# Changes at Probate Registries leading to bequest notification delays

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2019/08/14/changes-at-probate-registries-leading-to-bequest-notification-delays/
- Published: 2019-08-14T10:06:39+01:00
- Author: Melanie May

**Charities are experiencing delays in bequest notifications as a result of changes
at the Probate Registries, the latest Legacy Foresight bulletin shows.**

[Legacy Foresight](https://www.legacyforesight.co.uk/) found that bequest notifications
across its Legacy Monitor consortium members were down 7% on the year to June 2018.
It attributes much of this drop to delays at the Probate Registries caused by the
introduction of new structure and processes including the transition to a new case
management system, with the remainder to a decline in the number of deaths thanks
to 2018/19’s relatively mild winter.

If HMCTS’s plans to clear the backlog by the end of August are successful, Legacy
Foresight expects bequest numbers to be back to usual levels by the next Bulletin.

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It is a situation the [Institute of Legacy Management](https://legacymanagement.org.uk/)
and other organisations are also monitoring carefully, says the Institute’s CEO 
Matthew Lagden. It is also currently conducting a survey to assess the impact across
its own membership.

Lagden commented:

> “ILM is aware from our charity members that delays in issuing Grants of Probate
> has led to a fall in the number of notifications that are being received. This
> will inevitably lead to a short-term fall in legacy income for some of our charity
> members at a time when charity incomes generally are under pressure. We spoke 
> to HMCTS earlier in the summer when they assured us that they were working hard
> to resolve the issues and clear the backlog.
> “We are working closely with other sector and professional bodies such as [Remember a Charity](https://www.rememberacharity.org.uk/)
> and the Law Society Wills and Probate Section to monitor the issue and press for
> a resolution. If the issues are not resolved by the end of August we will be seeking
> a meeting with HMCTS to raise our concerns.”

Overall, Legacy Foresight’s latest figures show that the past 12 months to June 
2019 saw the legacy income of the 80 Legacy Monitor members grow by 4.3% to £1.54bn,
despite the recent slowdown in key economic variables such as house prices, which
grew by 1.5% p.a. in the first quarter of 2019, and share prices, which are lower
than a year ago.

According to Legacy Foresight, this growth appears to have been driven by some exceptionally
large bequests reported by its consortium members this quarter.

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   12 September 2019)
 * **[Legacy drop hits Queens income](https://fundraising.co.uk/2019/10/07/legacy-drop-hits-queens-income/)**(
   7 October 2019)
 * **[Legacy consideration on the rise, league table shows](https://fundraising.co.uk/2019/10/11/legacy-consideration-on-the-rise-league-table-shows/)**(
   11 October 2019)

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