Inherited Property - transfer of ownership

[Inthedark]

Hi,

I hope you may be able to point me in the right direction for some advice. My parents owned a property in Cyprus but have now passed away and left the house to myself and siblings. I was just wondering what we can expect of the lawyer appointed executor in the will. We have had contact with her and paid her some of her fee but communication is sporadic and not helped as the family are spread around the globe. The lawyer has now asked us to sign documents appointing her as administrator of my mum's will but surely if she is the executor this is already established? Or is this a standard formality in dealing with probate? We would just like some kind of reference guide. How long does it usually take to transfer the ownership, handle probate etc? Is it normally the executor who would investigate issues such as the title deeds? I would be very grateful for any advice you have especially about the timelines we could be looking at as information from the lawyer has been vague. We eventually want to sell the house but of course can only do that once we are named on the property. How can we check who has the title deeds? Very grateful for any advice you may have or if you could direct me elsewhere.

[Nigel Howarth]

Hello Inthedark and welcome to the forum.

Checking the title deeds is relatively straightforward - you can find a guide and the required forms at http://www.news.cyprus-property-buyers. ... /id=004888

If the family is spread around the globe, getting probate can take a long time. Under normal circumstances it can take a year, but it can take two or even three years if the inheritors are dispersed/difficult to contact.

If a lawyer was appointed by your late parents to act as the executor for their estate, I would have thought that this would also have included the administration of the estate, but I'm not sure. (But I have heard of a requirement to appoint an administrator regardless from other people).

The transfer of the property to the heirs can take place after all the heirs have been identified and probate has been granted.

(A word of caution. The Cyprus Bar Association has laid down minimum fees for lawyers acting as executors, which are steep by UK standards. Also as there is no maximum fee laid down, lawyers fees can be very expensive).

Regards,

[Inthedark]

Thanks very much for the reply. The lawyer has all the contact details of the heirs and we have all been in contact with her, so were expecting the handling of probate and transfer of ownership to be relatively straightforward and done fairly quickly, but perhaps that is being naive!

I was just wondering if there is anyone I can contact to give us a reliable outline of what it will entail, what we can expect the lawyer to do and possible timelines. The fee she has quoted us seems quite reasonable and we have paid over half of it but are still no further forward 18 months from our first contact with her.

If anyone else has been in a similar position it would be great to have their perspective.

Kind regards

[Nigel Howarth]

Hi Inthedark

I suggest you get in contact with your lawyer to see what progress she has made.

Based on the experience of others it will take at least a year for a court to grant probate after all the necessary papers have been submitted.

Regards,