The amount of time you have to claim depends on what kind of claim you are making.
If you were financially dependent on the deceased and they failed to sufficiently provide for you in their will, you can claim under the Inheritance Act 1975.
You'll have six months from the date that the Probate Service issues a grant of representation. You need to apply for permission from the court to claim any later than this. It’s important to get in touch as soon as possible so we can help make sure that you are allowed to pursue your claim. See our Inheritance Act page for more information.
If you've already suffered a financial loss because you expected to receive certain assets, you can claim in Proprietary Estoppel.
You can claim at any time but a delay could be used as reason to dismiss your claim. The longer you wait also increases the risk of the property you had been promised being sold or given away to someone else. This means it’s important to begin your claim as quickly as possible. See our Proprietary Estoppel page to find out more.
If the pre-death agreement was missing from the deceased’s will due to mistakes made by their will-writer or lawyer, you can claim for professional negligence.
You have six years from the date that you suffered the loss, which is normally the date of death of the deceased. If you weren’t aware of the loss at the time, you have three years from the date that you found out. See our Professional Negligence page for more details.
