Step 1: Establish Your Legal Authority
Before you can sell anything, you need the legal right to act on behalf of the estate.
If there’s a will, the executor named in it applies for a grant of probate. If there’s no will, the nearest eligible relative applies for letters of administration under the intestacy rules. Either way, the process is similar, and we’ve covered the full timeline in our probate guide.
The key fact most people don’t realise: you can start marketing the property, instructing estate agents, accepting offers, and preparing for the sale before the grant comes through. In principle, you can even exchange contracts before the grant arrives, using a contract made conditional ("subject to probate"), with completion timed a set number of days after the grant comes through. Most solicitors avoid this where there’s a chain involved, because you can’t guarantee a completion date. What you definitely can’t do is complete the sale or register the transfer at the Land Registry until the grant is in hand. Either way, there’s no reason to sit and wait. You can be ready to move the moment the grant arrives.
GOV.UK's guidance on probate application timelines
’s current guidance is that
GOV.UK's guidance on probate application timelines
within 12 weeks of submitting your
online application, though it can take longer if HMCTS needs more information. The
application fee is £526 for estates over £5,000 (
rose from £300 in July 2026).
One exception: if the property was owned as joint tenants (common for married couples), ownership passes automatically to the surviving owner. Probate isn’t needed for the property itself.
Step 2: Secure and Insure the Property
This is unglamorous but important, and it’s one of the first things to do, before you think about valuations or selling routes.
Security: Lock all doors and windows. Remove any obvious valuables. Consider giving a spare key to a trusted neighbour or using a key safe. If the property will be empty for a while, redirect post to the executor’s address. In winter, set the heating to low to prevent burst pipes. A burst pipe in an unheated Wirral terrace in January is a mess you don’t want to deal with remotely.
Insurance: This is the one that catches people out. Standard home insurance policies often exclude or limit cover after 30–60 days of the property being unoccupied. If a pipe bursts, someone breaks in, or there’s a fire, the executor could be personally liable if the insurance doesn’t cover it.
Contact the existing insurer immediately to tell them the property is unoccupied and the policyholder has died. Failing to disclose this can void the policy entirely. Specialist unoccupied property insurance is available, typically £300–£600 a year for a standard Wirral property, and it’s worth every penny for the peace of mind.
Step 3: Get a Valuation
The property needs valuing, and this matters more than you might think, because it serves three purposes at once.
For inheritance tax: The probate valuation is the market value at the date of death. This figure goes on the IHT forms, so it needs to be accurate. Overvalue the property and you could pay more IHT than necessary. Undervalue it and HMRC may challenge it.
For capital gains tax: The probate valuation also becomes your CGT base cost, the starting point for calculating any gain when you sell. We’ve explained this in full in our CGT guide, but the short version is: if you sell for more than the probate value, the difference is your taxable gain. Get the valuation wrong and it affects your tax in both directions.
For the sale itself: You need a realistic idea of what the property is worth on the open market, in its current condition.
Get two to three valuations from local estate agents who know the specific area. For Wirral properties, this means agents who understand the difference between streets in Birkenhead, not a national chain running a desktop estimate. If inheritance tax is involved, you may also want a formal RICS surveyor valuation.
Step 4: Handle Inheritance Tax
IHT is due within six months of the date of death, and it must be paid (or payment arrangements agreed) before the grant of probate can be issued. Interest is charged on late payments at HMRC’s current rate of 7.75% per year.
For reference, the current thresholds (2026/27) are: £325,000 nil-rate band, plus £175,000 residence nil-rate band if the home passes to direct descendants, giving an individual threshold of up to £500,000, or £1,000,000 for a couple where the surviving spouse’s allowance is transferred.
Most Wirral estates fall below these thresholds, especially where a spouse’s transferred allowance applies. But the IHT forms need completing regardless of whether any tax is actually due.
If the estate doesn’t have enough liquid cash to pay the IHT bill, HMRC allows the tax on property to be paid in up to ten annual instalments, though interest is charged on the outstanding balance.
Step 5: Choose Your Selling Route
This is the decision that shapes everything else: your timeline, your costs and the price you'll get. There are three main options, each with genuine pros and cons.
Option A: Estate Agent (Open Market Sale)
The traditional route. An agent markets the property, arranges viewings, negotiates offers, and manages the sale through to completion.
Timeline: Three to six months from listing to completion, depending on the market, the property’s condition, and the chain.
