When an executor feels the will now doesnt reflect deceased wishes.

Owain_Moneysaver

Uxb wrote: »

If any charity want to start getting copies of every single will at £10 per throw on the off chance that they might just maybe possibly be mentioned, that is a fair amount of money they are going to be in effect chucking in the bin.

Every week each individual Probate Registry sends all the Grants issued to Smee and Ford by bulk postage, who read them all and notify those charities who pay Smee and Ford for the service.

Our legacy notification services ensure that charities receive timely information on specific legacies left to them, or notification of money left in wills or trusts for unspecified charitable purposes. Our dedicated and highly skilled team of reporters read over 5,000 wills every week to ensure that our clients benefit from the most up-to-date information.

https://smeeandford.com/aboutus [my emphasis]

Established for more than 150 years, Smee & Ford are uniquely placed to offer analysis of all charitable legacy giving in Britain. All Wills that pass through probate are analysed and recorded giving a complete picture of the legacy landscape in England, Scotland & Wales.

The Smee & Ford database contains attribute data for all estates that go through Probate in England, Wales & Scotland. About 260,000 estates pass through probate each year and we record the name, address, date of death, age at death (where known), gender and size of estate for each person.

The database currently holds in excess of 1.7 million records (containing over 200,000 charitable estates) and is continuously growing. The historical data goes back to 2007 for all probated estates including charitable estates with legacies by cause(s) supported, giving full insight into the type of legator that favours each type of charity.

https://smeeandford.com/methodology

The amount paid by Smee and Ford to the Probate Registry for this access is not disclosed by the Probate Registry on grounds of 'commercial confidentiality'.

In a front-page article today, the newspaper said that large charities including the RSPCA, the WWF-UK and Age UK were using the services of Smee & Ford, a company that provides alerts about potential legacies, to track down bequests.

The Times investigation found on one occasion a grieving daughter was sent a letter by the RSPCA asking whether her father was dead yet. The letter was sent four months after the daughter’s mother had died.

...

A spokeswoman for WWF-UK said that it pays a nominal fee to Smee & Ford to use its services

https://www.thirdsector.co.uk/charities-defend-use-legacies-service-following-times-investigation/fundraising/article/1377494

Uxb

That's all interesting thank you

I'm currently the executor of one that leaves a lot to a significant charity.
Obviously we are waiting the 6 months after probate date before any distribution is considered to allow for any claims to crawl out from under a stone under the inheritance and dependents act.
We have not yet been contacted by the charity demanding their wodge.
So either
1 They don't yet care - given the amount I doubt that!
2. The searches and scans of the probated wills have missed us out.
3. The charity does not subscribe/pay for the service from S&F.
3. My and the maybe the solicitors I'm using reputations as grade A1 arrseholes has got round and they know not to play clever games.

Indeed we are now at the point where we intend to write to the charity informing them of the legacy and opening "discussions" over its use - without telling them of the exact amount.

Yorkshireman99

Uxb wrote: »

That's all interesting thank you

I'm currently the executor of one that leaves a lot to a significant charity.
Obviously we are waiting the 6 months after probate date before any distribution is considered to allow for any claims to crawl out from under a stone under the inheritance and dependents act.
We have not yet been contacted by the charity demanding their wodge.
So either
1 They don't yet care - given the amount I doubt that!
2. The searches and scans of the probated wills have missed us out.
3. The charity does not subscribe/pay for the service from S&F.
3. My and the maybe the solicitors I'm using reputations as grade A1 arrseholes has got round and they know not to play clever games.

Indeed we are now at the point where we intend to write to the charity informing them of the legacy and opening "discussions" over its use - without telling them of the exact amount.

What is there to discuss? AFAIK it is not the executor's job.

troubleinparadise

Yorkshireman99 wrote: »

What is theree to discuss? AFAIK it is not the executor's job.

The task of the executor is onerous enough already without having to get involved in how legacies are to be used!

Owain_Moneysaver

It is, but the problem can arise if the Will directs the legacy to be used for a specific purpose, and if there is a competing legatee who also wants the money.

The executor may have to demonstrate that the bequest was made in accordance with the conditions in the Will.