After Someone Dies

Chapter 8 — Understanding Who Is Responsible

After a death, several people may believe they are entitled to make decisions. A close relative may describe themselves as next of kin. A beneficiary may expect to control property they will eventually inherit. A person who held power of attorney may continue paying bills. None of those facts automatically gives authority to administer the estate.

The person responsible depends on whether there is a valid will, who is named in it and whether a grant is required.

Understanding the roles early prevents unauthorised decisions, duplicated work and personal liability.

Personal representatives

Executors and administrators are collectively called personal representatives.

Their central responsibilities are to:

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<w:left w:space="0" w:sz="0" w:val="nil"/><w:bottom w:space="0" w:sz="0" w:val="nil"/><w:right w:space="0" w:sz="0" w:val="nil"/><w:between w:space="0" w:sz="0" w:val="nil"/></w:pBdr><w:shd w:fill="auto" w:val="clear"/><w:spacing w:after="60" w:before="0" w:line="271" w:lineRule="auto"/><w:ind w:left="340" w:right="0" w:hanging="227"/><w:jc w:val="left"/><w:rPr/></w:pPr><w:r w:rsidDel="00000000" w:rsidR="00000000" w:rsidRPr="00000000"><w:rPr><w:rFonts w:ascii="Georgia" w:cs="Georgia" w:eastAsia="Georgia" w:hAnsi="Georgia"/><w:b w:val="0"/><w:bCs w:val="0"/><w:i w:val="0"/><w:iCs w:val="0"/><w:smallCaps w:val="0"/><w:strike w:val="0"/><w:color w:val="000000"/><w:sz w:val="20"/><w:szCs w:val="20"/><w:u w:val="none"/><w:shd w:fill="auto" w:val="clear"/><w:vertAlign w:val="baseline"/><w:rtl w:val="0"/></w:rPr><w:t xml:space="preserve">distribute the remaining estate to the correct beneficiaries.

Personal representatives do not own estate assets for their personal benefit. They hold and manage them for the purposes of administration and for those ultimately entitled.

Executors

An executor is appointed by a valid will.

The executor's authority derives from the will, although a grant of probate may be required before banks, buyers, the Land Registry and other organisations will allow particular transactions.

The will may appoint one executor, several executors or substitute executors who act if an earlier appointment fails.

Being named does not compel a person to take an active role without choice. However, an executor should understand the consequences before acting, reserving power or renouncing.

An executor should not begin selling, distributing or disposing of assets merely because their name appears in a copy of a document believed to be the will. The original and its validity must be considered, and the requirements of each asset holder must be followed.

Administrators

An administrator deals with an estate where there is no executor able and willing to act, commonly because there is no valid will.

Where there is no will, the person with the highest priority under the intestacy rules may apply for letters of administration.

The usual order begins with the surviving husband, wife or civil partner, followed by adult children, but the full order depends on which relatives survive.

An unmarried partner does not automatically have the same priority as a spouse or civil partner. A stepchild is not automatically treated as a child for intestacy purposes unless legally adopted.

Unlike an executor, an administrator's authority normally begins when the grant is issued. Before then, urgent protective steps may be taken, but the person should not assume full authority to administer the estate.

Administration with the will annexed

Sometimes there is a valid will but no executor able or willing to obtain probate.

This may happen because every named executor has died, renounced, lacks capacity or cannot act.

An eligible person may then apply for letters of administration with the will annexed. The will still determines the distribution, but an administrator rather than the named executor carries out the work.

The order of entitlement to apply is governed by probate rules. A beneficiary should not assume that being left the largest gift automatically gives unrestricted priority.

More than one executor

Where several executors are named, they should communicate before important decisions are made.

Up to four people can normally be named on the same grant. Others may have power reserved where appropriate.

Executors named on the grant generally share responsibility. One executor should not sign contracts, sell assets or make distributions against the known objection of the others without resolving the authority to act.

Banks and conveyancers may require all proving executors to sign particular documents.

The executors should agree:

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Dividing tasks does not necessarily remove each executor's responsibility to oversee the administration.

Power reserved

An executor who does not want to take an active role immediately may, in a suitable case, allow another executor to apply while their own power is reserved.

The executor with power reserved is not named on the initial grant but may apply to join the administration later if necessary.

