Probate - how long?

Happy_Kitties

origrecondite said:

rachawenzel said:

Reading all these pages, and I'm starting to worry as approaching week 16 and after ringing the contact centre to find out if the query they emailed me about in March was ok and my application progressing, I was told it was not even reviewed since, so 2 months and nothing progressed.
Submitted and sent documents - 5th Feb 2024
Receipt of papers - 20th Feb
Query emailed and responded to - 14th March
So I'm at week 14 and expecting the worst......of delays 

If helps at all, you're not alone. We are now at 16 weeks none the wiser as to when probate will be granted. Getting to the point where we are considering asking our MP to be involved.

Just to make you aware with a General Election being called getting your MP involved is much harder at the minute. Mine acted quickly and gave me a senior case worker to chase probate. Just by saying ‘MP’ I feel has helped as one of the witnesses to the will, after waiting 5 months for a form to confirm the will, suddenly got the form two days later. Form sent back and then nothing. My MP isn’t standing again which has made life more difficult so the senior caseworker has managed to send the probate office one more email.
if I’m tbh I wish I  had involved my MP sooner, as I’m 35 weeks in not including Christmas or Easter weeks.
i also rang the office this morning, got through fairly quickly. Confirmed they had received witness form and will ‘escalate’ due to the amount of time I have been waiting.
It will now be reviewed by the ‘affidavit’ dept, said should take a couple of weeks. If I haven’t heard anything by the end of June I will be in the phone again. It is a very stressful process for such a simple estate.

Shedman

Although I've commented on another thread thought I would post here as another quick one which is hopefully encouraging for others ....less than 3 weeks from filing online to getting the email today to say probate has been granted.  Excepted estate, no property and using spousal NRB transfer so no IHT involved.

CalicoB

Just got an email confirming it has been granted three weeks after applying online.
Excepted estate as everything over threshold left to charity, just cash (no property), straightforward will.

SnowMan

The April HMCTS data is out. Here is a table I've created from the data. Average wait times overall have decreased since March 2024 by about 8 days. And wait times down across all sub-categories, stopped/not stopped, paper/digital. So things moving in the right direction.

SnowMan

Again more grants were issued in April 2024 than new applications for grants were received, in this case by around 2,900. 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.

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 April 2024. Wait times falling in each category. But the wait time for stopped paper cases remains at close to the high point reached in March.

Bobziz

Hi, I sent a will special delivery to HMCTS in Harlow, but it was signed for by Harlow delivery office. Is this to be expected ?

Thanks.

Shedman

Bobziz said:

Hi, I sent a will special delivery to HMCTS in Harlow, but it was signed for by Harlow delivery office. Is this to be expected ?

Thanks.

Seems like it.  My one was also signed for at Harlow Delivery Office but was acknowledged in the Probate progress tracker a few days later.  Looks like they get a lot of mail for HMCTS judging by the receipt picture..

tenzin_2

Poor Tom. He definitely has a case for repetitive strain injury. I know he signed mine! I feel bad now…. That’s a lot of signing. 

Bobziz

Many thanks @Shedman that's good to know. I only got an upside down signature rather than a photo of the "secure" post box for my £8.95 postage. It was also delivered a day and a half later than was 'guaranteed'. Got to feel for Royal mail employees, the business has been run into the ground.