It is not a prerequisite to obtain a court order before submitting this application. The application shall be supported by an affidavit setting out the grounds of the application, and if any person served with the subpoena denies that the will is in his possession or control, he may file an affidavit to that effect. 49(2) of Non-Contentious Probate Rules (Cap. 10A), the executor may make an ex parte application to the Registrar under s.7(3) of Probate and Administration Ordinance (Cap. 10) for the issue of a subpoena to bring in a will. If the Court admits the copy will to probate, the order normally includes a direction that the grant is limited until the original will or a more authentic copy will has been proved. In order to have the copy will admitted to probate, an application must be made to the Registrar under r.53 of the Non-Contentious Probate Rules (Cap. 10A).
- However, my father and I may have beneficial interest in the estate by virtue of s.
- In the given scenario, he can clear off all person with prior entitlement to a grant by a Citation.
- A citation is used to force some action or step in relation to the taking of the grant to the estate.
- One point to note is that for those adopted children (i.e. they have been adopted by persons through a legal adoption process), they have the same status as the natural children.
- It is typically used when a testator wishes to make minor changes to their existing will by adding, amending, or revoking part of it.
- On the other hand, the law governing disposition of land/flats (real estate) which are « immovable » is the law where the land/flats are located.
- In such case, the intended beneficiary will not get that specific gift.
But the personal representative must act honestly on the timing of distribution and must not postpone unreasonably. It means that, unless, as mentioned, the assets of the estate are not enough to pay off its debt, a spouse has the right to take the matrimonial property in satisfaction of his/her share under intestacy. There may be costs consequences to the personal representative personally though, especially if the claim is actually a claim involving beneficiaries. The nearest relatives of the deceased present at the death or during the deceased’s last illness or other relevant persons of the deceased are under a duty to register a death from natural causes within 14 days after such death. A testator should inquire the friend’s age, expertise in administering the estate and whether the friend has conflicts of interests e.g. if the friend is also a beneficiary. A caveat is a means of preventing a grant of probate or administration from being sealed without the caveator’s knowledge.
- Whilst the personal representative may seek to be reimbursed by the estate his/her costs or the opponent’s costs that he/she is ordered to pay, the beneficiaries may oppose on the ground that the personal representative have unreasonably initiated or defended the claim.
- The executor will then be required to accept or renounce his executorship.
- We must prove that the potential administrators are clearly unsuitable e.g. they refuse to apply for the Letters of Administration or that it is more convenient to do so.
- If more assets are found later resulting in the value of the estate exceeding $50,000, the Applicant should notify the Director of Home Affairs and, if a confirmation notice has been issued, return it for cancellation.
- The information available at the Community Legal Information Centre (CLIC) is for preliminary reference only and should NOT be considered as legal advice.
- But the personal representative must act honestly on the timing of distribution and must not postpone unreasonably.
II. The estate agents’ services (with an overview of the sale and purchase procedures)
An ex parte application must be filed to rebut the presumption. Where the original will is lost, mislaid, or not available, and when an applicant is applying to admit a copy, a rebuttable presumption of revocation arises. If the will is lost, the grant made is limited until the original or a more authentic copy is proved. Where the will is lost and there are no available copies of the will, an application for an order admitting proof of other evidence of its contents can be made to the Registrar under r.53 of Non-contentious Probate Rules (Cap. 10A). In writing signed by him and attested by a solicitor or by any person before whom an affidavit may be sworn. Renounce orally on the hearing of any petition or probate action by counsel on his behalf; or
Can the executor/administrator initiate a litigation to recover assets of the estate?
Unless you are a person with privileged status (e.g. a soldier on actual military service, or a sailor), you cannot make an oral will. This is discussed in the section « Distribution of estate to the relevant parties ». For those without a forzabet Will, they are called « intestate ».
The creditors should go after the estate’s personal representatives (i.e. the executor or the administrator of the deceased’s estate) . If, however, the deceased leaves behind assets in the Mainland, the intended personal representative may need to seek the Mainland legal advice as to those assets. The personal representative’s duty is to distribute the shares of the company to the beneficiaries (if the will so specifically gifts) or to sell the shares and distribute the sale proceeds to the beneficiaries according to will or the laws of intestacy. The personal representative would be personally liable for the said contractual breach or tortious wrong to that third party and, depending on the circumstances, may or may not be entitled to reimbursement by the estate. A personal representative may assume liability towards third party if he/she commits breach of contract in the name of the estate or commit act of negligence in the course of administration. (3) give details of the whereabouts of all properties (including cash) of the estate which the personal representative is duty bound to administer; and
Grant of Probate
It is typically used when a testator wishes to make minor changes to their existing will by adding, amending, or revoking part of it. A codicil is a legal document that supplements a will. If the answer is no, the deceased will die intestate.
