Genealogy Chat

I have sent £10 to get copy of a will a letter was sent back saying that it will remain effective for 6 months ? Well I know there is a will as my husband was left in it and was paid out beginning of the year does this mean they havnt got the will? I know the lady did a will and gave it to her solicitor do they then send it to the head office very confused here as I know what was in the will as the lady told me but when it came to pay out the figure did not match? Where do I go from here I can not find a number to ring? Thankyou foryour help

When the will is sent to probate a grant of representation is made and sent to the executors

The will becomes state property but you can get a copy of it through the probate office
I applied for one for the 1920,s paid my £10 and waited about a week for an email saying it was now downloadable

You go back into the probate website and put the name in again and then click on the link and the will comes up

It will only remain viewable for a time ,cant remember what it is now , so it's best to print it off
https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk/#wills

Just checked on the site and my hubby,s record comes up that I could pay for a copy of the will his was sent to probate in Jan 2016


Who did you send the £10 too and who sent the letter back

Also the will may say an amount but it won't have details of what the estate was actually worth

I suppose once you have the copy will you can query back with the executor , if it's a solicitors then they may have taken hefty charges out of the estate

That sounds a bit confusing.

Could it be possible that the Will hasn't yet been entered on the Probate data base, hence the '6 months'? There is a time lag, although apparently not very long.
https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk/#wills

Might the debts due from the Estate have reduced the funds to an extent that the Will couldn't be fulfilled as written? E.g. 10 people each to be given £2k (£20k in total) but after expenses/outstanding bills/income tax/pension overpayments the £20k had been reduced to £18k?

We are always advised here not to state a sum when making a will, but to use either "percentage of" or "number of" parts of the estate to be left to a, b, c etc

That's because one never knows how much will actually be in the estate by the time the person dies, all debts paid, executor(s) and other fees paid, etc etc.

Plus, before the will is settled, there might be a house to be sold (if still owned), art works, books, goods and chattels etc that could be sold if no-one wants them ............ all that money will be added to the estate. Who knows how much would be raised that way???


For example, we made our wills last year, once the survivor of us dies, the "estate" is to be divided in 10 parts .......... 3 parts to a trust fund for a, 4 parts to a trust fund for b, 2 parts to be divided between others, and 1 part to be divided between charities.

We could have divided it into 20 or 100 parts if we had so wanted! Or we could have said 30%, 40% etc


I bet what has happened in your case, Sidami, is that there was less money left in the estate after on the death of the lady and/or everything had been paid out than she had expected. That could depend largely on when she made the will!

I have been executor 3 times so far. Most recent was for a death in 2015.
Initially all stated beneficiaries were contacted and sent a copy of the will, which specified percentages of the residual (after specific bequests) to each person.

Finally each beneficiary was sent a copy of the Estate Account. Thus all knew the final valued of the estate.

Nobody should just accept an amount without any supporting data.

Sidami,

Has your husband asked the solicitors for a copy of the will and/or the estate account?

See the official words:-

https://www.gov.uk/wills-probate-inheritance/once-the-grants-been-issued

If my daughter is left money in a will, who makes sure it comes to her? Solicitor or next of kin? Thanks.

R Star, The Executor is ultimately responsible to ensure the legatee receives their bequest. Should they hire a solicitor, they would normally discuss the hows and may act on the Executor's behalf.

If your daughter is under the age of majority, one would assume that its sent to the parent(s) who has custody to invest on her behalf.

Thankyou for that link Shirley and Detective!! Easiest way to order, took me 20 seconds.

Still havent received email despite paying, if you've paid I suggest you keep an eye on it.