"An administrator is required to wind up the deceased's estate and distribute his assets to the persons entitled to them under the will or intestacy"
MARK HALLIWELL, 1996, Distribution on Intestacies, F.T. Law and Tax PP39
Personal Representative of the Estate
The administrator (or administratrix, the female equivalent) acts as the personal representative of the estate. To do this, he or she will have obtained a "Grant of Letters of Administration" from a court. In normal circumstances, he or she will instruct a solicitor to administer the estate on his or her behalf.
Gathering and Distributing Assets
The administrating solicitors will then proceed to sell the various assets of the estate in order to be able to deal exclusively with money, which can be used to settle liabilities (debts, taxes and costs), before being distributed between those who are entitled to a share.
What next?
If you have been asked to be the administrator of an estate your role involves instructing a solicitor to work on your behalf and may also involve you taking certain decisions during the administration of the estate.
The administering solicitors will of course advise you with any decisions you need to take. We can recommend suitable solicitors experienced in this field, or you can instruct one of your own choice. However, we recommend that the solicitor should work for a law firm with a probate department and have extensive experience of such matters.