Will/probate delays

aphek

I inherited my mother's flat when she died and am the sole beneficiary of her Will. I am selling the flat but have had a problem with the Will. My mother named my sister as the substitute executor and wrote my sister's maiden name in lower case letters, and then later added my sister's married name in capital letters. The Will was then signed in the presence of witnesses, at her solicitors, and then placed in the solicitor's safe.

This adjustment to the Will has resulted in a "fiat" will needing to be sent to the probate registrar. My solicitor says that they sent the "fiat" to the probate registry on June 10th this year but still haven't heard from them. Is this normal? After the "fiat" has been approved the application for probate can be made which I am sure will be another slow process. All the while the buyer of my flat is getting impatient and could pull out. Is there anything I can do to speed things up?

Mojisola

aphek wrote: »

I inherited my mother's flat when she died and am the sole beneficiary of her Will. I am selling the flat but have had a problem with the Will.

My mother named my sister as the substitute executor and wrote my sister's maiden name in lower case letters, and then later added my sister's married name in capital letters.

The Will was then signed in the presence of witnesses, at her solicitors, and then placed in the solicitor's safe.

I'm appalled that a solicitor would let an amended will be signed and witnessed!

John_Pierpoint

Presumably there are not IHT issues - as these have to be sorted out before probate.

It can vary wildly, depending on the probate office dealing with the application, in my case it took 2 months to get clearance from HMRC (they queried the house valuation via the Valuation Office Agency"), then it took a month to get the interview and a further fortnight for the grant of probate to arrive. That was central London.
A similar previous probate sworn at Lincoln and before the IHT 400 routines were introduced, took about a fortnight.