Probate

Helping you with probate

Doves Funeral Directors is working with the National Bereavement Service (NBS), a not-for-profit organisation, to assist and support customers and their families. NBS provides practical advice post funeral to help when dealing with legal issues, many of which may be unfamiliar.

Probate is a legal term which means the official proving of a will. You ‘apply for probate’ to have the legal right to deal with someone’s land, property, money and possessions, in other words their ‘estate’.

If the person that has passed away has made a will, they will have appointed an Executor, and may have even identified a legal firm to deal with the probate. Fortunately in most cases the process is simple and straightforward. We can help if you need guidance on DIY probate. If there is no will it can be a little more complicated and the will is resolved according to the Rules of Intestacy.

How to apply

To apply for probate you make the application to the Probate Registry and this gives the Executors named in the application the authority to act in the administration of the estate of the deceased. There are a number of stages to go through when dealing with the administration process and it can vary depending on where you are in the UK.

NBS can help guide you through all of this, call them free on 0800 0246 121 Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm, Saturday 9am to 1pm or visit them at www.theNBS.org where you’ll find more useful information. 

Useful links:

Applying for probate

Intestacy – Who inherits when there is no will?

Dealing the estate of someone who has died

Valuing the estate of someone who has died

Stopping a probate application

Cremations

We can assist you in every step of the funeral and cremation arrangements so please ask us about any queries you may have.

Cremations

Our pricing

Funeral prices vary depending on the type of ceremony you would like for your loved one. There are many options to choose from to make it unique and special.

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Planning ahead?

It is now really easy to plan ahead, making a huge difference by easing the burden on your family when the time comes, so they can focus on the arrangements.

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Need advice?

Doves Funeral Directors can assist you in every step of the funeral so please don’t hesitate to ask us about any aspects or queries you may have.

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Featured Reviews

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The whole team (Laura and Matt are unfortunately the only names I remember!!) were amazing at handling my mothers funeral. The whole process from start to finish was handled with kindness, compassion, and was explained to me so carefully in a way that I could…

Leanne Phillips

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I cannot thank Doves enough for the incredible service they provided for my Mum’s funeral. During what was one of, if not the most difficult periods of our lives, the entire Doves team went above and beyond to ensure both our family and our precious…

Natalie Day

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I was extremely impressed with the care, compassion and professionalism shown by everyone at Doves Funeral Directors. In particular, Jenny was absolutely wonderful. Her kindness, understanding and support made such a difficult time a little easier to bear. She was caring, patient and attentive to…

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Excellent care and consideration by all the team

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Many thanks to Karen, Bill and Toni for the professionalism and great kindness they showed both in the preparation for the funeral and during the event itself. It made a difficult experience much easier and we are very grateful.

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I cannot thank doves in Sittingbourne Enough, they made my mum‘s final journey in the final goodbye here the perfect one, Julie is lovely and she helped me arrange my mum‘s funeral as I’ve never arranged a funeral before. I cannot thank her enough will…

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Doves Funeral Directors, Swanley and Rose in particular made a difficult time arranging my Father Gary's funeral as smooth as possible. Before the day, Rose was very sympathetic and nothing was too much trouble, co-ordinating the Photos, Order of service, music, flowers, minister and various…

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