Will Tracing & Probate Search Service
Probate is the legal and financial process of dealing with a deceased person’s property, money and possessions (their estate) through their will.
Not all dead people’s estate needs to go through probate – it depends on the amount and value of the assets left behind in their will. For instance, if the deceased person had just a small amount of money in the bank and owned nothing else, it probably will not be required. If, however, they had assets of value or owned a property in their own name, it will more than likely be necessary.
Need help tracing a person as part of a probate search process?
We are one of the UK’s leading probate search agents with expertise in people tracing, debtor tracing, debt recovery, process serving (handing over a legal notice or court order), employment tracing, international people tracing and private investigations.
What do probate search agencies like Vilcol do?
Probate lawyers are the people who usually deal with the probate process and when they are unable to find beneficiaries of a will or next of kin, they instruct will tracing specialists like Vilcol.
We can help by providing a rapid and efficient probate search of people using a range of resources that are not generally available.
We have a number of probate search investigators on our books and are a well-trusted, established firm with more than 30 years’ probate tracing experience under our belts.
Differing probate search services
When we carry out probate searches, we always ask for as much up to date information as possible. But of course, we are aware that very often, the details held may be historical in nature.
This is why our probate search services differ according to what is required:
If the Will is less than 10 years old there is a good chance that the addresses you hold are reasonably up to date. For this, we recommend our Standard Probate Trace.
If the Will is over 10 years, you must instruct us via our Enhanced Probate Search Service.
If you are searching for next of kin and do not have an address, you must instruct us via our Enhanced Probate Enquiries Service.
We will undertake multiple probate traces of beneficiaries and next of kin.
Average response time is 10 working days.
Our Probate Search Service Fees: -
(1) Trace a person from an address less than 10 years old - £75.00 + VAT
(2) Trace a person from an unknown address or older than 10 years please call 0208 390 9988 for a quote to complete your enquiry
No Trace Court Fees
In some instances of Probate Search enquiries, courts request a comprehensive report of our actions that resulted in a No Trace report being supplied. Though Vilcol strive to invoice on a success only basis, in this instance, a fee of £55.00 + VAT will be levied for the time it takes to prepare the comprehensive court document.
Standard Probate Search & Trace Service
If the address is over 10 years old, you must instruct us via our Enhanced Probate Search Service.
Vilcol will assign your instruction to one of our award winning experienced in-house probate search investigators to research your subject.
Upon your behalf they will carry out various probate trace enquiries and follow leads based on the information supplied by you and as a result of any other information gained.
Please be advised that we will charge for this service if third party sources confirm that the subject is still resident at the address supplied.
All successful Probate Searches have a free 30 day Re-Trace policy.
Re-Trace policy – Vilcol will re-check free of charge any information supplied by us if the request is received within 30 days of the date of our report.
Standard Probate Search & Trace Service Fee £75.00 on a success only basis with no pre-payment fee.
Enhanced Probate Search Enquiries – No Trace no Fee
This service is only to be used if the address held is over 10 years old.
Vilcol will assign your instruction to one of our award winning experienced investigators.
They will, upon your behalf, undertake various probate search enquiries and follow leads based on the information supplied by you and as a result of any other information gained.
Please be advised that we will charge for this service if third party sources confirm that the subject is still resident at the address supplied.
All successful Probate Traces have a free 30 day Re-Trace policy.
Re-Trace policy – Vilcol will re-check free of charge any information supplied by us if the request is received within 30 days of the date of our report.
Please call 0208 390 9988 for a quote to complete your enquiry..
Probate and Family Trace & Search service
Vilcol will assign your instruction to one of our award winning experienced investigators.
Multiple traces of beneficiaries and next of kin is invoiced on an hourly basis. We will not report until we have either concluded our probate search investigations or reached the end of the hourly limit agreed for the assignment.
Our agents will, upon your behalf, undertake various enquiries and follow probate trace leads based on the information supplied by you and as a result of any other information gained. This service may also include genealogy enquiries and is not limited to one person at a time.
This is not a success only service.
Many people do not know how many hours these enquiries typically take. Call our Client Liaison Department on 020 8390 9988 and they will happily talk you through it.
Minimum fee for this service is £170.00 plus VAT.
Fees not inclusive of VAT.
Probate and Family Trace & Search service
Q: What is probate?
A: Probate is the legal process that takes place after someone dies to deal with the deceased person’s remaining estate (property, money and possessions). This includes the judicial process of the will being proved and accepted as a valid public document in court. It also includes identifying and distributing the remaining property of the deceased as the will directs. Not all deaths require probate.
Need our help?
Q: What is probate search?
A: Probate search agencies like Vilcol are used when beneficiaries of a will can’t be found. Vilcol uses efficient and rapid probate search methods to trace the beneficiary named in a will or the next of kin.
Need our help?
Q: How does a probate search & trace service work?
A: It is very similar to our other investigations and trace services in that Vilcol utilises over 20 search engines plus in-house telephone enquiries to connect with next of kin or beneficiaries. However, in some probate search cases we may also use the services of a genealogist.
Q: Do I need a probate solicitor or can I do it myself?
A: It is possible to handle probate without legal assistance but it requires knowledge of the probate system which can often be complex and messy to navigate. The same applies to probate searches. If you are having difficulty tracing someone who is named in a will, it can be more cost-effective and quicker to instruct a probate search agency. Another drawback of dealing with probate without a solicitor is you make yourself financially liable should any mistakes occur during the process.
Q: Is applying for probate compulsory?
A: The probate process gives someone the legal authority to deal with a dead person’s assets. If you do not have this authority, you will have no say over what happens to those assets. You will not be able to close accounts, sell property or cash in investments. This means the beneficiaries named in the will won’t receive what they are entitled to. It can also create problems later if you don’t seek probate when the need first arises. For instance, if there is uncertainty over who holds ownership of a property.