When a person dies, their estate - including money, properties and possessions - can be a nightmare to sort out.

From December 31st 2004 new rules were introduced aimed at streamlining the Probate Service.

These, according to Kendal-based accountancy firm Armstrong Watson, will cut bureaucracy and provide relief for the thousands of bereaved families who use the service every year.

Before December 31st only a solicitor, barrister or duly certified notary public' could be licensed to deal with the legal distribution of the probate.

But under the new rules, introduced by the Department for Constitutional Affairs, the market has been opened to allow other qualified providers to offer a probate service.

This news is being welcomed by inheritance tax specialists Armstrong Watson who believe the service needed to be updated to account for the changing circumstance in today's society.

Prior to December 31st accountants were able to help people with personal finance and probate, yet the ability to make the application in full could only be made by solicitors.

Under the new laws, other bodies can apply for a licence to the Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs to offer these services to the public. Those bodies could include the Institute of Chartered Accountants and the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) but it is too soon to say when these bodies will decide what to do.

The Probate Service is responsible for sending out the legal document that allows people to deal with the estate of a deceased person. It allows them to collect all the money, pay any debts and share out the estate.

Most applications for probate are made through solicitors, but around 80,000 people apply on their own every year.

Source Contact: Graham Arnott at Armstrong Watson 01539 740 320.

www.armstrongwatson.co.uk.