Get Affidavit Of Change Of Trustee (PDF)

An affidavit of successor trustee is filed when a trustee is removed or has died and is being replaced with the successor trustee. This is common in trusts (or joint tenancy) when it's written that if anything should happen to the trustee, the successor trustee will take over ownership.

A trustee, who can either be the trustor or another responsible party, may be appointed while the trustor is still alive; a successor trustee is charged with administering a trust after the trustor or the appointed trustee (if they are different from the trustor) becomes incapacitated or dies.

Generally, the successor Trustee will be one or more individuals or corporate entities that you specifically name in your trust to succeed you. However, even if the successor Trustee you've named is unavailable or dies, the California Probate Code provides a statutory framework to resolve such issues.

An affidavit of successor trustee is filed when a trustee is removed or has died and is being replaced with the successor trustee. This is common in trusts (or joint tenancy) when it's written that if anything should happen to the trustee, the successor trustee will take over ownership.

Upon the death of a Trustor, a trust typically becomes irrevocable (i.e. it cannot be changed) and at that point there is a change of Trustee. The Trust document typically names a Successor Trustee, who is the person responsible for administering the Trust at that point.

Typically, the settlor (i.e., the person who created and funded the trust) is the trustee until incapacity or death. Upon the settlor's incapacity, the successor trustee will need to obtain whatever certificates the trust document requires in order to establish incapacity and take authority.

The affidavit of successor trustee for California specifically requires that you provide proof of incapacity (most commonly a death certificate) and evidence that you have the authority to act as successor trustee (the Trust with any amendments).

Successor Trustee is the person or institution who takes over the management of a living trust property when the original trustee has died or become incapacitated. The exact responsibilities of a successor trustee will vary depending on the instructions left by the creator of the trust (called the Grantor).