This is different from renouncing. It preserves a possible future role.

The executor should receive formal notice of the application where required and should understand what participation or monitoring is expected.

Power reserved is often useful where one executor lives abroad, is temporarily unavailable or trusts another executor to handle the routine work.

Renunciation

Renunciation is a formal decision by an executor to give up the right to take the grant.

It is usually permanent and should not be signed casually.

An executor who has intermeddled in the estate may be unable to renounce. Intermeddling can involve acting in a way that accepts the office of executor rather than merely protecting property or arranging the funeral.

Before renouncing, obtain advice about:

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Do not use an informal letter or verbal statement as a substitute for the proper process.

Acting through an attorney

In some circumstances, a person entitled to a grant may authorise another person to apply or act on their behalf.

This is a specialist probate arrangement and should not be confused with a lasting power of attorney that operated during the deceased's lifetime.

The Probate Registry may require a particular form or type of authority. Obtain advice where the entitled person is abroad, unable to act personally or wishes to appoint somebody else.

A power of attorney ends at death

Authority under a lasting or enduring power of attorney ends when the donor dies.

The former attorney must not continue using the deceased's bank card, online banking, cheque book or accounts.

The attorney should preserve financial records and hand them to the personal representatives. Their records may be important when reconstructing assets, gifts, care costs and transactions before death.

A former attorney may also be an executor, but these are separate roles. Authority after death comes from the will and probate law, not from the expired power of attorney.

“Next of kin” does not automatically control the estate

The phrase next of kin is widely used but often misunderstood.

It may identify the person contacted by a hospital or somebody believed to be the closest relative. It does not by itself appoint that person as executor, give them ownership of the estate or allow them to override a valid will.

Where there is no will, family relationship is relevant to the legal order for applying as administrator and inheriting under intestacy. The correct order must still be followed.

Do not allow the loudest or geographically closest relative to take control merely because they call themselves next of kin.

Beneficiaries

A beneficiary is a person or organisation entitled to receive something under the will, intestacy rules, a trust or another arrangement.

A beneficiary does not normally have authority to administer the estate merely because they will inherit.

Beneficiaries should not:

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Beneficiaries are entitled to proper administration and appropriate information. They can question delay, request accounts in suitable circumstances and take advice if personal representatives breach their duties.

Their rights do not include directing every routine decision or receiving confidential information unrelated to their entitlement.

Residuary and specific beneficiaries

A specific beneficiary receives a particular gift, such as a fixed sum, item or named property.

A residuary beneficiary receives all or a share of what remains after expenses, debts, tax and earlier gifts have been dealt with.

This difference affects the information and risk relevant to each person.

A residuary beneficiary has a direct interest in the overall administration costs and the final estate accounts. A specific beneficiary may be concerned mainly with whether the particular gift still exists and can be transferred.

Do not promise a specific item until ownership, liabilities and the wording of the will have been checked.

Trustees

A will may create a trust, for example for a child, a vulnerable beneficiary or someone allowed to occupy a property during their lifetime.

The will normally appoints trustees. The executors and trustees may be the same people, but the roles are legally distinct.

Estate administration gathers and settles the estate. Trusteeship may continue for years after administration ends.

Trustees must follow the trust terms, invest and safeguard trust assets appropriately, keep records and act in the interests of the beneficiaries within the trust.

Professional advice may be required about registration, tax, investments, payments and the number of trustees needed to deal with land.

Guardians

A will may appoint guardians for children under 18.

Guardianship is separate from administering the estate and from managing money held for a child.

The guardian who cares for the child is not automatically free to use the child's inheritance. Trustees may control those funds under the terms of the will or the law.

Where parental responsibility, competing appointments or safeguarding issues are unclear, obtain family-law advice.

Solicitors and probate practitioners

Personal representatives can administer many straightforward estates themselves, but they remain responsible for doing the work correctly.

A solicitor or regulated probate practitioner may be instructed to:

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Instructing a professional does not automatically remove every responsibility from the personal representatives. They should read correspondence, provide accurate information, approve significant decisions and question unexplained delay or cost.

Ask for written terms stating the work covered, who will perform it, how fees are calculated and what remains the responsibility of the executors or administrators.

Accountants, tax advisers and valuers

Different specialists have different roles.

