11 June Update - Are you waiting for a Grant of Probate?

Delays at the Probate Office are exceptionally long, but Couchman Hanson is still here for our clients.

Couchman Hanson, a family and business law firm based in Liphook, is helping our clients with probate applications, despite unprecedented delays at the Court’s Probate office. The Probate application process, which would typically take four to eight weeks, is currently taking around twelve plus weeks. These delays are inconvenient for executors who need to discharge their duties.

Nominated executors to a Will usually have to apply for Probate in order to be able to administer it. However, due to a combination of several events, grants of Probate are taking much longer than usual:

There has been a rise in the number of Probate applications since early-2019.

• Staff are getting to grips with a new digital applications system.

• Resources are scarce at local Probate registries.

The COVID-19 lockdown will also be affecting the situation, with reduced staff numbers and an excess of deaths to deal with.

Couchman Hanson would like their clients, as well as anyone else who needs to apply for Probate, to know that the Probate Registry is processing all applications as quickly as possible. Our lawyers cannot make the Probate office work any faster, but we are monitoring the situation. 

The application for Probate has to be filled in accurately, or it will be refused. It is advised that you work with a qualified Probate lawyer to make sure your application goes through correctly.

If your application is currently with the Probate Office, you do not need to contact them. They will contact you when they have finished reviewing your application.

For more information, please call us today on:

Tel: 01428 722189