Wills 5: Dealing with Assets Flashcards
What are the steps required for dealing with assets
- collect assets
- pay funeral and testamentary expenses and debts
- pay legacies
- complete administration (tax)
- transfer assets to residuary beneficiaries
- prep estate accounts
What administrative powers should be included in all wills?
-Power to charge remuneration (for anyone OR professional)
-Extended power to appropriate assets without consent of legatee
-Power to insure assets (add express)
-Power to accept receipts from or on behalf of minors
-Self- dealing
why might you add the power to accept receipts from or on behalf of minors into the will?
-General law=minor cant give good receipt but their parents/guardian can
-Can prevent by leaving legacy to trustees to hold for minor rather than leaving for child directly
-Or amend to child over 16 can give good receipt
When MUST the rule against self dealing be amended in a will?
Where executors/trustees also beneficiaries
What administrative powers should be included/could be amended for trustees?
-to appropriate assets
-to invest
-to purchase land
-to sell personalty
-maintenance/advancement
-control of trustees by bens (eg. exclude saunders & Vautier)
-of land: to consult beneficiaries/rights of occupation)
What professional conduct issues may arise when dealing with assets?
-DONT takeinstructions from a third party
-Legacies to the solicitor drafting the will=conflict, only ok if eg. drafting for fam
-Appointment of the solicitor as executor: own conflict as will charge=fully advise dont encourage unless in best interests, record advise
When does the administration period begin and end
-Starts: immediately following death
-Ends when PRs in position to vest residue of estate to beneficiaries or trustees
How long do PRs hold office for
life
Whats the primary duty of PRs?
to ‘collect and get in the real and personal estate of the deceased and administer it according to the law’
What happens if theres a loss to the estate resulting from a breach by a PR
Personally liable
Are PRs liable for breaches by co-PRs?
no
What are the types of breach by a PR?
(a) failing to protect the value of assets;
(b) failing to pay the people entitled to assets.
How can PRs be relieved from liability for a breach?
-At courts discretion if satisfied that the PR ‘has acted honestly and reasonably and ought fairly to be excused for the breach’
-Clause in will protecting liability for mistakes made in good faith
What issues may be faced by PRs for which theyll be liable?
- Unknown beneficiaries and creditors
- Don’t know whereabouts of beneficiaries
- Successful claim against estate under Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975
How can PRs protect against liability for unknown beneficiaries and creditors
- Give notice of intended distribution of estate, requiring anyone interested to send particulars of claim (as creditor/beneficiary) in London Gazette, local paper
- Then wait at least 2mo before distributing
- Make searches a prudent purchaser of land would make
If a beneficiary can’t be traced, what can the beneficiaries consider doing?
- Keeping back assets
- Taking indemnity from the beneficiaries that they will meet any claims
- Insurance to provide funds (if shortfall, PRs liable for it)
- Apply for Benjamin order-authorising PRs to distribute estate on basis C dead
What evidence does the court need before giving a Benjamin order?
evidence that the fullest possible enquiries have been made to trace missing person
What is the effect of a Benjamin order?
PRs can distribute estate on basis C dead
Protects from liability but C retains right to recover assets from beneficiaries
How can the PRs protect against a successful claim against estate under Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975
Wait more than 6mo from date of grant of representation before distributing assets
- collect assets:
How do assets passing under will/intestacy pass to the PRs?
Automatically devolve:
-Real prop-s1 AEA 1925
-Personal prop-common law
- collect assets:
When do assets pass to PRs
-Executors-on death
-Administrators-when grant issued
- collect assets:
What are PRs duties with regards to collecting assets:
-to collect assets as soon as practicable
-having collected, to preserve pending completion of administration (same powers and duty as trustees)
- collect assets:
Do assets passing outside will/intestacy pass to PRs?
No, PRs have no obligation/power to deal with them
- Pay funeral and testamentary expenses and debts:
What should PRs consider when deciding what assets to sell and in what order?
-Provisions of will (If no direction, follow statutory rules for incidence of liabilities and Generally incorrect to sell prop given specifically by will unless all other assets used up)
-Beneficiaries wishes (consult before sale takes place)
-Tax (CGT, exemptions, loss relief) (inc annual)
- Pay funeral and testamentary expenses and debts:
What funeral expenses are PRs liable to pay?
-Reasonable expenses of a funeral conducted in a manner suitable to the deceased’s position and circumstances
-Only liable so far as they have available assets of the deceased to make payment
- Pay funeral and testamentary expenses and debts:
What do testamentary expenses include?
Expenses incidental to the proper performance of the duties of a PR:
-Cost of obtaining grant
-Cost of collecting/preserving assets
-Cost of administering estate
-IHT payable on death on deceased prop in UK which vests in PRs
- Pay funeral and testamentary expenses and debts:
Admin of solvent estate: What is a solvent estate and what is an insolvent estate?
-Solvent estate=there’s sufficient assets to pay all expenses/debts/liabilities in full (even if nothing left to pay legacies)
-Insolvent estate=assets are insufficient to pay funeral/ testamentary/administration expenses, dents and liabilities
- Pay funeral and testamentary expenses and debts:
Admin of solvent estate: How are secured debts paid?
Beneficiary taking the charged asset takes it subject to the debt and will be responsible for paying the debt.
Subject to contrary intention in will/deed (ie. express reference to not pay secured debt NOT just a general direction to pay debts out of residue)