Tony Legal Support · Sunderland
Probate and estate administration, with a clearer first step.
If you are dealing with the estate of someone who has died, we can help you organise the information, contact organisations and manage the practical administration - without expecting you to know every form or rule at the beginning.
Prefer to speak to us? 0191 565 6055
What happens first?
You do not need to have everything worked out before asking for help.
Probate can involve banks, property, pensions, investments, debts, utilities, beneficiaries and tax information. The first job is usually to identify what exists, what information is missing and who is entitled to deal with the estate.
There is a Will
We can help you organise the Will, executor details, estate information and the practical work needed around the administration.
There is no Will
The person entitled to administer the estate depends on the intestacy rules. We can help organise the information and explain the practical next steps.
Not sure if probate is needed
Not every estate needs a grant. Banks and other organisations have their own requirements, so the estate and the assets need to be considered first.
Free probate first-steps checker
Answer a few questions to see what information to gather next.
This is not a legal determination of whether probate is required. It is a simple preparation tool to help you understand what information may be useful before speaking to us.
Open the full free guideYour practical next step
Tell Tony Legal Support about the estateHow we can help
Practical support throughout the estate administration.
- Reviewing the information already available
- Helping identify assets and liabilities
- Contacting banks, pension providers, insurers and other organisations under appropriate authority
- Helping organise property and utility information
- Gathering estate financial records
- Organising beneficiary, debt and expense information
- Routine correspondence, telephone calls and chasing
- Practical support as the administration progresses
Our role and regulated work
Our service focuses on practical estate administration and non-reserved legal support. Executors and administrators can make their own probate application where appropriate. Where reserved probate work, contentious probate, conveyancing, regulated tax advice or another specialist service is required, we explain this so that an appropriately authorised professional can be involved.
A simple way to get organised
What the estate journey often looks like.
Gather the basics
Will, death certificate, family details and the organisations you already know about.
Identify assets & debts
Build a clearer picture of bank accounts, property, pensions, investments, liabilities and expenses.
Value & prepare
Work out the estate values and consider the probate and HMRC requirements that apply.
Administer the estate
After the appropriate grant, deal with assets, property, accounts, utilities, beneficiaries and the remaining administration.
Our probate & estate administration fees
Clear professional fees before work begins.
Our normal professional estate administration fee for estates valued at £400,000 or less, subject to a minimum professional fee of £1,500.
For smaller estates where 3% would otherwise fall below the minimum.
Estates above £400,000
We assess the estate and provide an individual fixed professional quotation before work begins.
Third-party costs, specialist valuations, probate application fees, Land Registry charges, postage/couriers and fees charged by other professionals are separate where required. Tony Legal Support is not currently VAT registered, so VAT is not added to our professional fees.
When extra care may be needed
Some estates are more complicated than they first appear.
Property, business or overseas assets
These can require additional valuation, tax, conveyancing or specialist work.
Missing information or beneficiaries
More searching, correspondence and evidence may be needed before the estate can be administered safely.
Disputes or questions about the Will
Contentious probate or litigation should be dealt with by an appropriately authorised legal professional.
Tell us what you know so far
Ask us about the estate.
You do not need to know every value or have every document. Give us a brief outline below and we can tell you whether our estate administration service may be suitable and what the next practical step would be.
Prefer to call? 0191 565 6055.
Your questions answered
Probate & estate administration FAQs
Does every estate need probate?
No. Whether a grant is needed depends on the assets and the requirements of the organisations holding them. Jointly owned assets may also pass differently depending on the ownership.
What is the difference between probate and estate administration?
A grant is one part of the process. Estate administration can also include valuing assets, contacting banks and other organisations, dealing with property and utilities, paying liabilities and expenses, and distributing the estate correctly.
Can I apply for probate myself?
Yes. Personal representatives can apply themselves where appropriate. Our service focuses on practical estate administration and helping organise the information and paperwork around the estate.
How long does probate take?
Timescales vary. GOV.UK says a grant is usually issued within around 12 weeks after an application is submitted, but it can take longer if more information is needed. The wider estate administration can take considerably longer depending on the assets and circumstances.
What if Inheritance Tax may be involved?
The estate must be valued before probate. Some estates require full details to be reported to HMRC using IHT400, and tax may need to start being paid before a grant is issued. If regulated tax advice is needed, an appropriate specialist should be involved.
What if there is no Will?
The closest entitled relative may be able to apply to administer the estate under the intestacy rules. We can help organise the practical estate information and explain when specialist advice may be required.
What if the estate is disputed?
We can assist with practical administration where appropriate, but contentious probate, litigation or disputes about the validity or interpretation of a Will may require an appropriately authorised solicitor or barrister.
Free first-steps guide
If you are not ready to contact us yet, use our free Probate & Estate Administration First Steps Guide to organise the information you already have.
Read the free guideOfficial guidance: Applying for probate - GOV.UK · Valuing an estate - GOV.UK
Tony Legal Support is a trading name of Paralegal Services Sunderland Ltd. We provide paralegal and legal support services and are not a firm of solicitors.