ESTATE CLAIMS

CLAIM AGAINST ESTATE

If you make a will you can give your estate away in whatever way you think fit. There is an exception to this. The Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 provides protection and allows a spouse, children and other dependants to claim against an estate for dependency in the event of not being included in the will. The court needs to consider whether the deceased left a fair share of the family assets. This is assessed depending on the overall circumstances and the value of the estate.

SURVIVING SPOUSE

If a spouse was divorced from the deceased it is unlikely they will succeed with a claim against an estate if the Divorce Court has already dealt with the financial arrangements. If the spouse has remarried then they will not be able to make a claim against an estate.

CHILDREN

In order to claim against an estate, children must have been maintained by the deceased prior to death. If they can prove this they are entitled to Reasonable Provision for their maintenance. This does not include a share of the family assets.

OTHER DEPENDENTS

These include dependants who were partly or wholly maintained by the deceased prior to death. This includes common law wives and mistresses. If they can prove this they are entitled to Reasonable Provision for their maintenance. This does not include a share of the family assets.

TIME LIMITS

A claim against an estate must be brought within 6 months of a Grant of Probate being issued. The court does have the power to admit late applications in exceptional circumstances. To prevent an estate being distributed a caveat can be lodged which prevents the Grant of Probate from being issued for 6 months. Alternatively a Standing Search can be made to obtain details of every Grant of Probate issued in the past 12 months and in the next 6 months.

MAKE A CLAIM

If you think you may have the basis of a claim then expert legal advice must be obtained. Please call us on 0800 3 10 11 12 for a free no obligation chat and we can see if we can help.