Articles
What is it actually like to deal with an inherited property?
These are practical articles about the parts of an inherited property nobody warns you about: the decisions that come up between a death and a sale, what an executor is expected to deal with along the way, and which of those choices turn out to be harder to reverse than they look. Each one answers its question in the first paragraph.
They are not legal advice and they do not replace our guides, which are the canonical explanations of probate, costs and the routes to a sale. These are the practical notes alongside them, written from what we see on the estates we buy from.
Selling
Selling a probate property: why the highest valuation is not always the best outcome
When someone dies leaving a property behind, it will often be one of the most valuable assets in their estate. It can also be the asset that beneficiaries have the strongest views about.
Executors
The risks of leaving an inherited property empty
These are all reasonable considerations, but it is worth remembering that the property may remain empty for several months while the family decides how to proceed.
Probate basics
My sister bought a house with our father. Does she inherit the whole property?
Property ownership does not always work that neatly, and having two names on the title does not, on its own, tell you everything you need to know.
Selling
What to do if you inherit a property you don’t want
Inheriting a property can appear straightforward at first, but in practice it often brings with it far more responsibility than people expect.
Timings
Still waiting for probate? Here’s what you can do
Probate delays can leave executors in a difficult position, particularly when an estate includes an empty property.
Selling
My sibling is delaying the sale of our inherited house. What can I do?
When one beneficiary is living in an inherited property and does not want to sell, it can leave the rest of the family in a difficult position.
Tax
Do you pay capital gains tax on an inherited property?
You do not pay capital gains tax on inheriting a property, only on selling it, and only on the increase in value since the date of death. The probate valuation decides the rest.
Tax
How do you value a property for probate?
The probate value is the price the property would have fetched on the open market the day the person died, and HMRC checks it. Getting it wrong costs the estate either way.
Get our market reports and what they mean for inherited property
Most people deal with probate once, and the market doesn't sit still while you do it. Prices, sale times and buyer demand all move. You shouldn't have to keep checking whether any of it affects the decision in front of you.
So we do it. Each market report sets out what has moved and what it means for an inherited property in practice. We send it when we publish one, and nothing else.
If you'd rather just talk it through now, call 07451 263393.
Where else should you look?
The guides and tools are the canonical explanations: what probate property is, what it costs, and how each route to a sale compares. Our updates record the moments a threshold, a fee or a published figure actually changed, with the source that changed it. And theprobate property FAQanswers the short questions in one place.