Before applying for a Grant of Probate, it’s important to gather a number of documents together. This helps to provide a full picture of the assets and liabilities that will need to be dealt with under the Will.
As a starting point, you will need to locate the following documents:
- Last Will (original), if the deceased actually made a valid will
- Death Certificate (original)
- Records of all assets of the deceased and their value at the time of death, including:
- Bank Statements;
- Share Dividend Statements;
- Superannuation Fund Statements;
- Property title references;
- Registration Papers of Motor Vehicles;
- Details about the value of household effects (for example, purchase receipts or insurance documents); and
- Copies of any relevant agreements where the deceased is owed money (loan agreements, mortgages)
- Records of all debts and other liabilities of the deceased, including:
- Credit card Statements;
- Mortgage Statements;
- Copies of any relevant agreements where the deceased owed money to someone else; and
- Outstanding bills (outstanding as at date of death).
We can help you identify the specific documents that you will need for a Probate Application, and also how you can get those documents if they can’t be located after you’ve done a thorough search of the deceased’s personal records.
Call us on 1300 654 590 or email us and we will be happy to help you get on the right track.
When you have gathered the documents…
Once you have gathered the documents together, it’s important to keep them in order and stored securely, ready for the Probate Application. The original Will and sometimes the original Death Certificate need to be submitted to the Probate Registry with the Probate Application.
TIP! It is important for Executors not to make any alterations or cause any damage to a Will. It is very important that you do not damage or alter the original documents in any way and make sure that they are stored securely. Something as simple as removing the staple or other binding for the purposes of making copies of a Will needs to be explained to the Court when applying for probate – which takes more time and costs more money.
Want to know more?
Click here to find out more about our fixed fee Probate Services.
The information contained in this post is current at the date of publishing – 08 May 2024.