All sorts of costly problems can occur when probate is delayed, including house sales falling through, Helen Stewart, head of probate at Thomson Snell & Passmore, writes in this week’s NLJ
It’s an extra administrative burden and expense on top of what is already an emotionally difficult time for the bereaved. A parliamentary committee is currently investigating the issue.
Grants of probate used to be ‘routinely issued in under a month’ but now take about 15 weeks or even five to eight months for paper applications in Stewart’s experience. She writes: ‘I have worked as a specialist in this sector for 25 years, and the situation is worse than ever.’
In this article, Stewart explores the reasons for the problem and the impact on the bereaved, as well as listing ‘some immediate changes’ that might help the situation, and some longer-term responses.
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