Professional help at the most difficult time
Elizabeth King knows first hand how difficult and stressful it is to sort out the affairs of a family member when they pass away.
“The first estate I administered was in 2015 when my dad passed away. It was difficult for me, having no knowledge about the process and the legislation involved. I also saw the effect it had on my mom when she lost her life partner and then had the additional stress of dealing with his estate.”
In this context, an estate is all the money and property owned by a person. Often the first time anyone really pays attention to a person’s estate is when they die and it can be overwhelming.
When I started working for a local attorney in 2020, I was given certain tasks at various stages of estate administration and I developed a keen interest in that work.
“As with my own family, I’ve seen how distressed and anxious clients become about the winding up of an estate. It quickly became my aim to complete the process as quickly as possible, relieving the family from the burden of huge volumes of legally complex administration and providing closure for them. I learnt how important it was to keep families updated as the different aspects progressed through the system.”
Just the first step in winding up a deceased estate – obtaining the letter of appointment for the executor - requires a person to complete up to eight forms and gather various accompanying documents to lodge with the Master of the High Court. This in itself can be quite overwhelming. Then debtors and creditors must be notified through advertisements. Assets must be claimed and liabilities paid. Following up and finalising these is a time-consuming process.
After this the liquidation and distribution account is to be drawn and lodged: there are stringent requirements for it to be successfully lodged with the Master’s office. This is a document reflecting all the assets and liabilities; details of distribution to heirs; and a summary of the Estate Duty. All of this must be done according to Deceased Estate Administration legislation. There are further requirements from the Master’s office before and after distribution to receive a filing slip from the Court Master to close off the Estate.
It is a drawn out, complicated process, but an experienced person can achieve results quickly, by following the correct procedures.
Particularly if the final wishes of the deceased are clear – this to be removed as even with no will, there are the laws of intestate succession to follow and achieve fast results – it just makes it more complicated but not necessarily lengthening the process.
If there is no Will & Testament, the process is more complicated. Following the laws of Intestate Succession doesn’t necessarily mean following what those left behind know the deceased would have wanted.
Please leave a will to lessen the burden on those left behind. I aim to provide a service to families where speed, accuracy, sensitivity and expertise is at the forefront.
King is a Certified Deceased Estate Administrator, doing work for local attorneys and private clients. She is available to administer any Deceased Estates, including 18(3) estates (estates below R250,000). Contact 073-0452869 and visit www.ataraxiapro.co.za or email: elizabeth@ataraxiapro.co.za for more information.