Estate Administration

Aaron Takes Care of Everything

Losing someone is hard enough without the weight of legal and financial administration. Full Estate Administration means Aaron handles the entire probate process from start to finish — so you can focus on your family.

This is the right choice when the estate is complex, when there are multiple beneficiaries, when there's property to sell, or simply when you want the reassurance of knowing a professional is managing everything properly.

The process typically takes 6-9 months for a straightforward estate, though complex cases can take longer. Aaron will give you a realistic timeline at the outset and keep you informed at every stage.

Who Is This For?

• Executors who want a professional to handle the entire process from start to finish
• Estates with property to sell, multiple assets, or tax to pay
• Families dealing with complex situations (intestacy, disputes, trusts in the Will)
• Executors who don't have the time, confidence, or proximity to manage the estate themselves
• Anyone who wants the peace of mind of knowing it's done properly and their personal liability is managed

How Our Fixed-Fee Pricing Works

We never charge hourly rates or a percentage of the estate's value. Instead, we use a transparent, modular fixed-fee approach:

1. Step 1: Free Discovery Call — Aaron learns about the estate and its complexity.
2. Step 2: Fixed-Fee Quote — Aaron provides a clear, written fee proposal based on the actual work involved.
3. Step 3: You approve the fee before any work begins.

Your fee is fixed at the outset. If the work takes longer than expected, that is our responsibility, not yours.

What Affects Your Fixed Fee?

Every estate is different. The following factors determine where your fee sits. Aaron will explain exactly which apply to your situation during the free discovery call.

The Basics (included in every quote from £3,000 + VAT):

• Valuing liquid assets (bank accounts, ISAs, NS&I)
• Completing and submitting the probate application
• Short-form inheritance tax return (IHT205 / excepted estate)
• Collecting assets and settling straightforward debts
• Preparing estate accounts and distributing to beneficiaries

Factors That Increase the Fee:

• Property — managing the administration of a property including insurance, valuations, utility management, and coordinating clearance or sale.
• Number of Asset-Holding Institutions — each bank, building society, insurer, and pension provider requires separate correspondence, valuations, and asset collection.
• Number of Beneficiaries — more beneficiaries means more ID checks, bankruptcy searches, individual distributions, and more detailed estate accounts.
• Number of Liabilities — outstanding debts, credit cards, loans, and utility accounts all need to be identified, verified, and settled before distribution.
• Shareholdings — especially paper share certificates, which require manual transfer or sale via individual share registrars.
• Full IHT400 Return — the longer-form HMRC inheritance tax return, required when the estate doesn't qualify as an "excepted estate."
• Inheritance Tax Payable — where IHT is due, Aaron calculates the tax, arranges payment, and settles with HMRC on your behalf.
• Trust in the Will — if the deceased's Will includes a trust, Aaron handles registering it with the Trust Registration Service.
• Pre-Death Tax Returns — filing the deceased's final Self-Assessment with HMRC.
• Foreign Assets — assets held outside England & Wales, requiring coordination with overseas institutions or advisers.
• Business Interests — companies, partnerships, or sole trader assets requiring specialist valuation and administration.
• Intestacy — where there is no valid Will, additional legal steps are required to identify and verify entitled beneficiaries.
• Missing Will or Beneficiaries — if the original Will cannot be found or beneficiaries need to be traced.
• DWP Investigations — for example, Pension Credit recovery where the DWP investigates whether benefits were correctly claimed.

Worked Example — Simple Estate:

Estate overview: Valid Will, one executor, two beneficiaries, liquid assets in 2-3 bank accounts/ISAs, no property, no Inheritance Tax payable.

Legal fee: From £3,000 + VAT (£600) = £3,600 total.

Disbursements: Approximately £310 (probate court fee, bankruptcy searches, copies of the Grant).

Worked Example — Moderate Estate:

Estate overview: Valid Will, one executor, four beneficiaries, one residential property to sell, assets across 5+ institutions, short-form IHT return, no Inheritance Tax payable.

Legal fee: Quoted after assessment. The fee reflects the additional administration of managing a property sale, corresponding with more institutions, and distributing to more beneficiaries.

Worked Example — Complex Estate:

Estate overview: Multiple properties, share portfolios (including paper certificates), full IHT400 return, Inheritance Tax payable, a trust in the Will, 6+ beneficiaries.

Legal fee: Quoted after assessment. The fee reflects the significant additional expertise, correspondence, and administration required for complex estates of this nature.

Aaron will always provide a clear, written fee proposal before you commit. There are no surprises.

What Aaron Handles

• Valuing the estate — contacting banks, insurers, pension providers, and HMRC
• Preparing and submitting the probate application and inheritance tax returns
• Collecting all assets once the Grant is issued
• Paying outstanding debts, taxes, and expenses
• Selling property if required
• Distributing the estate to beneficiaries in accordance with the Will
• Providing full estate accounts to all beneficiaries

What's Not Included (Available If You Need Them)

• Conveyancing fees for sale of property — the legal costs of the property sale itself are a separate instruction (quoted separately)
• Third-party valuations — property surveyors, business valuers, or agricultural valuers are third-party costs (quoted separately)
• House clearance — arranging physical clearance of the property (quoted separately)
• Deeds of Variation — if beneficiaries wish to redirect their inheritance for tax or family reasons (quoted separately)
• Section 27 Statutory Notices — advertising for unknown creditors to protect executors from personal liability. Aaron will explain why these are strongly recommended (quoted separately)
• Contentious probate — any disputes between beneficiaries or executors, or claims against the estate

Your estate may not require any of these. Aaron will explain what applies during the free discovery call.

What Happens If You Don't Act?

Executors are personally liable for the proper administration of the estate. Mistakes — such as distributing before settling debts, missing a creditor, paying a bankrupt beneficiary directly, or failing to submit correct tax returns — can result in personal financial liability for the executor. Professional administration protects you from these risks.

Why Choose Safe Harbour?

• Aaron handles your matter personally — not passed to a junior or paralegal
• Fixed fees, never hourly rates or a percentage of the estate value
• SRA-regulated with full professional indemnity insurance
• Home visits available across Bridlington and East Yorkshire
• Compassionate, no-jargon approach during a difficult time
• Regular updates at every stage — you are never left wondering what is happening

You May Also Need

• Bespoke Estate & Tax Planning — if the estate reveals inheritance tax planning opportunities for beneficiaries or their families
• A Will — beneficiaries and executors may want to update their own Wills following an inheritance, particularly if their estate now exceeds IHT thresholds
• Grant Only Probate — if you'd prefer to handle the administration yourself and just need the legal paperwork sorted