Willed property - process and timeframe

[Inquisitive1975]

Hi, hope you’re all well.
We’ve been willed a property. Apparently this needs to go via courts and involves probate.
Can anyone please advise of the process and timeframe? We need this done asap, as it’s impacting the grieving process and preventing us from moving forward. Any info you can offer may help in our conversations with our solicitor.
Thank you

[Sam101]

As it is going through Probate, that needs to be granted before anything can be done by the Executors. Who are the executors of the estate ?

[dslippy]

I am afraid that your grieving process will not form part of the overall process. How long it takes can be affected by many unpredictable factors.

Since you are in Scotland, Scots law applies and I am unwillling to make any guess.

[Inquisitive1975]

Thanks for the replies. It was mother in law who passed and it’s my wife who is the executor.
My wife is really struggling with the loss and has said she needs everything dealt with asap in order to move on, which is why I’m looking to confirm timescales. Any idea if we’re talking days, weeks or months?

[Sam101]

Could be weeks or months depending on the information submitted and if it was in full and correct. Probate has been know to take several months, so it it is granted in the next 3 months you would be doing very well. There is a huge backlog of applications.

[sederunt]

If your mother in law was domiciled in Scotland, then it isn’t probate. And the probate backlog relates to England not Scotland.


Where the estate involves a house then there is likely to be a need for the executor to apply for a Grant of Confirmation. Usually the court turns applications around reasonably well but the unknown time interval will sit with the solicitor if your wife has engaged one as her agent.