Some people are extremely diligent and provide executors with a copy of their last Will and details of where the original Will is or perhaps the details of the law firm who prepared their last Will and hold the Will on safe custody.

Once a Grant of Probate of the deceased’s Will has been obtained it is the executor’s role to administer the estate until such time that the estate can be distributed to the beneficiaries.

Assets that are jointly held with another party automatically pass to the surviving party upon the death of a deceased.

The first role of the executor is to organise the funeral or celebration of life of the deceased. The deceased may have left instructions in their Will or amongst their private papers in respect to their wishes for their funeral or celebration of life. The deceased may have also arranged a prepaid funeral, if so the executor will need to liaise with the appropriate funeral director in respect to this.

Obtaining a Grant of Probate of a deceased estate can be a lengthy process, particularly where there are complex estate planning assets, such as Trust, business structures and an array of different classes of assets.

Given that most deaths are unexpected, it is normal for an executor to be overwhelmed in respect to what to do and where to start, particularly if you have lost a close loved one.