Verifying ID and Charity Donations

daydreaming_believer

2 questions if I may...

1) We are in the process of selling my late Uncle's house.  My dad, the sole beneficiary, has been asked by our solicitors to provide verified ID as we live nowhere near where the house is/the estate agents/the solicitors.  I understand this can be done by my solicitor then forwarded to them by post - is this correct?

2)  My Uncle died intestate so we are currently applying for Letters of Administration.  As part of the IHT400 form, section 92 asks for details of charitable donations that are tax deductable.  Is it possible to make donations from the estate if they died intestate or only if there is a will?  We know what charities he wanted donations to go to but he never made a will and wrote it down officially.

Thanks

eddddy

daydreaming_believer said:

1) We are in the process of selling my late Uncle's house.  My dad, the sole beneficiary, has been asked by our solicitors to provide verified ID as we live nowhere near where the house is/the estate agents/the solicitors.  I understand this can be done by my solicitor then forwarded to them by post - is this correct?

Strictly speaking, it's up to the individual solicitor to decide what is ID checking they will accept.

But it's likely to be a certified copy of a passport, and a certified copy of a utility bill or bank statement or similar showing a home address. It would be a solicitor that makes the certified copy, and signs it - they typically charge about £5 per document.

The big problem I find, is that very few solicitors will do certified copies (probably because it's not worth their while for £5). You might have to phone round a few solicitors to find one who will.

You then post the certified copies to the solicitor who requested them. (If the solicitor who receives the copies has any doubt that they are genuine, they can phone the solicitor who certified them to check.)

davidmcn

1. Generally solicitors will trust other solicitors to certify ID, but if in doubt about what exactly they need, best to ask.

2. I don't think intestacy makes a difference to the ability to vary where the estate is going in a more tax-efficient manner, so if it's a sole beneficiary and he's happy, yes in principle this can be done.