If the executor does not wish to take up the appointment, or if no executor appointed by the deceased survives, then the person entitled to the residuary legacy in the Will has priority to apply for a Grant of Letters of Administration (with the relevant Will annexed). If the estate is insolvent, the personal representative must take extra care. The personal representative has to take reasonable steps to make sure that there is no outstanding debt owed by the estate before distribution. When there is a dispute between persons entitled to a Grant in the same degree (i.e. they are all equally entitled to apply for the Grant), an application has to be made to the High Court to determine who will be appointed as administrators.
In default of any such person it shall be granted to the Official Administrator. The citation and verifying affidavit must be personally served (r.45(4)). In the given scenario, he can clear off all person with prior entitlement to a grant by a Citation. For a person who died on or after 11 th February 2006 , the relevant application fee is $265 and the fee for engrossment of a Grant is $72. Administration shall not be granted to more than four persons in respect of the same property.
It is possible to revoke a grant of probate or administration if there is a valid reason, and a new grant can be issued instead. The grant will usually be made to the attorney of the person entitled to the grant. Since grants have not been made in respect of the estates of my father and mother, I must apply for them. A grant de bonis non may be made to any person who is equally entitled as the previous grantee. If he is not entitled under r.21 of Non-Contentious Probate Rules (Cap. 10A), he may apply for the Court to invoke its power under s.36 of Probate and Administration Ordinance (Cap. 10) to pass over a person entitled as an administrator to him.
You may refrain from committing acts which may lead the Court to consider you unsuitable for appointment as an executor. There are few limitations in relation to the choice of an executor. The designated executor always has the option to renounce. You can appoint a friend to be the executor, but there are generally a few requirements applicable for an individual to be appointed an executor.
Can a surviving spouse acquire the matrimonial property owned by the intestate?
Whilst the law in Hong Kong confers absolute testamentary freedom on individuals, it also recognizes the need for an individual to make financial provisions from his estate for his spouse and those who had been dependent on him financially during his lifetime. Under such circumstances, the surviving spouse could make a claim for a share of the estate, and the illegitimate child could claim for maintenance to be provided for him out of the estate pursuant to the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Ordinance. Any aggrieved party may bring legal action against the executor to contest the validity of the deceased’s Will.
Can I write my own will without the help of lawyers?
(b) a firm (The appointment will typically be considered valid for those individuals who were partners in the firm at the time the will was executed, rather than at the time of the testator’s death.). The Court generally views that an insolvent person is less desirable to be appointed an executor. The applicable ground is that a grant had been obtained by a false or incorrect statement because a will has been discovered after a grant of administration. A citation is used to force some action or step in relation to the taking of the grant to the estate.
(1) show the opening balance (including capital assets) and closing balance; But if the beneficiary is a descendent of the deceased, then the gift will go to the issue of that deceased beneficiary under s.23 of the Wills Ordinance (Cap. 30). In such case, the specific gift under the will have to be used to pay off those expenses and the debts too and the beneficiary will not be able to get that gift. Abatement happens when the remaining assets of the estate is not enough to pay off its funeral expenses and debts. In such case, the intended beneficiary will not get that specific gift.
When making a Will, it is advisable for special trust provisions to be arranged for a beneficiary who is a disabled. If no provision is made in a Will and a common disaster occurred rendering it uncertain which spouse survives the other, then the younger is deemed to have survived the elder. If the Will is silent on this matter, these properties will fall into the residue of the estate and will be sold, with the proceeds forming part of the cash residue. For example, if the deceased has two flats (one of them in Hong Kong and the other is situated outside Hong Kong), then the foreign property will not be included in the estate in respect of the Grant of Representation in Hong Kong. On the other hand, the law governing disposition of land/flats (real estate) which are « immovable » is the law where the land/flats are located. The law in some countries (but not in Hong Kong) requires that you must leave a certain proportion of your estate to your children or widow.
Letters of administration of the estate of a deceased person are granted where the deceased died wholly intestate. If we were maintained, either wholly or substantially, by the deceased, immediately before the death of the deceased, my father and I would be entitled to apply to the court for an order under s. Assuming that the deceased only leaves siblings and a cousin (i.e. my father), pursuant to s.21(1)(iv) of Non-Contentious Probate Rules (Cap. 10A), the deceased’s siblings have immediate beneficiary interests and are entitled to a grant to administration.