Managing Estates
Whenever a person dies, they may leave behind assets and debts that need to be sorted out and then paid to the beneficiaries of their choice. Collectively, everything a person owns and owes is called their "Estate".
We understand that this can all seem overwhelming, especially considering the loss of your loved one. When you’re ready, give us a call and our team can talk you through the next steps and help you understand where to go from here.
First, you will need to locate a copy of the Will. This might have instructions for the funeral and whether they’d like to be buried or cremated.
We will need to find out who the deceased appointed to manage their affairs when they were gone, called the executor. This is the only person or people that were given authority by the deceased to deal with their estate. But the executor will also need to apply for a legal document from the court to prove that they have the legal right to manage the estate before they can start claiming insurance policies or closing bank accounts. This is called "Probate".
If the person does not have a Will, family members will need to apply for 'Letters of Administration' before they are legally allowed to manage their estate.
Our team can help you apply to the court, close any asset accounts, sell or transfer property, make insurance claims, pay debts, distribute the estate and advise you of any issues or claims that might arise during the course of the administration.