Probate - how long?

origrecondite

Really positive to be hearing about all the 'good news' stories with regards quick turnaround from the point of submitting the application - it definitely seems like it's improving. But to ease my anxiety, is anyone still waiting for their probate to be granted over 13 weeks?

tooldle

My mum’s grant was granted on 22nd April. Solicitor confirmed application and documents were with probate registry on 3rd April. Application made electronically. Much better than expected.

SnowMan

The March HMCTS data is out. Here is a table I've created from the data. Average wait times overall have decreased since February 2024 by about 2 weeks and 3 days. On the surface good news, but all is not quite what it seems.

The first thing that tells you something is up, is that the mean times for stopped cases have increased since February. The increase for digital cases is about 2 weeks and 4 days, and for paper cases the increase is about a week.

But the main clue something is up is that the implied stop rates have reduced significantly in March. This probably indicates that they have abandoned stopped cases to a  large extent, to work on the easier new cases, as it measures, of all the grants issued in March what percentage came from cases that were stopped. Alternatively it's just possible that they are stopping less cases through cutting corners or better initial assessment.

    

SnowMan

Again more grants were issued in March 2024 than new applications for grants were received, in this case by around 4,400. See the attached chart of open cases I've produced from the data. Although this chart doesn't show this, both the outstanding number of open paper applications and open digital applications have fallen.

This is good news to some extent. But given that they now seem to be cherry picking the easier (new) cases to look at, it's not surprising. It is potentially storing up more problems in the future.

This all creates more uncertainty for those starting out on probate applications. If your application is stopped, expect an even longer wait for the grant if what happened in March continues.

 

SnowMan

And here is my chart from the data of the average wait times over time for digital/paper, stopped/non stopped grants issued up to March 2024 in chart form. The wait time for stopped paper cases is at a new high point

noitsnotme

The one I am dealing with has just been stopped for a second time as they require further information from a witness to the will signing this time.  Luckily we are still in contact with both witnesses.

January 19th - submitted probate application online
March 3rd - asked for further information regarding possible additional wills or codicils
April 24th - asked for contact details of one witness so they can approach them for further information.

It's a very simple estate.  Just a couple of Lloyds bank accounts and some premium bonds.  We are currently at 15 weeks and counting.

jwright

I'm obsessively checking for progress updates!  

We submitted online on 23rd April and posted the will on the same day, although receipt wasn't acknowledged by email until 2nd May.  It's been on the same stage since then (the 2nd one, can't remember what it's called, the one before it says it's been allocated to a case worker).  I know, it is ridiculously early to be checking for updates - I was hoping it was going to be super fast as it's really uncomplicated, an excepted estate some way below IHT with not a great deal in the way of assets (a house, two lots of shares, a current account and a debt), a valid will all left to the only child.

However since today, the link in the email they sent to track progress doesn't appear to be working.  It goes to a 'Apply for probate' page (same link I've been using all along), and when I try 'My applications' or 'Back' it just goes back to that page again.  Anyone else finding the same?  It's interfering with my obsessive checking! 

Happy_Kitties

noitsnotme said:

The one I am dealing with has just been stopped for a second time as they require further information from a witness to the will signing this time.  Luckily we are still in contact with both witnesses.

January 19th - submitted probate application online
March 3rd - asked for further information regarding possible additional wills or codicils
April 24th - asked for contact details of one witness so they can approach them for further information.

It's a very simple estate.  Just a couple of Lloyds bank accounts and some premium bonds.  We are currently at 15 weeks and counting.

I’m in this situation. A very simple estate but what a nightmare!

Probate submitted beginning of September 2023-They acted quite quickly with the first stop also asking for information about previous wills as relative had attached previous wills to her main will and they had come apart. I  sent in everything with the original application. 

I was required to do a legal explanation and statement, I did.

December 2023- I was then asked to provide the contact details of one witness. Done the beginning of January 2024 and then nothing.

April 2024- rang them up. They couldn’t understand why the witness has not been sent the information, they will sort. Still nothing.

May 2024- contacted my MP. Given a case worker. Within two days of being allocated a case worker who made enquiries straight away,  the form was then received by the witness.

Case worker was also asked for probate reference so probate could find out what was going on with the case!

It’s like the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing. On one side they are going to find out, on the other, witness form sent out.

I have asked the case worker to stay with me now until probate granted as it’s amazing how much quicker they work when a MP is involved! Case worker is more than happy to stay on the case now

SnowMan

Latest HMCTS weekly bulletin includes this

The probate service phone line revised its operating hours in February. Following a successful trial period, the revised operating hours (9am to 1pm from Monday to Friday) will be retained until further notice. We’ll review the arrangement every six weeks.

Remember this was supposed to be a temporary 12 week suspension of the helpline in the afternoons while they dealt with the backlogs, which is now morphing into a plan to permanently remove the ability to contact the probate service in the afternoons.

Reminds me of the Roy Castle joke about the horse owned by the tight Yorkshireman "just got it used to eating no food when it died". Or in this case just got those applicants with stopped applications used to having even less opportunity to contact us, when the time to get probate for stopped cases reached record highs.

Good luck to everyone waiting for probate, especially those with stopped cases.

cambb

I got the dreaded email last week asking for further information.

They asked "The original Will bears staple holes in the top left hand corner"

However it clearly didnt have any holes in it as it was bound together. I did make a scanned copy and have checked and no holes show up. I responded the next day answering the question regarding the holes.

Not happy at all it this holds up the process. Im thinking of ringing them next week to see if are actually looking at the correct will.