Probate solicitors in Leicester

What probate is, when you need it, how long it takes and what solicitors charge, with the Leicester firms that handle estates.

Last updated 26 September 2026. General information about the law in England and Wales, not legal advice on your situation.

Probate is the legal process that gives someone authority to deal with a person’s estate after they die. The document itself is called a grant: a grant of probate where there’s a will naming executors, or letters of administration where there isn’t.

Do you always need a grant?

Not always. If everything was held jointly and passes automatically to a surviving joint owner, or the estate is small, banks and building societies may release funds without one. Each institution has its own limit. If the person owned a house or flat in their sole name, you’ll almost always need a grant to sell or transfer it.

The main steps

Find the will and check it’s the latest one.
Value the estate: property, bank accounts, investments, pensions with death benefits, personal possessions and debts.
Deal with inheritance tax. Even if none is payable, the value has to be reported to HMRC. If tax is due, some usually has to be paid before the grant is issued.
Apply for the grant online to HM Courts and Tribunals Service.
Collect in the assets, pay debts, expenses and tax, and advertise for creditors if appropriate.
Prepare estate accounts and distribute to the beneficiaries.

Getting the grant often takes several months. Administering the whole estate commonly takes nine months to a year, longer if a property sale is slow or there’s a dispute.

What executors should watch for

Keep estate money separate from your own, keep records, and don’t distribute until you’re confident all the debts and tax are known. Where there’s a surviving spouse or civil partner, check whether any unused inheritance tax allowance can be transferred. If someone has been left out and might bring a claim, take advice before paying out, as claims under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 generally have to be brought within six months of the grant. See contested wills and inheritance claims.

Registering the death in Leicester

Deaths in Leicester and Leicestershire are registered with the local register office, usually within five days. The Tell Us Once service can then notify most government departments in one go.

Common questions

Do I need a solicitor for probate?

No. Executors can apply themselves online. People use a solicitor where the estate is complicated, inheritance tax is payable, there is property abroad or a business, the family disagree, or the executors simply don't have the time.

How much do probate solicitors charge?

Some charge a fixed fee for obtaining the grant only. Full estate administration is usually charged by the hour or as a percentage of the estate, sometimes both. SRA-regulated firms must publish price information for uncontested probate, so compare before you choose.

Are executors personally liable?

They can be, for example if they distribute the estate and a debt or tax bill later comes to light. That's one reason executors advertise for creditors and take care over the order in which they pay things.

What if there's no will?

The next of kin apply for letters of administration instead of probate, and the estate passes under the intestacy rules. Unmarried partners have no automatic entitlement under those rules.