Administering an estate or trust can be a lengthy and complex process, often taking months or even years to complete. This responsibility may require a significant time commitment, which can be particularly challenging if you have a full-time job or other personal obligations.
When the beneficiaries, heirs, or any interested party feels that the named executor or administrator is not fulfilling his or her duties, he or she can file a petition with the court where the decedent's will was admitted into probate and ask the court to remove the executor or trustee.
This is because as a trustee, on behalf of a charity, you enter into contracts in your own name. If the contract is breached you may be held to be personally liable and your own personal assets may be at risk.
Liability when an executor makes a mistake Unfortunately, a genuine mistake can sometimes snowball into a much bigger and often expensive problem that can be very complicated to resolve. The executor of an estate can be held personally liable for a mistake that results in a loss to the estate.
An executor is also responsible for dealing with the deceased's financial liabilities. This includes dealing with the income tax position of the deceased from the date of death to the end of the administration period, as well as any capital gains tax liability on the disposal of assets.
There is no set time for an Executor to complete the estate administration process, but there is a deadline when it comes to inheritance tax and an order that must be followed when settling an estate.
When a property has to be sold it is wise to use a solicitor to complete that process. The executor has to wait for at least 6 months after a death before distributing the possessions and assets.
Can an Executor sell property without all beneficiaries agreeing? Yes, in certain situations. If there is no explicit instructions in a Will stating that property cannot be sold, an executor does have the authority to sell property without approval from all beneficiaries.
It details every transaction that occurred during the executor's administration of the estate as well as all the estate's assets. Before the executor can finalize probate and close the estate, they must provide a final accounting that includes: An itemized list of the estate's assets.
An executor has a fiduciary duty to always act in the best interest of the estate. This means that if an executor does not act in the best interest of the estate, they may be subject to court intervention and penalties for a breach of their fiduciary duty.