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Wills and intestacy

What is a Will, and Why Does it Matter for Probate?

A Will is a legal document in which a person sets out their wishes for how their estate should be managed and distributed after their death. It names the Executor(s) responsible for carrying out those wishes and identifies who should receive what.

What makes a Will valid?

  • It must be in writing
  • It must be signed by the person making the Will in the presence of two independent witnesses, both present at the same time
  • Both witnesses must sign in the presence of the testator

The witnesses must be independent. A Beneficiary (or their spouse or civil partner) cannot validly witness the Will without risking their gift.

Why does it matter for Probate?

With a valid Will, an Executor applies for a Grant of Probate and distributes the estate in accordance with the Will’s instructions. Without a valid Will, the estate is intestate, a relative applies for Letters of Administration, and the estate is distributed according to the Rules of Intestacy, which may not reflect the deceased’s wishes.

Finding the original Will

The original Will (not a copy) must be submitted to the Probate Registry. Check the deceased’s home, contact their solicitor, search the National Will Register (Certainty.co.uk), and check whether the Will was deposited with the Probate Service. YouCanDoProbate handles Probate both with and without a Will.

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Trustpilot five star rating
You Really Can Do Probate Yourself !

After receiving a very expensive quote from a local solicitors I found this website and as an administrator myself thought how hard can this be. I read the reviews and watched the video before I purchased to make sure it was right for me. I followed the on-line steps and filled in the questions so a little bit of time and effort is required. I had 2 x queries which were dealt with within the hour once on the phone and once by email. Once the forms were complete, I printed off and posted to HMCTS Probate. I had an email from them confirming receipt on 19th June and I received an email yesterday 26th June telling me Probate had been granted so this website has done exactly what I needed it to do.

LCrown
Trustpilot five star rating
Excellent package

Excellent package easy to follow and good help service if needed – probate obtained in six weeks – thankyou

mark
Trustpilot five star rating
You Can Do Probate has saved me thousands

You Can Do Probate has saved me thousands of pounds. The system is incredibly easy to use. You do need to do your research so that you can answer the questions honestly and accurately, but everything you need is either included in the guidance in the system itself or readily available on the gov.uk website. The system also does a “sanity check” before you commit to paying for the license, to check that the system is suitable for your specific needs. So, you know before you commit whether the system is suitable for your specific circumstances. I submitted the forms prepared for me by You Can Do Probate and received my grant of probate 7 weeks later. Very happy.

JEH Executors
Trustpilot five star rating
Excellent programme

Excellent programme, very easy to use. Probate granted in 6 weeks with no problems. Highly recommend and would use again. Saved a FORTUNE on solicitors.

Keith
Trustpilot five star rating
Excellent solution

Excellent solution Easy no nonsense approach to take you through the process

Sarah
Trustpilot five star rating
First class platform, service and support

Probably like so many, probate can be a little daunting once you start to look into it, so I did a little google search and came across YouCanDoProbate. Initially I was suspect, you have to be, but carrying out my own research everything came back good, so gave them a call. I can honestly say they are so so helpful and there online forms make the process so simple with the added benefit of having someone available (an actual person) should you need to either question something or looking for advise. The whole process to less thank 4 hours (with a few queries). All the forms, you actually need, are then printed off for you and or other executors to sign. Today, two and a half weeks since they were sent in, I received an email stating probate has been approved – wow. I’m so glad I went down this route, it removed so much headache and worry and I cannot recommend this service highly, hence 5 stars from me. Maybe the government should use the same platform, oh and lets not forget about the cost if you opt to use a solicitor, £499 to complete the forms and then another £300 for the court applcation/certification

Jason Whittaker
Trustpilot five star rating
YCDP gave me the control I desired

After the death of my beloved Father, I didn’t want the costly, frustrating, time consuming process of dealing with solicitors regarding what I thought was a legal process. It is in fact an administrative task which everyone is capable of doing. I decided to go ahead with YCDP and if it was sucessful for me I would share my experience so that everyone could make YCDP their first consideration before speaking to solicitors. The Support team/Tom are 10 out of 10 as they helped me with all my questions right from the start and along the journey. I have never experienced service support of this high standard EVER across any section.

K S WILLIS
Trustpilot five star rating
I was dreading Probate but ‘You Can Do…

I was dreading Probate but ‘You Can Do Probate’ really made things easier. If I had any problems I could request a call to help me with questions. I requested a call about 3 times, and each time somebody call me and sorted out my questions and put my mind as ease. I think I spoke to Tom a couple of times very helpful. You can do bits at a time you don’t have to do the whole thing all at once. Thoroughly recommend. Glad I came across this site.

Anne-Marie
Trustpilot five star rating
I thoroughly recommend

YCDP really took the stress (as well as quite a lot of admin) out of the Probate application process. Very simple to follow, with clear instructions, and easy-to-follow User Guide. Thorough prompting ensures that you complete everything necessary at each stage before being allowed to print the final Probate application form. I only had to call for support once and my question was dealt with quickly and efficiently.

Chris Kuch
Trustpilot five star rating
Extremely helpful

Extremely helpful, friendly and super fast. I went to several solicitors and companies that offer probate – they were all so expensive. YOU DON’T NEED ANYONE. This is an amazing, user friendly system with as much support as you need. Highly reecommended.

Adrian Jones
Trustpilot five star rating
Simple to use & follow

A very straightforward process to follow that demystifies the complexities when dealing with someone’s estate. Yes, you have to do a lot of the leg work in gathering the information first but you may well have to do that anyway when dealing with a solicitor. I found the website simple to use with an easy step by step process. The support information and guides were very helpful. When I did have an issue with printing the IHT forms, raising a ticket was easy and I had a response within an hour. It is a very affordable price that has saved us thousands of pounds. It would be good if you could now integrate using the online Probate application process rather than print out the forms in the future. Very recommended.

Heather Roberts
Trustpilot five star rating
I found the platform very helpful

I found the platform very helpful. I was especially impressed with the help desk capability – very timely and helpful.

Mike
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£499

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Additional costs: The probate registry fee of £526 (for all estates over £5,000) and any additional official copies at £2 each. (Payable directly to HM Courts and Tribunals Service by cheque or postal order, enclosed with your application forms).
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© YouCanDoProbate • YouCanDoProbate is a trading name of Kabing Ltd.
YouCanDoProbate is an online platform providing legal forms and information. YouCanDoProbate is not a law firm and is not regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). Our online probate and inheritance tax service is an online platform providing probate and inheritance tax forms and information to allow you to complete inheritance tax returns and apply for probate yourself. Our telephone, email and livechat support provides guidance only, we do not provide bespoke advice, including estate planning or tax advice and it is not a substitute for a lawyer’s advice about complex estate planning or tax issues.
© Kabing Ltd | All Rights Reserved. Company number 12125399.

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