Grant of Probate lost in post... twice!

bar0n1

I got Probate granted via email on the 13th December and told "The Grant and copies will arrive in the post within the next 10 working days".. So I waited, they never arrived.

I contacted them on the 11th January on the phone and got told they must have been lost and they will resend them immediately.

Now, more than a week later, still nothing. I rang them again today and all they can say is I have to wait a few more working days as it will "probably turn up" and if it doesn't they will send it out again!!

I'm so frustrated.. I am getting other post regularly, they confirmed my address on the phone, I cannot use online copies for Banks and selling my Dad's house.. All I can do is keep waiting and call them every 2 weeks. They don't track it either - it's all delivered standard first class.

Is ANYONE else going through the same right now? I'm losing my sanity here.

Thanks

Tucosalamanca

Almost certainly down to Royal Mail, rather than Probate Office.
I think the issues are where it's sent from and bottlenecks in the system, as some mail seems to arrive as normal.
I'm still waiting for mail from beginning of December although most overdue has arrived in the last few days, so you're certainly not alone

tanmich

We applied through our solicitor for letters of administration on 22nd July 2022 and it was granted on 6th December but no paperwork yet received. Solicitor queried this with the Probate office a week ago and was informed that due to printing problems it will take another 20 days for the hard copy to arrive. You simply can't make it up, any excuse is given and we too are losing our sanity as well as the buyer of the property.

Pennylane

I was informed by email that our application for Probate had finally been approved and we would get the Grant within a certain time. It arrived 2 days later!  Mind you that was before the postal strikes.  I received a first class letter from a relative  just a day or so before Xmas and it had been posted on 6 Dec.  A letter from Czech Republic  was posted 8 Dec and I received that after the New Year.  It is frustrating but it can only be the post that’s the problem! 

Beano456

Given the cost of a probate application you'd have thought they'd use some of that cost to at least return the docs using a secure postal method like they do with passports. I had my probate docs arrive on Tuesday. An A4 envelope battered and ripped with the 8 copies I ordered half hanging out! 

poppystar

Beano456 said:

Given the cost of a probate application you'd have thought they'd use some of that cost to at least return the docs using a secure postal method like they do with passports. I had my probate docs arrive on Tuesday. An A4 envelope battered and ripped with the 8 copies I ordered half hanging out! 

Ditto - even using some of the money to buy decent strong envelopes would be a step forward.

They could learn a lot from the Passport Office in many ways!

Pennylane

Beano456 said:

Given the cost of a probate application you'd have thought they'd use some of that cost to at least return the docs using a secure postal method like they do with passports. I had my probate docs arrive on Tuesday. An A4 envelope battered and ripped with the 8 copies I ordered half hanging out! 

Very true.  although mine arrived quickly and undamaged it arrived in a plain white A5 envelope just ordinary mail and the Grant was folded in half.  I was surprised that an important and vital document arrived like that. 

Book707

bar0n1 said:

I got Probate granted via email on the 13th December and told "The Grant and copies will arrive in the post within the next 10 working days".. So I waited, they never arrived.

I contacted them on the 11th January on the phone and got told they must have been lost and they will resend them immediately.

Now, more than a week later, still nothing. I rang them again today and all they can say is I have to wait a few more working days as it will "probably turn up" and if it doesn't they will send it out again!!

I'm so frustrated.. I am getting other post regularly, they confirmed my address on the phone, I cannot use online copies for Banks and selling my Dad's house.. All I can do is keep waiting and call them every 2 weeks. They don't track it either - it's all delivered standard first class.

Is ANYONE else going through the same right now? I'm losing my sanity here.

Thanks

I joined this forum specifically to share your frustration. I'm in exactly the same boat as you - approved via email on 13th December and nothing since. Chased on the 14th January and the copies were apparently re-sent... today's post has just arrived and once again it's not the post I want. I am still within the 10 day time frame before I can chase again but all other post is arriving on time now, so I am rather puzzled. Has the probate registry even sent it?!

Let me know if you've had any more joy... I'm clinging on to any hope I can. A property is ready to exchange pending receipt of the grant, so there are lots of frustrated parties!

tanmich

Still nothing received yet for us, ours was granted on 6th December.

bar0n1

I rang probate again today (11 working days after the second "lost in post"). I got the same fob off about Royal Mail Strikes affecting deliveries and told to wait until the end of the week whereby they would "Investigate to see if it's been tracked with the local office".. This is after the guy telling me last week its not at all tracked. I asked (politely) if they could escalate this now or resend and got cut off.

meggiemike

I'm in the same situation, I had an email on the 12th of Dec confirming Letters of Administration had been approved and that the documents would be in the post.  The documents didn't arrive.
I phoned the probate office last Thursday the 19th of Jan, they agreed to send out a fresh batch but to allow 2 weeks for them to arrive, even giving me a date of 2nd of Feb.
It's telling that they have a preamble on their answer machine acknowledging there is a problem with post deliveries. Clearly a lot of people have been affected, personally I doubt the fault it is all down to Royal Mail.