Case Studies

A gentleman died leaving a comprehensive will and details of various beneficiaries, including societies and charities to whom he had bequeathed specific chattels. The remaining items were to be distributed in a manner sympathetic to his intentions. He also left a property which required marketing and selling, with the proceeds to be distributed by his executors.

We visited the property with his solicitor, established a plan to be followed to ensure all chattels were dealt with through various means complying with the deceased client's wishes.

A full cataloguing of all chattels was prepared, during which, certain items of value were discovered in the property and delivered to the solicitor's office for safekeeping. These included money and jewellery, for which valuations were obtained where necessary, to establish the most appropriate means of sale to maximise the final value of the estate.

We acted as the main point of liaison, meeting beneficiaries at the property and collating items including hundreds of books, slides, paperwork, ensuring all the items went to the correct parties.

Once all the contents had been removed, we arranged for the property to be made ready, so that market appraisals could be carried out by a selection of local estate agents, advising the solicitor as to the most appropriate agent for the type of property and then overseeing the sale process through to completion.

A client of the instructing solicitor went into a care home having given the solicitor power of attorney to deal with her affairs. There were no relatives.

We visited the property and collected items of clothing and personal items to take to the client in the care home, having labelled the items and catalogued them. We continued to carry out personal shopping for the client whilst she remained in the care home.

girlmonday2friday collated all her paperwork and passed on all relevant items requiring attention to her solicitor.

When it was confirmed that the client would not be returning to her home, we discussed with her solicitor and the senior care staff at the home what additional clothing or personal items might be required in the long term. We then arranged disposal of all the remaining items, including furniture, via an auction house, arranging donations to charities where instructed, recycling unwanted items as appropriate and preparing her property for sale.

We then arranged market appraisals of the property by several estate agents and then oversaw the sale process through to completion.

The solicitor's client had died in her rented flat. There were no beneficiaries.

Following our instruction, we inspected the flat, cataloguing the contents and checking for any valuables or paperwork which may have been required by her solicitor to track down bank accounts and to notify utilities, etc.

We dealt with various charities, as instructed, donating those items which were suitable for further use. We then oversaw the clearance of the flat and its thorough cleaning in preparation for its return to the landlord.

Fiona recently helped a solicitor who had been appointed as a deputy by the Court of Protection, where a child had received compensation following an accident in which she had suffered brain damage and her family needed to move to a new home where the environment was suitable for the delivery of her care.

Fiona worked with the child's mother and the solicitor and, having inspected the property to ensure it was suitable for the family, liaised with the vendors and the conveyancing solicitor, so that completion of the purchase progressed as quickly as possible, including aspects such as handover of keys, reading of meters and ensuring that the moving-in day went smoothly.

Once the purchase had completed, the property required a number of major adaptations which Fiona arranged, sourcing suitable contractors and overseeing the work. This included the refurbishment of the kitchen, replacement of the central heating boiler, fencing of the whole property to improve security and ensure the safety of the client and even arranging for the septic tank to be emptied, aspects which the mother had no experience of and was unable to handle, as her focus needed to be on the care of her children.

Fiona also arranged purchases of household items within an agreed budget, to ensure the property was fully equipped, including furniture and white goods, achieving considerable savings whilst dealing with the ordering and delivery of these items to the property.

Fiona was then involved on an ongoing basis for a period of time following completion of the works, liaising with the child's mother and the deputy so that any snagging problems were quickly dealt with, remaining on call as and when required.