Price: Full market value. This route typically achieves the highest sale price.
Costs: Agent fees of 1–2% plus VAT (typically £2,000–£5,000 on a Wirral property) plus conveyancing fees of £1,000–£2,000.
Condition required: The property needs to be presentable: cleared, cleaned, and ideally with minor issues fixed. An EPC certificate is a legal requirement (£60–£120).
Best for: Executors who have time, where the property is in reasonable condition, and maximising the sale price is the priority.
The risk: Chains collapse. Buyers pull out. It happens, and when it does, you’re back to square one, with another few months of holding costs.
Option B: Auction
The property goes to auction with a guide price. Buyers bid on the day, and the winning bidder typically completes within 28 days.
Timeline: Four to six weeks from instruction to completion.
Price: Unpredictable. It could exceed expectations or fall short. The auction room is a market, and you accept what the market gives you on the day.
Costs: Auction fees of 2–3% plus VAT, plus legal pack preparation costs. Some auctioneers charge an entry fee.
Condition required: As-is. Properties sold at auction are sold as seen, so there's no need to renovate first. This is where builders and investors do their buying.
Best for: Properties that need significant work, unusual properties that might not suit a standard sale, or executors who want certainty of completion with a fixed timeline.
Option C: Cash Buyer (Direct Sale)
A cash buyer, typically a property company or investor, purchases the property directly. No chain, no viewings, no uncertainty about whether the sale will go through.
Timeline: Two to four weeks to completion.
Price: Typically 75–85% of market value. The discount reflects the speed, certainty, and the fact that you pay no agent fees.
Costs: Usually none to the seller (no estate agent fees, no marketing costs).
Condition required: Any. Cash buyers purchase properties in whatever state they're in: no clearing, no cleaning, no repairs.
Best for: Executors who need speed (to meet IHT deadlines, stop empty property costs, or get funds to beneficiaries), properties in poor condition where renovation costs would eat into the sale price anyway, or executors who live far from the property and don’t want to manage a months-long sale remotely.
Comparing the Three Routes
| Estate Agent | Auction | Cash Buyer |
|---|
| Timeline | 3–6 months | 4–6 weeks | 2–4 weeks |
| Price | Full market value | Unpredictable | 75–85% of market value |
| Fees | 1–2% + VAT | 2–3% + VAT | Usually none |
| Property condition | Needs presenting | As-is | As-is |
| Certainty | Low (chain risk) | High once sold | High (no chain) |
| Best for | Max price, time available | Unusual properties, certainty | Speed, convenience, poor condition |
Each route is right for different situations. There’s no objectively “best” option. It depends on the property, your timeline, and what matters most to you and the other beneficiaries.
Step 6: Prepare the Property
If you’re selling through an estate agent, the property will need preparing. For auction or cash buyer sales, this section is largely optional, both routes accept properties as-is.
House clearance: This is often the hardest part, emotionally. A full house clearance, either DIY or using a professional service, typically costs £500–£2,000 depending on the size of the property and volume of contents. Take your time with anything personal. The furniture and household items can wait.
Basic cleaning and tidying: Doesn’t need to be a show home, but clean and presentable makes a difference to buyer perception and the price you achieve.
Minor repairs: Fix anything that signals neglect: leaking taps, broken windows, an overgrown garden. You’re not renovating; you’re removing reasons for buyers to knock the price down.
EPC certificate: A legal requirement for any property sale. Costs £60–£120 and can be arranged through your estate agent or directly with an energy assessor.
The bigger question (should you renovate before selling, or sell as-is?) depends entirely on the specific numbers for your property. We cover the full decision framework in our renovate vs sell guide.
Step 7: Instruct a Solicitor
You’ll need a conveyancing solicitor to handle the legal side of the sale. A few things worth knowing:
Instruct them early. They can start preparing title documents and the legal pack while you’re waiting for the grant of probate or for a buyer.
Use someone with probate conveyancing experience. Selling on behalf of an estate is slightly more complex than a standard sale, and a solicitor who’s done it before will flag potential issues early.
Typical conveyancing timeline is eight to twelve weeks for a standard sale. If there are title issues (unregistered land, missing deeds, restrictions), these can add time.
