Tidying up
After a death, there is a lot of administration needed to tie-up an estate and almost every task will require the Registered Death Certificate.
If there was a Will and assets over $40K, an Executors next step will be to apply for Probate, a legal requirement to have the Will approved by the High Court, so the instructions can be actioned, (approval can take 6-8 weeks). You can legally administer this yourself, but it can be complex, so consider legal advice.
If there was no Will, the person has died intestate. Any assets will be distributed according to the Administration Act 1969 – a strict hierarchy of; partner, children, parents, siblings, grandparents – and if there are no relatives, the entire estate is left to the Government. Any final wishes expressed by the deceased are ignored.
We’ve created a useful ‘tick list’ of administrative tasks when finalising an estate. Feel free to contact us with any useful additions. ‘After’ Admin.
MyTrove
MyTrove is an innovative ‘one-stop’ portal for informing Government Agencies and private sector organisations (banks, utilities, insurance companies etc) of a death. While it is not the ‘prettiest’ of websites – it is approved, efficient and effective – just scroll down on the home page to ‘Start’.
Keep, Sell, Donate, Recycle or Throw Away
Clearing an entire home can be a daunting task, especially if the process has not been done with a recent downsize. If you come across sentimental objects but can not give them space in your own home, we recommend just taking a photo, the memories and stories live on.
Contact a local Auction House for an appraisal or charitable organisations to collect your items for donation.