The UK Probate Registry backlog reached well-publicised peaks in 2023 — the widely-reported 14-week median wait became a political issue, forced HM Courts & Tribunals Service restructuring, and significantly delayed thousands of property sales. Those peaks have largely passed, but 2026 wait times remain materially longer than pre-pandemic norms. For executors planning a property sale, understanding the current position matters.
Current 2026 position
Based on recent HMCTS data and practitioner reports, realistic current probate turnaround times:
- Simple online applications, straightforward estates: 6–10 weeks from submission to grant issued.
- Online applications with moderate complexity (IHT return, multiple executors, modest assets): 10–16 weeks.
- Paper applications (required in some complex cases): 14–20 weeks.
- Contested estates or complex IHT: 16–30+ weeks, highly variable.
These are improvements from the 2022–23 peak (when 24–40+ week waits were common) but remain longer than pre-2020 norms of 4–6 weeks.
What drives the variability
Application type (online vs paper)
The HMCTS online portal (MyHMCTS) was expanded through 2023–24 and now handles the majority of straightforward probate applications. Online is materially faster than paper. Some specific cases — multi-jurisdiction estates, contested wills, missing original documents — still require paper applications, which sit in a slower-moving queue.
Estate value and IHT
Estates below the inheritance tax threshold (currently £325,000, rising to £500,000 with the Residential Nil Rate Band where applicable) move faster — no IHT return is required before grant can be issued. Estates above the threshold must file IHT200 forms and settle provisional IHT before grant, adding 4–8 weeks to the typical process.
Accuracy of the application
The single biggest variable in individual cases is whether the application is complete and accurate. HMCTS “requisition” letters — requests for additional information or correction — add weeks or months to affected applications. Professional applications (solicitor-prepared) tend to be more accurate than DIY applications, though DIY is genuinely workable for simple estates.
Complications
Missing original will, disputed wills, beneficiary disputes, foreign assets, or uncertainty about intestacy all extend timelines substantially. Contested cases can take many months or years to resolve.
Planning a property sale around probate
If you’re an executor planning to sell a property from the estate, the practical sequence:
Week 1
- Register the death, order multiple death certificates.
- Identify original will (if any) and its executors.
- Identify the property and any charges on it (mortgage, equity release, etc.).
- Consider whether to market the property before grant is issued — you can, but cannot complete without the grant.
- If the property is empty, arrange unoccupied insurance and utility management.
Weeks 2–4
- Instruct a solicitor if using one (optional for simple estates, recommended for anything with IHT or complications).
- Begin collecting estate valuations (bank accounts, investments, property, personal chattels).
- Submit online probate application if estate is straightforward.
- File IHT forms if required.
Weeks 4–16 (grant period)
- Wait. Realistically, the best use of this time is preparing the property: clear-out, basic maintenance, and — if selling — talking to cash buyers or estate agents so everything is lined up for when the grant arrives.
- A cash buyer can run their own due diligence in parallel, so that exchange and completion follow the grant within days rather than weeks. See our probate property page.
Post-grant
- With grant in hand, the sale can exchange and complete.
- Open-market sales typically add another 12–16 weeks of conveyancing at this point.
- Cash-buyer sales typically add 1–2 weeks.
Total time from death to completed sale
- Open market, simple estate: 4–7 months (depending on probate speed).
- Open market, complex estate: 8–14 months.
- Cash buyer, simple estate: 3–5 months (dominated by the probate timeline itself).
- Cash buyer, complex estate: 6–10 months.
What you can’t speed up
- The Probate Registry itself. Applications are processed in broadly chronological order; there’s no way to jump the queue.
- IHT settlement. HMRC has its own processing time; the grant cannot issue until provisional IHT is paid.
- Missing or disputed documents. If the original will is lost or challenged, the process slows dramatically.
What you can speed up
- Application accuracy. Double-check before submission; professional support is worth the cost for anything complex.
- Parallel conveyancing. Instruct solicitors early and let them do title work, raise enquiries, and prepare contracts during the probate wait.
- Cash buyer arrangement. A cash buyer can commit to an offer during the probate wait, with exchange immediately following grant.
Related
- Selling an inherited property: the probate sale guide
- Sell a probate property — cash offer for executors
- Grant of probate in our glossary
- Try our probate timeline estimator
If you’re selling inherited property
We buy probate properties regularly, and we wait patiently for grant of probate to issue. We can start our side of the legal work while probate is pending, so that exchange and completion happen quickly when the grant arrives. Share the postcode and a short note on the estate — we’ll respond within 24 hours.