Asking solicitor to renounce roll as executor,advice please

Keep_pedalling

wilkko73 said:

Hi @Keep_pedalling The solicitor e mailed today and has asked for the will to be collected from storage,she said they probably could renounce and  she said   "As your mum owned her own property, you will need a Grant of Probate to deal with the estate and transfer the property into your name. If you would like us to assist with obtaining the Grant then we would charge a fixed fee of £1,200 plus VAT. There would also be the court fee of £300 but this will be payable whether we act or not."  So when they mention the grant of probate that's what you need to commence sorting out the estate and filling in the probate forms online?   I forgot to mention I'm a named executor on the will but she will see that when she finds mum's will.Do all of those fees sound reasonable?

The probate fee is indeed £300. What the solicitor is quoting is not excessive, but the process is fairly straight forward for a simple estate like this so it is a fee easily avoided by doing it yourself. If you get stuck at all we can help.

wilkko73

Keep_pedalling said:

wilkko73 said:

Hi @Keep_pedalling The solicitor e mailed today and has asked for the will to be collected from storage,she said they probably could renounce and  she said   "As your mum owned her own property, you will need a Grant of Probate to deal with the estate and transfer the property into your name. If you would like us to assist with obtaining the Grant then we would charge a fixed fee of £1,200 plus VAT. There would also be the court fee of £300 but this will be payable whether we act or not."  So when they mention the grant of probate that's what you need to commence sorting out the estate and filling in the probate forms online?   I forgot to mention I'm a named executor on the will but she will see that when she finds mum's will.Do all of those fees sound reasonable?

Hi the solicitor said today to get a valuation for the house to be honest I can't remember if she said a probate valuation or just a valuation the guy at estate agents said £300 for a probate valuation or free for a marketing valuation so I said well I'm not sure sure which one the solicitor asked for so lets go with the marketing one.The estate falls under £650k anyway with the 2 x nrb,do you think it was ok to just have a marketing valuation then or should it really have been a probate valuation? 

elsien

This thread seems to indicate that a probate valuation by a RICS surveyor is preferable if you are keeping the house although you might get away with a market valuation if its a standard property with recent sales in the area as a point of comparison. 
House valuation for probate — MoneySavingExpert Forum

Savvy_Sue

elsien said:

This thread seems to indicate that a probate valuation by a RICS surveyor is preferable if you are keeping the house although you might get away with a market valuation if its a standard property with recent sales in the area as a point of comparison. 
House valuation for probate — MoneySavingExpert Forum

Could you explain why RICS rather than Estate Agent? The OP has been living in the house all their life AFAIK, so Capital Gains Tax won't become a problem if they decide to sell. 

But my feeling is not to worry about any of this in the short term, because the house has been left to @wilkko73, and @wilkko73 alone, so transferring it into another name is a formality, which yes, needs to happen, but isn't a priority. 

DippySkippy

wilkko73 said:

Hi @Keep_pedalling The solicitor e mailed today and has asked for the will to be collected from storage,she said they probably could renounce and  she said   "As your mum owned her own property, you will need a Grant of Probate to deal with the estate and transfer the property into your name. If you would like us to assist with obtaining the Grant then we would charge a fixed fee of £1,200 plus VAT. There would also be the court fee of £300 but this will be payable whether we act or not."  So when they mention the grant of probate that's what you need to commence sorting out the estate and filling in the probate forms online?   I forgot to mention I'm a named executor on the will but she will see that when she finds mum's will.Do all of those fees sound reasonable?

Get them to spec exactly what's in scope - I think they are quoting just to apply for probate on your behalf - thats the easy DIY bit. It does not include dealing with the estate. I'd ask them to renounce - send an email asking them not to intermeddle and to renounce - for this they sign a PA17 form (downloadable) and will no doubt rip you for signing it (ours charged £360!).