Failure to scan just one page of his will meant vital probate was delayed for months
My father died in February. We submitted our probate application in June but was later told that one page of the will had not been uploaded by the scanning department which is, apparently, outsourced. That single page has yet to be scanned and our probate application has stalled as a result. The contractual relationship between the probate office and the scanning provider does not appear fit for purpose, as there seems no method to escalate or expedite when its performance falls short. We accepted an offer on my father’s house yesterday. We need a grant of probate to exchange.
ST, Guildford, Surrey
The probate service has been in disarray since last year when a proposed increase in probate fees prompted a sudden surge in applications, at the same time as a scheme to centralise the service closed 18 sub-registries. The result was a huge backlog and a waiting time of months, rather than weeks. Just as the service was getting on top of things, the pandemic struck. As of this month, all applications must be submitted online and it is this changeover that appears to have prompted your saga – since January, all paper applications have had to be scanned in bulk so that they, too, can be processed online.