Handling deceased person’s estate

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My father passed away 3 Months ago without making a will. In my family there is my Mother and 5 children ( two under the age of 18 ) and we haven't looked into his affairs or even know where to begin. I have read some of the previous posts on probate - which have been a huge help, but I have a few more questions...​

My father owned a farm and we would like to keep this going. However, my mother doesn't access to his bank accounts (apart from the funeral expenses) as they were in his name but now the farm is running up large bills and we are stretched financially. It is so hard being pushed to the limit and knowing that dad's money is sitting in the bank. Is there any way we can access this money?

We haven't begun probate yet. What are the advantages/disadvantages of doing it ourselves v going through a solicitor?

Dad was due some inheritance from an Aunt which should be through in a year’s time. Will he loose this entitlement now? Will this delay probate or does it go to his wife/children automatically?
I would really appreciate any feedback or information anyone has to offer. I'm sorry for all the questions; I guess I never thought I’d be in this situation :-(

 

[ramble]

Sorry to hear about your father. You should get in contact with a solicitor to get some initial advice about how to proceed. You can do the administration yourself but the underage siblings are a complication. The quicker the grant is taken out the easier it is. You will need the grant of administration to get the money from the bank. There may also be issues of inheritance tax, depending on the value of the estate. You should look for a solicitor with some expertise in probate, mid sized firms often have a specialized probate department, don't be afraid to shop around for a solicitor, go for someone you feel comfortable with and that can assure you that they have the necessary experience.

 

[Vanilla]

Sorry for your loss.

The first priority here is access to money to pay bills. Presumably your mother will act as administratrix in the estate and it is possible for an adminstrators account to be opened in the bank where your father had money- she should first of all try to get access to his funds as administrator to pay the bills. If the bank will not agree, the account can be set up as a loan account to be repaid on the granting of administration, and again, depending on the amount in your late fathers account, either look for an offset or a low interest rate.

Because there is a farm involved, and an intestacy and children under the age of 18, my professional opinion would be that it would be unwise to try to do this administration yourselves and you should get professional advice- now having read through the previous threads, you should know enough to insist on getting a quote in relation to the basis of calculation of legal fee upfront so that you have a good idea as to how much it will cost. If in doubt, shop around, but having said that, the cheapest will not always be the best, so rely heavily on personal recommendations too.

In relation to the inheritance from his aunts estate, presuming he survived his aunt and then died, this inheritance will still be passed on to his estate. It will not delay your fathers estate.