Speeding up the process
The probate and genealogy research process can often feel like it’s moving in slow motion. When a person passes away without a clear executor or a complete family tree, the court and legal professionals must spend months, sometimes years, verifying identities and tracking down distant relatives.
One of the most effective ways to accelerate this timeline is for a known heir to step forward and be willing to act as the estate administrator. One of our probate partners will assist you, but without a family member willing to go forward, the administration cannot begin.
Typically, the administration will not begin until the family tree is complete, this is because we need to be certain that there is no one in the family tree who has a higher priority than any particular other family member.
What can you to do to help.
Insider Knowledge of the Family Tree
Genealogy research is one of the biggest bottlenecks in probate. A professional researcher starts from scratch; we do not know your family as well as you do, so maybe you know something that research cannot ascertain. An heir often has:
- Family records: Old Bibles, photo albums with names, and address books.
- Oral history: Knowledge of “lost” branches of the family or half-siblings that a researcher might miss for months.
- Direct access: The ability to call a cousin or aunt directly rather than waiting for formal records to be requested from government archives.
Helping Us Fill the Gaps
If you have relevant information about your family please let us know. Your case manager can easily talk through their research and maybe together you can fill in the gaps and help the probate process move forward as quickly as possible.
In addition, if you have access to family birth, death and marriage certificates then let us know. Divorce records are also of vital importance. Divorce searches are typically very slow but can be sped up if we know even just the year of any family divorce. The smallest detail could help us solve the genealogy puzzle.
Essential Steps for the Heir-Administrator
To truly speed up the process, the heir should be prepared to do the following:
1. Consolidate Document
Gather the death certificate, property deeds, and financial statements.
2. Map the Lineage
Create a preliminary family tree showing all living and deceased relatives from the grandparents down.
3. Notify Creditors
Early notification starts the “statutory clock” for claims, allowing the estate to close sooner.
4. Communicate with Other Heir
Transparency prevents legal challenges or “caveats” that can freeze the probate process for years.
5. Practical and Financial Considerations
There may be upfront costs that need to be taken into consideration, such as lock changes, property insurance, property clearance and maintenance plus of course inheritance tax. Our probate partners can help with these issues.
Understanding Fiduciary Duty
Serving as an administrator carries “fiduciary duty,” meaning you are legally obligated to act in the best interest of all heirs and creditors. While it speeds up the process, it also requires careful record-keeping and often the guidance of a probate professional, hence why we are happy to put any potential administrator in touch with a probate professional.
Helping estates move forward, the right way.
For help and advice call 020 8432 3101 or make an enquiry.