An accountant or tax adviser may assist with the deceased's final tax affairs, estate income, capital gains, business accounts and trust taxation.

A chartered surveyor may provide a formal property valuation. An appropriate auctioneer, jeweller or specialist valuer may assess possessions, collections or business assets.

An estate agent's market appraisal may help with a sale but is not always sufficient for probate or tax purposes.

The personal representatives should choose advisers with relevant qualifications and experience. A title such as “valuer” or “probate expert” should not be accepted without checking what it means.

Funeral directors, estate agents and clearance companies

These professionals carry out practical services. They do not decide who is legally entitled to administer or inherit.

A funeral director may accept instructions from the person arranging the funeral, who may become personally responsible for the contract.

An estate agent should verify that the person instructing a sale has authority and should understand that completion may depend on the grant.

A property-clearance company should receive instructions from the personal representatives or a person properly authorised by them.

None of these professionals should be asked to settle a family ownership dispute. Disputed items should be isolated and preserved until the issue is resolved.

Duties of personal representatives

Personal representatives must act honestly and with reasonable care.

Their duties include:

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An honest mistake can still cause loss. Personal representatives may be personally liable if they distribute too early, pay the wrong person, ignore a valid debt, undervalue an asset or misuse estate money.

Conflicts of interest

An executor or administrator can also be a beneficiary. That is common and not automatically improper.

A conflict arises where the person's private interest competes with their duty to the estate. Examples include:

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Disclose the conflict, obtain independent valuations and take advice. Significant transactions with personal representatives or connected people should be transparent and properly authorised.

Payment and expenses

A lay executor is not automatically entitled to charge for their time.

The will may contain a charging clause, particularly for a professional executor. A professional may also charge under agreed terms or other legal authority.

Personal representatives can usually recover reasonable expenses properly incurred for the estate. These may include postage, travel required for administration, valuation fees, insurance and professional costs.

Keep receipts and distinguish expenses from payment for time or inconvenience.

Do not withdraw round sums from the estate account without a recorded basis.

How long should administration take?

There is no single period suitable for every estate.

Personal representatives are often allowed a reasonable administration period, traditionally referred to as the executor's year, before beneficiaries should expect final distribution. This is not an automatic deadline or permission to delay every estate for twelve months.

A simple estate may be completed sooner. A taxable, disputed or international estate may take substantially longer.

Personal representatives should progress the work, explain material delays and avoid giving unrealistic completion dates.

When a personal representative is failing

Warning signs may include:

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The first step is usually a clear written request identifying the concern, information needed and reasonable time for response.

Mediation or professional support may resolve practical failure without removing the personal representative.

Where serious misconduct, incapacity or deadlock prevents proper administration, the court may be asked to give directions, require an account, pass over an applicant or remove and replace a personal representative. Specialist advice is essential.

Responsibility checklist

1. Confirm whether there is a valid will.

2. Identify every named and substitute executor.

3. If there is no acting executor, establish who has priority to apply.

4. Do not treat next-of-kin status as automatic authority.

5. Remember that a power of attorney ends at death.

6. Record whether executors will act, reserve power or seek advice about renunciation.

7. Agree roles and communication between joint personal representatives.

8. Keep beneficiaries informed without giving them administrative control.

9. Identify any continuing trusts and the appointed trustees.

10. Use appropriately qualified professionals for legal, tax and valuation work.

11. Disclose conflicts and obtain independent values for connected transactions.

12. Keep estate money, records and decisions separate and transparent.

13. Claim only properly authorised payment and reasonable recorded expenses.

14. Progress the estate without unnecessary delay.

15. Seek specialist advice where authority, conduct or personal liability is uncertain.

Clear responsibility is the foundation of safe estate administration. Once the correct people have been identified, they can establish exactly what belongs to the estate and what may pass outside it.

The next chapter explains how to define the estate, including jointly owned property, trusts, gifts, debts and assets that do not pass under the will.

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About Harry Georgiou

Harry Georgiou is the owner of Swifty Clearances, a waste clearance business. He writes about responsible waste disposal, fly-tipping prevention, and the practical steps households and businesses can take to avoid inadvertently funding illegal waste operations.

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Chapter 8 — Understanding Who Is Responsible

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