Older Wirral properties that haven’t changed hands since the 1990s may be unregistered at the Land Registry, which means the title is evidenced by original deeds rather than a digital record. If that’s the case for your property, flag it early with your solicitor. It’s not a problem, but it does need a realistic timeline. HM Land Registry’s current processing times show first registration of previously-unregistered land taking around 8 months on average, and up to about 12 months for almost all applications, so build this into your planning rather than treating it as a quick formality.
Step 8: Complete the Sale and Distribute
Once the sale completes, the proceeds go into the estate account. From there:
Pay off any outstanding debts: the mortgage, secured loans and any other liabilities.
Deduct selling costs: agent fees, solicitor fees and any other expenses incurred during the sale.
Report CGT if applicable. If you’ve sold for more than the probate value and CGT is due, you must report and pay within 60 days of completion through HMRC’s online service. We’ve covered this in full in our CGT guide.
Consider the six-month claim period. Under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975, certain people can make a claim against the estate within six months of the grant being issued. Executors who distribute before this period expires could be personally liable if a valid claim comes in. It’s not a legal requirement to wait, but it’s a sensible precaution.
Distribute the remaining proceeds to beneficiaries according to the will or the intestacy rules.
Council Tax on an Empty Inherited Property
This is one of the most useful things in this entire guide, and most people don’t know about it.
Before probate is granted: The property is completely exempt from council tax under the Class F exemption, as long as it remains unoccupied and no one else is liable.
For six months after probate is granted: The full exemption continues, provided the property stays unoccupied and hasn’t been transferred to beneficiaries or sold.
The empty homes premium exemption (Class I): From April 2025, there’s a separate 12-month exception from the empty homes premium, running from the date probate is granted. This runs alongside the Class F exemption, so for the first six months you pay nothing, and for the following six months you pay standard council tax but are protected from any premium surcharge.
After the exemptions expire: Standard council tax applies in full. And if the property has been empty for over a year, the empty homes premium kicks in. Wirral Council charges 100% extra after one year, rising further after five and ten years.
There’s also a marketing exemption: If the property is being actively marketed for sale or rent, a further 12-month exception from the premium may apply. You’ll need evidence, a signed estate agent contract, for example.
The bottom line: you have genuine breathing room in the early stages, but the clock is ticking. The longer the property sits empty, the more it costs, and that’s before you factor in insurance, maintenance, and the general headache of managing an empty house.
What If the Property Needs Work?
Most inherited properties are dated. That’s just the reality: the boiler's ancient, the kitchen's from the 1990s, and the décor hasn't been touched in years. On the Wirral, the typical inherited property is a two- or three-bed terrace or semi that needs anything from a cosmetic refresh to a full renovation.
The question is: do you spend the money renovating to achieve a higher sale price, or sell as-is and let the buyer deal with it?
The honest answer is: it depends on the numbers. Sometimes a £15,000 renovation adds £30,000 to the sale price, and that’s worth doing. Sometimes it adds £12,000 and you’ve lost time and money. We’ve written a detailed guide on this decision, including how to run the numbers for a specific property.
What If Beneficiaries Disagree?
If the property is inherited by more than one person (two siblings is the most common scenario), all beneficiaries must agree on how to handle the sale. What to sell for, which route to take, when to list, whether to renovate: all of it needs agreement.
This is where things can get difficult. Grief affects people differently, and someone who wants to hold onto the family home for emotional reasons is going to clash with someone who needs their share of the money now.
The options when you can’t agree: one beneficiary buys out the others at an agreed price. Formal mediation. Or, as a last resort, a court-ordered sale, which is expensive, slow, and damages relationships.
The best prevention is early, honest communication. Talk about the options before positions harden. If you can agree on a plan in writing, even informally, it reduces the risk of disputes later. And if you’re the executor, remember that your legal duty is to act in the best interests of the estate, not any individual beneficiary.
Don’t Wait for Probate to Start Preparing
Selling an inherited property has more steps than a normal house sale, but none of them are insurmountable. The process runs more smoothly when you understand what comes next, choose the right selling route for your specific situation, and deal with the practical details (insurance, council tax, valuations) early rather than leaving them until they become problems.
The single biggest thing you can do to keep things on track: don’t wait for the grant of probate to start preparing. Get the property secured and insured. Get valuations. Decide on your selling route. Instruct a solicitor. By the time the grant arrives, you can be ready to move.
If you're getting ready while probate goes through, tell us about the property. We'll give you an honest figure and talk you through your options, whether that's a quick sale or taking it to an agent.
