Probate - how long?

polar_pig

SnowMan said:

Just over 9 weeks in and I've now received today the dreaded email from the probate registry to say that further information is required.

I got my email query from the probate office after 8 weeks

'the original codicil bears tears on all right centre page'.

They've ignored the explanation and used it as an excuse to stop the case.

With mine they said I was a "substitute executor" and therefore not able to apply and stopped the case. I rang them. They had read the initial clause about my Dad being executor, but ignored the next clause that stated if my Dad was no longer alive, I was to become executor. When I pointed this out there was a short silence and then they just asked me to email a copy of my Dad's death certificate! I pointed out that I had confirmed that I was using the inherited NRB from my Dad in the application. The case was then restarted within the day.

I've sent my reply but as we know it goes to the back of the queue now

Feeling really miserable as I know this will drag on for months now.

I asked if I would now go to the back of the queue. They assured me it wouldn't! It took 14.5 weeks in the end.

It's tempting to think that they just "find a problem" to put it on the stopped list to make their processing stats look better. But, maybe, I shouldn't attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by incompetence.

Anyway, good luck, hope it comes through soon.

SnowMan

polar_pig said:

Anyway, good luck, hope it comes through soon.

Thanks polar-pig.

That is interesting to hear your experience, as it is shows their lack of expertise on quite a basic issue as they were shown to be unequivocally wrong. Terrible that you were put through that.

SnowMan

Does anyone know if they stop the application for further information and email you and ask you to reply to their general email address and you do reply by email with this further information

a) does the status on the online system ever change from 'We need more information from you to progress your application' to something like 'we are waiting to look at the further information you have provided' or does it just stick on the 'we need more information' status?

b) or do you get any other for example email acknowledgement that they have received the email with the further information?

c) or do you have to hope that they have got the email and will respond to it at some unknown later date way in the future, and you get no acknowledgement and you can't do anything to check until 16 weeks after the application has gone in at which point you can try to get through on their helpline number?

GoogleMeNow

SnowMan said:

Does anyone know if they stop the application for further information and email you and ask you to reply to their general email address and you do reply by email with this further information

a) does the status on the online system ever change from 'We need more information from you to progress your application' to something like 'we are waiting to look at the further information you have provided' or does it just stick on the 'we need more information' status?

b) or do you get any other for example email acknowledgement that they have received the email with the further information?

c) or do you have to hope that they have got the email and will respond to it at some unknown later date way in the future, and you get no acknowledgement and you can't do anything to check until 16 weeks after the application has gone in at which point you can try to get through on their helpline number?

I have provided the further information HMCTS requested by email (last Wednesday).  The status on the online system hasn't changed at all.  Still says "We need more information from you to progress your application", exactly the same as it has been since the 8th November (waited till 24th January to receive the email - after asking for it).  This is what causes applicants to chase.  If they did update the status to acknowledge they've received the further information, you'd know that something was being done.

At the moment I'm hoping they've got the email and will respond - I was told it would be looked at within 10 working days, so I'll be phoning again once that's passed.

GoogleMeNow

SnowMan said:

The Probate Registry are going to make it even more difficult for applicants to contact them by reducing the helpline hours to 9am to 1pm from 14th February. So if your application is stopped and you don't know why, you have to wait 16 weeks and then you've got even less chance of getting through on the phone

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/hmcts-weekly-operational-summary

Maybe, just maybe, it's so they can actually get on with the work and catch up with the backlog, rather than speak to disgruntled applicants (like me) who will hassle them on a regular basis, now the 16 weeks has passed!

Mikey_JB

GoogleMeNow said:

SnowMan said:

The Probate Registry are going to make it even more difficult for applicants to contact them by reducing the helpline hours to 9am to 1pm from 14th February. So if your application is stopped and you don't know why, you have to wait 16 weeks and then you've got even less chance of getting through on the phone

Maybe, just maybe, it's so they can actually get on with the work and catch up with the backlog, rather than speak to disgruntled applicants (like me) who will hassle them on a regular basis, now the 16 weeks has passed!

...in which case, and speaking as a fellow disgruntled applicant who has now been waiting for more than sixteen weeks, maybe that's not a bad thing...??  

SnowMan

Don't want to say too much at this stage. But there has been a hugely promising turn of events following me contacting my MP. So I'd definitely recommend doing that although it's dependant on how good a constituency MP you have.

I also mentioned the halving in hours of the helpline and that is now being passed on to a ministerial correspondence team for a response.

  

SnowMan

The grant of probate has been issued today (9 weeks 6 days after probate application submitted on 1st December, and 3 days after it was stopped)

This is the timeline. The estate is one where the inheritance tax forms IHT400 and IHT421 are required but no inheritance tax is payable. I applied for probate online as named executor

4th Nov 2023: IHT400 and IHT421 posted to HMRC special delivery

6th Nov : IHT400 and IHT421 arrived at HMRC and mail signed for

27th Nov: Letter from HMRC sent to me to say they had emailed IHT421 to HMCTS probate

1st Dec: Above letter from HMRC received

1st Dec: Probate application submitted online to the probate registry (HMCTS probate)

2nd Dec: Will and codicils sent special delivery to Harlow document scanning centre

4th Dec: Will and codicils arrived at Harlow and signed for

11th Dec: Email from HMCTS probate to say they have received the documents (will and codicils)

5th Feb: Email to say case stopped because of a minor tear to first codicil, further info required based on what appeared to be generic cut and paste questions that seemed to ignore what I had put in the application about the tear and its explanation.

5th Feb: Further info emailed to probate registry but also told them they were asking for information that had already been supplied on the tear and how it had happened.

7th Feb: I emailed local MP to ask if he could get involved as case should not have been stopped. His team immediately passed on my email to a good local probate registry contact they have. I received an email to say they were looking at the case.

8th Feb: (today): Received a call from a lovely very knowledgeable and experienced manager at the local probate registry. They've looked at the application and have issued the grant of probate. Apologies for the delay. 

10th Feb: (information edited 10th Feb) Paper copies arrived

Thanks to everyone who has posted on this thread to tell us their timelines and to provide support and encouragement. I hope those who are still waiting get their grants through very soon.

GoogleMeNow

@SnowMan So pleased for you!  Excellent news and your timeline is pretty good.  My application was submitted at the end of September and still waiting......!

polar_pig

@SnowMan excellent news! Very interesting to hear about the impact of getting your MP involved.