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included.
How long will this take?
On average, estates that fall within this range are dealt with within 3-12 months. Typically, obtaining the grant of probate takes 4-18 weeks.
As part of our probate service 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
Draft a legal oath for you to swear
Make the application to the Probate Court on your behalf
Obtain the Probate and securely send two copies to you
