Grants delivered nationwide. Probate solicitor-approved.

Top questions about getting a grant of probate

What do probate solicitors do?

Probate solicitors are responsible for ensuring that your probate application is accurate and easy for the probate registry to understand. This helps to make sure your grant of probate or letters of administration gets approved as quickly as possible.

Probate solicitors can also take care of the estate administration, or Complete Probate, if this is something you’re interested in. This covers everything from valuing the property and assets in the estate, to getting the grant of probate, to distributing assets to beneficiaries – helping to take all the stress of probate off your hands.

How much do probate solicitors cost?

Our probate service is just £595 for simple estates or £1,045 for more complex cases (including VAT). There is also an additional cost of £155, which is for the probate registry fee – plus £1.50 for each copy of probate.

Compared to most probate solicitors in the UK, we’re around 70% cheaper. This is because most probate solicitors on the high street charge a percentage (around 2-4% of the estate) rather than a price that’s fixed upfront.

What is a fixed-fee probate solicitor?

A fixed-fee probate solicitor is someone who deals with probate for a cost that’s agreed upfront and in full. This is different to many solicitors on the high street, who prefer to charge on an hourly or percentage basis.

Do I need a solicitor for probate?

You don’t need to use a probate solicitor to apply for probate. However, if you’re unfamiliar with the legal and financial jargon involved, it can be easy to make mistakes. This can cause delays when your application reaches the probate registry, which could mean beneficiaries have to wait longer for their inheritance. By using a probate solicitor, you can be sure that everything’s going to be dealt with accurately and in good time.

How can I find a probate solicitor?

You can find a probate solicitor online or on the high street. However, beware that many probate solicitors on the high street will charge either by the hour or as a percentage of the estate – rather than a fixed, upfront fee. This can end up costing over £10,000 for an estate worth £300,000, so it’s important to shop around to make sure you get the best price possible.

What’s the difference between Farewill and a probate solicitor on the high street?

At Farewill, we pride ourselves on making probate quicker, simpler and more affordable. On average, it costs around £2,700 to administer someone’s estate with a probate solicitor on the high street. But with our grant-only probate service, you can save as much as 70% in unnecessary solicitor fees by sorting out the estate admin yourself.

We also charge differently to many probate solicitors. On the high street, it’s common to be quoted a percentage or hourly rate to deal with someone’s estate. This often sounds reasonable on paper, but just two or three percent of an estate can easily amount to over £10,000. Instead, we take a more transparent approach by providing you with a fixed-price quote upfront, so you know there will be no hidden surprises later on.

Who applies for probate?

If the person who died made a will, the executors named in the will are responsible for applying for probate and distributing the assets to beneficiaries. If they didn’t leave a will, the person who stands to inherit the most under the rules of intestacy usually deals with the probate application.

The rules of intestacy are a set of laws that define what should happen to someone’s estate if they die intestate (without a will). In order of priority, these are the people who stand to inherit the most based on their relationship with the person who died: spouse, children, grandchildren, parents, brothers and sisters, half brothers and half sisters, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins.

What's the difference between a grant of probate and a grant of letters of administration?

A grant of probate is the document you need to apply for when someone dies with a will, whereas a grant of letters of administration is for cases where the person died without a will (otherwise known as ‘intestate’). Together, these documents are known as grants of representation.