I used this firm for my house sale and buying of a new property. I cannot fault their professionalism. They were communicative and on hand to answer any questions throughout the process and I would highly recommend their services. Thanks so much for all your hard work
Simone, LondonJust wanted to say a huge thank you for all your help. You really have exceeded my expectations
Sue, HuddersfieldExcellent Professional Service! Bailey Smailes recently dealt with the sale of my property. It was a complicated matter and needed careful monitoring. David Wells looked after the transaction for me and I was very impressed with the service. His assistant/secretary was easy to communicate with
Eileen, HuddersfieldSarah (Palmer) acted as my solicitor recently for creating my new Will. She was very caring, considerate and had a lovely nature. She went through everything in a professional manner and made me feel at ease going through sensitive questions regarding family matters. I would strongly recommend Sarah to anyone who is in need of a new Will
Diane, HuddersfieldJust want to say a massive thanks to Tiffany (Whitwam) at Bailey Smailes. She helped us get into our first home quickly and efficiently, all at a really good price. She was courteous and always helpful, and nothing was ever too much of a problem. Would 100% recommend.
Andrew, Huddersfield
Ian Holmes and David Wells are the STEP accredited Solicitors for Bailey Smailes
David Wells and Lucy Cortis are the SFE accredited Solicitors for Bailey Smailes
At Bailey Smailes we have vast experience of helping clients to administer estates and it has been a core part of our practice ever since 1827. We only employ Solicitors to deal with Estates so that you know you will receive gold service legal advice at such a difficult time. At the outset of a matter, you will be dealt with by one dedicated Solicitor who will handle your matter throughout.
To fully administer and Estate we anticipate this will take between 10 and 20 hours work at £245 per hour (for a partner) or £215 (as an average for a solicitor, dependent on seniority). Total costs estimated at £2,000-5,000 (+VAT).
The exact cost will depend on the individual circumstances of the matter. For example, if there is one beneficiary and no property, costs will be at the lower end of the range. If there are multiple beneficiaries, a property and multiple bank accounts, costs will be at the higher end.
We will handle the full process for you. This quote is for estates where:
Disbursements included in this fee:
Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as court fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.
Potential additional costs
How long will this take?
On average, estates that fall within this range are dealt with within 6-12 months. Typically, obtaining the grant of probate takes 6-10 weeks. Collecting assets then follows, which can take between 6-10 weeks for bank accounts or similar. If there is a property within the estate that requires selling a conveyancing timescale is usually 6-8 weeks but there will also be the time it takes to secure a buyer which obviously varies – once a property has been sold, we will close utility accounts, insurance, Council Tax etc which usually takes 4 weeks. Once this has been done, we can distribute the assets, which normally takes 1-2 weeks.
Fixed Fees
The above is an indication of likely cost on a time basis. We do tend to find that clients prefer a fixed fee quote for Estate Administration work, and these are provided on request. Should a fixed fee be requested we will not undertake any further work until you are happy with and accept that fixed fee quote. The Disbursements referred to above are also payable in addition to the firm’s fixed fee.
No matter how you decide you would wish for us to charge we will always: –
