How long does probate take?
HM Courts and Tribunals Service aims to issue most grants of probate within 16 weeks of receiving a complete application. Administering the whole estate usually takes 6 to 12 months. If inheritance tax is due, the application cannot be submitted until HMRC has processed the tax account, which adds a few weeks at the front.
Need the estate settled without a long sale?
We buy probate properties as they are, contents left in place, and we'll work to the date the executors need.
The timeline stage by stage
| Stage | Typical time |
|---|---|
| Register the death, find the will, list the assets | 2 to 6 weeks |
| Value the estate, including a house valuation | 2 to 4 weeks |
| Submit the inheritance tax account to HMRC (if needed) | Allow 3 to 4 weeks before applying |
| Probate application processed by the court | Up to 16 weeks for a complete application |
| Grant issued, title passes to the executor | Same week |
| Sell the house and settle debts | 4 to 8 weeks, or faster with a cash buyer |
| Distribute to beneficiaries | 2 to 4 weeks |
Add the stages up and a clean estate lands somewhere between 6 and 9 months. Anything with a contested will, a missing beneficiary, an unusual asset or an unresolved tax position runs longer, sometimes well past a year.
What actually causes the delays
- Stopped applications. If the details on the form do not match the will, or the original will is not enclosed, the court stops the case and writes to you. Each round of post adds weeks.
- Inheritance tax. Where tax is payable, HMRC has to process the account before the court can issue the grant. Interest starts running on unpaid inheritance tax 6 months after the end of the month of death, so this stage costs money as well as time.
- Valuations. Executors need a defensible open market value at the date of death, not a rough guess. Getting that wrong invites HMRC questions later.
- Multiple executors. Every named executor who is acting has to sign and agree. One person abroad or unwell can hold everything up.
Do not let the house sit idle while you wait
The wait for the grant is dead time only if you treat it that way. An empty inherited house still costs money every month: unoccupied insurance, council tax once any exemption ends, standing charges, and the slow damage that comes from nobody being there. You can do almost everything except complete before the grant arrives.
Marketing the property, agreeing a price and getting a solicitor instructed while the application is with the court means the sale is ready to exchange the day the grant lands. We price off the postcode and the property details, hold that price, and wait for your grant rather than the other way round.
Is there a faster route than a full grant?
Sometimes. If the deceased owned the house as joint tenants with a surviving spouse or partner, the property passes to the survivor outright and no grant is needed to sell it. Small estates with no property and modest bank balances can often be released on the bank's own indemnity forms instead. Everything else, including a house held in the deceased's sole name or as tenants in common, needs the grant.
Common questions
- How long does probate take in the UK?
- For a straightforward estate, expect roughly 6 to 12 months from death to finishing the administration. The grant of probate itself is the shorter part: HM Courts and Tribunals Service aims to issue most grants within 16 weeks of receiving a complete application, and simple online applications are often quicker.
- Why is my probate application taking so long?
- The usual causes are a stopped application, which happens when the paperwork does not match the will or the details are incomplete, an inheritance tax account that has not cleared with HMRC yet, a missing original will, or an estate with assets that are hard to value. Stopped applications add weeks because the court has to write out and wait for a reply.
- Can anything be done with the house before the grant arrives?
- Yes. You can clear it, insure it as an unoccupied property, get it valued, market it and agree a sale, and instruct a solicitor. What you cannot do is complete the sale until the grant is issued, because legal title has to pass to the executor first.
- Does selling the house speed probate up?
- It does not speed up the grant, but agreeing a sale early means the conveyancing runs alongside the wait instead of starting after it. Estates that line up a buyer while the application is with the court often complete within days or weeks of the grant landing.
Need the estate settled without a long sale?
We buy probate properties as they are, contents left in place, and we'll work to the date the executors need.
Related guides
Probate hubExecutor's guide to selling a probate property: timeline, valuation, insurance risk, and how to sell fast, as-is, with contents left in place.
Can you sell a house before probate?Yes you can market and accept an offer before probate, but you cannot complete until grant is issued. Exceptions for joint ownership explained.
How long after probate can you sell?No legal waiting period once grant is issued. Realistic conveyancing timeline and why executors watch the 6 and 12 month marks.- Do you need probate to sell a house?Joint tenants can sell without a grant. Sole ownership and tenants in common need probate or letters of administration first. How to tell which applies.