UK Cash Buyer · Nationwide No Surveys No Fees Exchange in 24 Hours Call 020 7088 8300
RPJ Property Group RPJ Property Group
Get a cash offer
02 / Calculator Based on HMCTS 2026 data

How long will probate
actually take?

Realistic 2026 timings from the Probate Registry, adjusted for estate complexity and application type. Plus the downstream estimate of when a property sale could actually complete.

Your estate

Does the deceased have a valid will?
Estate value band
Application type

Online is standard for most estates; paper required for some complex cases or where online isn't accessible.

Estate complications

Estimated timeline

Grant of probate (or letters of administration)
0 – 0 weeks

Estimate based on current Probate Registry turnaround.

Preparation & application 3 weeks
Probate Registry processing 2–12 weeks
IHT filing (if applicable) 4–8 weeks before you can apply
Total timeline: death → completed property sale
Via open market 0 weeks
Via cash buyer 0 weeks

Open-market sale assumes 12–16 weeks from grant to completion (standard conveyancing timeline). Cash-buyer assumes 1–2 weeks once probate is granted, with preparation running in parallel during the probate application itself.

The data. Probate Registry times come from the Ministry of Justice's Family Court Statistics Quarterly for January to March 2026: average weeks from application to grant, split by online or paper, type of grant, and whether the application was stopped. The inheritance tax and complication allowances are our estimates. Actual times vary.

If you're dealing with a probate property and want to understand what a cash sale looks like, see our probate property page or start a no-obligation enquiry.

03 / Selling a probate property?

We wait for probate.
No pressure.

We can begin our side of the legal work during the probate application, so that the moment the grant is issued, completion can follow quickly. Share the postcode and a short note on the estate. We'll come back within 24 hours.

Start a probate offer → Or call 020 7088 8300