York Probate - fee increase

[drhewitt]

I apologize if this has been posted elsewhere, I received a bunch of wills today with a note stating the following:

Please be advised as of the 4th April 2011 our search fees increased from £5 to £6 for a standard search. The cost for each extra copy remained at £1.00 and the cost for an extended search increased from £3.00 to £4.00 per 4 year period. If you have paid the old fee for your search please complete the slip at the bottom of this letter and return it to us with the appropriate balance of fee required.

Please also be advised cheques are now payable to HMCTS.


So the cost of a will has gone up from £5 to £6, still excellent value for money and no doubt it's costing them more in terms of manpower to process an enormous number of applications since the National Probate Register appeared online.

[Ray T]

I had a similar response. They are, in fact, their own worst enemy in this respect. It might help their case if they were to put the correct information on their website! - http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/cms/1226.htm - I don't remember seeing anything in their response about a slip but then, they didn't find an entry for me. Alternatively, they've realised that processing a cheque for £1 would cost more than £1.

Unfortunately, I tend not to agree with your last sentence. The likelihood is that the same number of minions  are employed to deal with a greater number of applications meaning that their income from probate searches could actually have increased. Not the income of the minions, I might add!

[Eking]

Anyone know where the official link for the form is please.

The HMCourts link posted above does not work anymore, and I have had a little look around HMRC site and Directgov site but cannot find it.

Thanks

[nanny jan]

This link has the new price details but no form.   

http://www.justice.gov.uk/guidance/courts-and-tribunals/courts/probate/family-history.htm



Nanny Jan


The form

http://hmctscourtfinder.justice.gov.uk/courtfinder/forms/pa1s_0405.pdf

[Eking]

many thanks for links and so speedy

 I had not read the former link enough and therefore not made the leap to justice website

[dawnsh]

HM Courts and Tribunals Service has recently updated their page on obtaining copies of wills

http://www.justice.gov.uk/guidance/courts-and-tribunals/courts/probate/copies-of-grants-wills.htm

Applications no longer go to York

Dawn