What to do when an executor will not update beneficiaries: check the grant, make a focused request, understand probate citations, accounts and section 50 removal.
This guide is part of ProbateHelp's Will Disputes guide cluster. Estimated reading time: 13 min.
There is no fixed statutory update interval. The executor should deal properly with the estate and provide information reasonably connected to a beneficiary's interest, but a guide should not invent a 14-day or monthly legal response rule.
You can set a reasonable requested response date in a letter, but it is not automatically a court deadline. The appropriate period depends on urgency, the information requested and any live tax, sale or court issue.
It is an account of the estate that a personal representative can be required to exhibit when lawfully required under section 25 of the Administration of Estates Act 1925. Court claims for accounts and administration remedies are governed by CPR Part 64 and Practice Direction 64A.
A probate citation may be available in defined circumstances, including where a person with prior entitlement will not accept or refuse a grant, or an executor who has intermeddled will not take a grant. The route and evidence are technical, so obtain specialist advice before issuing one.
Not automatically. Persistent silence can be relevant when it reflects obstruction, failure to account or an estate that cannot be administered properly. Section 50 removal is discretionary, evidence-heavy and brought in the High Court.
Use the firm's complaint process for its service or conduct, but eligibility for the Legal Ombudsman can depend on whether you were the client or the service was provided to you. A regulatory complaint is not a substitute for a court order about the estate.