Q. My grandfather died four years ago. I am his only relative, so I had to take out the probate. The last I heard from my solicitor was to sign forms setting out a list of beneficiaries and assets that I signed last August. I have not heard anything since. It has taken this length of time, is there anything I can do to hurry it up? The solicitor did say it was quite complex.
Dear Reader,
Firstly, your current solicitor should be your first port of call. It is possible, indeed it is highly likely, that your solicitor is actively progressing matters and is simply not ready to move to the next stage.
The first step in any probate is to gather together a valuation of assets, which might include writing to various banks, credit unions, as well as obtaining valuations and taking up copies of title deeds for various property.
You have also been asked for a list of beneficiaries of the estate. Again, your solicitor will have to obtain various documents from each beneficiary – including the name, address, date of birth, relationship to the deceased and details of any prior inheritances they may have taken. These are required for submission as part of this estate.
If there are any beneficiaries who live outside the estate, they would have to apply for an Irish PPSN – this is a process which can sometimes take some time.
It is only when all those items are dealt with can your solicitor move on to the next stage, which is preparing probate papers for submission to the courts and Revenue Commissioners. It can take upwards of four months for probate to be processed – and that is in the simplest of cases and again that can only happen once all other relevant details are in and have been processed.
Once probate has been granted, your solicitor will then move to gather together the assets of the estate. It may of course be necessary that property be sold/transferred. Thereafter they will then proceed to draft completion statement and assist you in dealing with the tax affairs of the estate (although, of course, any tax issues should be dealt with by an accountant).
The above is the ideal, and any complicating factor can of course delay matters. If you are in any way concerned you should contact your solicitor and try and obtain a time scale from them.