by It is difficult coping after losing a loved one.
Taking care of the estate administration can seem overwhelming and expensive.
Start with Kiwilaw’s downloadable step-by-step general outline (see below) to check what you may need to cover.
Then seek professional advice on the parts that relate to your particular loved one.
Kiwilaw specialises in steps 1 and 2. Step 2 means getting a ‘grant of administration’ (probate or letters of administration). At this stage, we can also help with step 6 (for land – transmissions) and step 8.
We don’t hold client funds. We don’t run a trust account. We seldom do accounting or tax stuff.
If you want to do everything through a trust account, please use a solicitor, or accountant, or trustee company (Public Trust or Perpetual Guardian). It’s not compulsory but it can save hassles especially if there are disputes. Accountants may be less expensive than solicitors. Check their fees first.
We don’t sort out claims about who should get more than the will says. However, if everyone agrees, we can write it up for you in a legal document.
We don’t advise about investments, or property, or creditors.
What we do, we do well. And we can usually refer you to someone else who can help with the rest.
For more general guidance, see our estate-administration introductory page.
Cheryl Simes – 2 July 2021
