Losing someone you love is overwhelming, and dealing with legal steps while you are grieving can feel like it is too much. This guide takes you through what needs to happen and shows how Elite Law Solicitors can support you at every stage, whether the estate is straightforward, complex, intestate (no will), or involves disagreements.
1. Get the Medical Certificate
A doctor or hospital will provide this. You will need it to register the death. If the circumstances require a coroner, don’t worry, this is not unusual and we can help you understand what it means.
How Elite Law Solicitors help: We guide families on what documents to keep safe, what delays to expect, and what comes next so you feel reassured and prepared.
2. Register the Death
You will need to register the death at the local Register Office within 5 days. Ask for several copies of the death certificate, you will need them for banks, pensions, and probate.
How Elite Law Solicitors help: We can advise you on how many certificates to order and help organise the early notifications to begin the estate process smoothly.
3. Locate the Will (or confirm there isn’t one)
Finding the latest will and any codicils is essential. If there’s no will, the estate follows intestacy rules, which decide who can administer the estate and who inherits.
How Elite Law Solicitors help: We can carry out a formal will search, check the will’s validity, help verify beneficiaries, and if there is no will explain clearly what happens under intestacy so you feel confident about the next steps.
4. Arrange the Funeral
Funeral arrangements can proceed before probate. Families often find this step emotional and draining.
How Elite Law Solicitors help: We can explain how funeral expenses are handled and help resolve any disagreements sensitively.
5. Secure the Home and Assets
This may include securing property, organising insurance, redirecting post, and listing personal belongings.
How Elite Law Solicitors help: We provide risk‑management guidance, and ensure executors are protected from liability. You don’t need to shoulder this alone.
6. Notify Organisations
Use the Government’s ‘Tell Us Once’ service if available. You’ll also notify banks, financial organisations, utility companies, insurance companies, and pension providers.
How Elite Law Solicitors help: We can prepare letters, guide you on who must be contacted, and make sure nothing important is missed.
7. Value the Estate
Assets such as property, savings, pensions, and belongings must be valued before applying for probate or assessing Inheritance Tax.
How Elite Law Solicitors help: We organise valuations and guide you through complex situations like gifts or shared ownership.
8. Inheritance Tax & Legal Forms
Executors may need to submit Inheritance Tax forms and pay any tax due before probate is granted.
How Elite Law Solicitors help: We complete the full tax paperwork, ensure correct tax reporting, explain allowances and exemptions, and help avoid costly mistakes or delays.
9. Applying for Probate or Letters of Administration
A Grant of Probate is needed when there is a will. A Grant of Letters of Administration is required when there is no will. This legal authority allows the estate to be dealt with according to the will or intestacy rules.
How Elite Law Solicitors help: We prepare and submit everything for you and act as your point of contact throughout, removing the pressure from you during a difficult time.
10. Administering the Estate
This includes but is not limited to closing accounts, selling or transferring investments and property, paying debts and any remaining Inheritance Tax, reporting estate income to HMRC and preparing estate accounts.
How Elite Law Solicitors help: We manage the full administration so you can focus on your wellbeing and your family, not paperwork and legal intricacies.
11. Distributing the Estate
Once everything is finalised, the estate is distributed to the beneficiaries in accordance with the will or intestacy rules.
How Elite Law Solicitors help: We ensure the distribution is legally safe, compliant, and supported by proper documentation.
Support with Intestacy and Contentious Probate
Support with Intestacy and Contentious ProbateIf there is no will or if disagreements arise, this can be one of the most stressful parts of the process.
Elite Law Solicitors’ specialist team can help navigate family disputes, challenges to the will, claims for financial provision, and executor disagreements with sensitivity and firm legal protection.
You Are Not Alone
This process can feel overwhelming, but you do not have to manage it by yourself. Elite Law Solicitors combines legal expertise with warmth, clarity, and steady support at every stage. Get in touch today by calling 0800 086 2929, emailing info@elitelawsolicitors.co.uk or by completing our Free Online Enquiry Form.
