Probate is often seen as a time consuming and complex legal process filled with stresses and worries for a certain length of time. This month, we address one of the main questions that are commonly asked, how long does the Probate process take?
What is Probate and do I have to apply for it?
When a person passes away, they will often leave assets in many different forms that they wish to be shared and distributed amongst individual beneficiaries. These assets can take the form of money or property, but can often be title to online accounts, investments and subscriptions. Probate is a legal process that unlocks the deceased’s persons assets so that they can be distributed amongst the various beneficiaries. If the deceased has no assets, then an application for Probate may not be required.
How long does the Probate process take?
The length of the Probate process depends entirely on a number of often uncontrollable factors, whether the deceased had or had not written a registered Will, and varies on a case-to-case basis.
Firstly, the volume and intricacy of the deceased’s estate will play a large part in the length of time it will take to pass through Probate. If there are any disagreements about the contents within the Will, this will also add additional time. All involved executors and beneficiaries should be aware of the passing and also be in contact with each other. These factors combined could result in the Probate process taking anything from a few weeks to a number of months. In rare cases, extremely valuable assets and complicated challenges could allow this process to stretch over a number of years.
The first step of the Probate process is to complete the application. Either with or without a Will, this could take anything up to eight weeks, with all above factors considered. You will then need to await the confirmation and approval of Probate which could then take an additional six weeks – again, this time frame could be elongated due to the aforementioned factors which differ from case-to-case.
If you have any further queries on the Probate process or would like to see how we could support you through this challenging time, get in touch with our friendly team at Probate London by calling 020 8017 1029 or emailing info@probatelondon.co.uk where we will be happy to assist.
