HB ENOCH & OWEN

Probate

Historically, Probate work was restricted to the Legal profession, meaning that accountants were not able to offer this service.

However, in August 2014, the Law was changed so that suitably qualified Chartered Accountants could also carry out Probate work on behalf of clients.

We are very proud of the fact that HB Enoch & Owen were the first Accountancy practice in West Wales, and indeed one of the first in the UK to become authorised to carry out Probate work.

We believe that our expert Inheritance Tax knowledge puts us in an excellent position to carry out Probate work, and to ensure that our clients are benefitting from every available relief and exemption.

We always have our clients' best interests in the forefront of our minds, and as such we do not charge as much as many solicitors do for carrying out this sensitive work.

We charge an hourly rate of £185 plus VAT for Probate services, and always ensure that the work is carried out as efficiently as possible. We offer a full 'Probate Application and Estate Administration' service, which typically costs between £2,000 and £5,000, depending on the complexity of the Estate. We also offer a 'Probate Application Only' service, which for a relatively straightforward Estate tends to be in the region of £1,000, with more complicated applications costing between £1,000 and £3,000.

The first, and often most time consuming stage of the process is gathering information for the Estate – this can take several weeks or longer depending on the number of different assets held in the Estate. The executors can save time (and also reduce the cost) by gathering this information themselves and providing it to us. Once we have the relevant information, we aim to prepare and submit a Probate application within 4 weeks. This timeframe can vary, depending on the size and complexity of the Estate.

We are regulated by the ICAEW for Probate services. If during the course of our relationship you have any concerns about our service you can raise these with Deian Owen in the first instance. If you raise any concerns which we cannot address to your satisfaction you have the right to take that issue up with the ICAEW or the Legal Ombudsman. Complaints to the Legal Ombudsman should be made within six years of the act or omission, or within three years of you becoming aware of the issue and in either case within six months of our response to your complaint to us. Contact details for the Legal Ombudsman are: Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 15870, Birmingham, B30 NEB, Email Enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk or telephone 0300 5550333.

We hold professional indemnity insurance with QBE. The territorial coverage is worldwide (excluding USA and Canada). The limit of our insurance indemnity is £1,000,000 for any one claim. In the unlikely event that we cannot meet our liabilities to you, you may be able to seek a grant from ICAEW's Compensation Scheme. Generally, applications for a grant must be made to ICAEW within 12 months of the time you become aware, or reasonably ought to have been aware of the loss. Further information about the scheme and the circumstances in which grants may be made is available on ICAEW's website www.icaew.com/probate.

For more information on the following services, click the link below:

Accountancy
Tax
Business Advice
Probate

To find out how HB Enoch & Owen can help you, please contact us

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