Making it safe and secure
General household insurance will not cover you beyond a certain time period if the property is empty, so it is vital that you get advice from your insurer to make sure that you are covered for all eventualities (We can even put you in touch with a broker with specialist knowledge in this field, should you wish).
Most “empty home” policies will require regular inspections (usually monthly but some more frequently) and if the property is too far away to make this practical, we can take care of this with our optional Property Inspection Service, which includes a monthly visit with condition report and photographs. The cost of this is £50 a month (for one visit/report).
We can also help with other insurance criteria that may be in your policy such as getting quotes for draining down the central-heating during winter, isolating the electrics, upgrading the locks or fitting CCTV.
Getting the property ready for sale
To ensure that the probate property achieves the best possible market price it is essential that the right steps are taken to prepare it for sale – hence our Property Management Service.
In most cases this involves getting the house cleared, which can be done once the family have identified everything of sentimental and financial value that they wish to keep. We work with specialist house clearance companies and can manage the process, from getting a quote to completion of the job. Where necessary, we can also get quotes from cleaning companies and gardeners so that everything looks at its best for viewings.
Sometimes there are structural issues that are likely to get picked up in the buyer’s survey or mortgage valuation, such as subsidence, damp, woodworm, Japanese Knotweed, to name but a few. It is better to address these at an early stage, to prevent a sale falling through at a later date, and we can help getting the right specialist in to assess the issue and propose a remedy.
Probate property can also have significant development potential, such as adding an extension, converting into flats or adding a separate dwelling in a large garden. We can introduce you do architects and planning consultants with expertise in maximising the value of this important asset.