Kiwilaw* - 'yield to principle, not to pressure'

Probate, wills, estate administration, reseal grants, transmission to executors

Enquiry and screening – grant of administration in New Zealand

Grant of administration - screening and enquiry - no obligation
If you think you need probate or letters of administration in New Zealand, please use this form.By 'you', we mean an executor of the will (if any), or a close family member (if there is no will), or someone asking on their behalf.We will tell you who should be the applicant/s, and what our fee is likely to be.Once we reply to you, you can decide whether to go ahead. You pay nothing for our response to this form. You don't have to go ahead if you don't want to.
Initial information - Step 1 of 8

Take your time, there's no rush

Yes, this form is more complicated than a standard online 'contact form'.

That's because we want to provide full legal guidance, which requires careful consideration of numerous different facts.

We start by asking whether there has already been any type of 'grant of administration' in your loved one's estate. The answer is almost always 'no'. (It would be 'yes' if, for instance, probate had been granted in Australia, or letters of administration had been granted 20 years ago and the administrator had died before completing the job.) It's important to get this right - the wrong answer sends everyone off on the wrong track!

We then ask whether there's a will - including anything that is an invalid will.

A valid will includes a duly signed and witnessed will of which you can only find a copy. (There's a separate question about whether the original will is available.)

If there's a valid will, we ask about executors and whether they are available, and other factors that can cause complications.

We check that a grant of administration is definitely needed - we don't want to waste our time or your money.

If there's no valid will, we ask about your loved one's relationships and surviving family members, because that determines who can be the applicant/s. We ask about the value of the estate because that changes the options. We ask about specific procedural steps that may or may not have been taken. We check a couple of other points that can cause complications.

We ask about your loved one's death, to check for factors that could require additional work (and fees).

We ask you to check a final list of issues that may cause complications if they apply in your loved one's case.

At the end of each short page, click 'NEXT' to continue. You can also save (and resume later).

If the answers don't fit your situation, there's a chance to add information at the end.

Finally, before you submit, you can review your answers.

It covers the same material as a phone call, but in less time and with more safeguards.

Let's start....

 

We need your email address so we can reply to you. We don't add you to any mailing lists. We don't collect email addresses for marketing purposes.
For screening and enquiry purposes, this does not have to be their full name. However, if you decide to go ahead, we will then need their full name.
The answer will normally be no. It would be yes if, for example, the person died some time ago, their executor obtained probate, and the executor has since died, without completing the administration of the estate. It will also be yes if a grant of administration has been made overseas.