Probate purchase - Timescale help

Glover1862

Please can someone help, I'm buying a probate property which I was told was in the final stages of Probate and will be 4-6 weeks before probate is granted, solicitors not responding to give timeframe, my concern is that my Mortgage offer expires in 5 weeks, this was the update today.

The last update they have as to the calculation of inheritance tax from HMRC had now been received and as such the Probate Registry were awaiting receipt of the tax clearance certificate from HMRC to enable them to issue the Grant.  They are ascertaining whether this has now been received.

Does anyone have any idea if we are near the end of the process and roughly how long it may be, obviously I don't expect an accurate answer, just an estimate, ie days, weeks or still months? 

canaldumidi

Could be a couple of weeks.

Or a couple of months. Or much longer.

With probate there's really no way to be sure till it's granted.

Sure, you can get an estimate of the turn-around time at the Probate Office once submitted, and assuming it's all in order, but there are other variables. so be prepared for it to potentially take longer.

Who 'told you' 4-6 weeks? An EA?

Usually safer for both buyer and seller to take no action till the Grant is received.

propertyhunter

I've been in this position when the vendor died midway through the conveyancing process and I had applied for the mortgage. Your problem is that rates will have likely increased since applying and you want to complete ASAP. 

I would look at these threads on the probate forum for a sense of timelines others are experiencing. The probate office is able to turn things around within 8 weeks of acknowledging an application it seems. However, each case is individual and you and the executors will have no real clue until its happened.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6363017/probate-problems

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6361730/probate-no-will-timescales#latest

HOWEVER, people are getting success but prompting the probate office to look at their application if it's after the 8 week timeline using this chat link: https://www.apply-for-probate.service.gov.uk/avaya-webchat. I would give this to your EA and ask them to ask the executors to use it to prompt the probate office into action. Someone this week had probate granted while actually in the middle of a webchat: https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6365143/probate-was-granted-while-i-was-in-the-web-chat-with-them#latest