How do I apply for probate myself?
The personal application route, in order: value the estate, deal with inheritance tax, apply, then administer. Most of the work happens before the application.
advanced4 hr4 min read
Household Admin
Paperwork, renewals and the annual jobs.
258 guides in Money & Practical
How do I cancel something without being talked out of it?
What a retention conversation is designed to do, the phrases that end it quickly, and getting confirmation that it actually cancelled.
beginner25 min3 min readHow do I check my tenancy deposit is protected?
Which schemes operate where you live, how much can be taken, the deadline for protecting it, and what you can claim if your landlord did not do it.
beginner12 min5 min readHow do I get a refund?
Asking effectively, escalating in the right order, and using the payment protections you already have.
beginner45 min2 min readHow do I keep a record that will stand up later?
Contemporaneous, dated and specific — what makes a record persuasive when it matters.
beginner20 min2 min readHow do I organise household admin so it stops piling up?
A system simple enough to survive a busy month — one inbox, one weekly slot, one calendar.
beginner1 hr 30 min2 min readHow do I organise household information so someone else could find it?
The household file that lets a partner, relative or executor act without you — what goes in it and what must not.
beginner2 hr4 min readHow do I organise the year's dates and renewals in one go?
A single afternoon that puts every renewal, service and deadline in a calendar with enough warning to act on it.
beginner1 hr 30 min4 min readHow do I read a contract's small print quickly?
Six things to search for that catch nearly everything that later causes trouble.
beginner20 min2 min readHow do I register to vote, and what is the open register?
Registration takes about five minutes online, has to be redone whenever you move, and quietly puts you on a second register that is sold commercially unless you opt out.
beginner10 min3 min readHow do I stop a contract auto-renewing?
Where auto-renewal hides, the notice deadlines, and the calendar habit that prevents it entirely.
beginner20 min2 min readHow does stamp duty work when I buy a home?
Stamp Duty Land Tax applies in England and Northern Ireland only. Who pays it, when it is due, how the banded calculation works, and the reliefs worth checking before completion.
beginner11 min5 min readHow much notice do I have to give, and how much do I get?
Statutory notice and contractual notice are two different things, and which one applies depends on which is longer and which direction the notice is going.
beginner12 min3 min readWhat do I do if I cannot pay the rent?
The arrears thresholds that change your legal position in each nation, the help that exists before you reach them, and how to open the conversation with a landlord in a way that usually works.
beginner12 min5 min readWhat do I do if my employer has not paid me?
Wages not paid, paid short, or deducted without authority are all the same legal problem. The three lawful bases for a deduction, the Acas step you cannot skip, and the deadline that decides everything.
intermediate14 min5 min readWhat does a service charge actually pay for?
The lease defines what can be recovered, the law adds a reasonableness test and a set of disclosure rights, and the annual statement is where the two meet.
intermediate20 min3 min readWhat happens if someone dies without a will?
The intestacy rules decide who inherits, in a fixed order that ignores what anyone intended — and leaves unmarried partners with nothing.
intermediate15 min3 min readWhat household admin should I do in which month?
A calendar built round your own renewal dates rather than a generic list — what belongs in each month, and the one recurring slot that carries most of it.
beginner40 min3 min readWhat is the difference between exchange of contracts and completion?
Exchange makes the sale legally binding and fixes the date; completion is when the money moves and you get the keys. What each one actually does, what changes at exchange, and what happens if either goes wrong.
beginner10 min5 min readWhat paperwork should I keep, and for how long?
What to keep forever, what to keep for a few years, and what can go today.
beginner45 min2 min readWhat should I ask before buying a leasehold flat?
The specific questions that decide whether a flat is a good buy or an expensive mistake — lease length, ground rent, service charge history, planned works, building safety and the restrictions in the lease.
intermediate14 min5 min readWho pays for a funeral, and what does it actually cost?
The estate pays first, banks will normally release funds before probate, and the price range between the cheapest and the traditional option is enormous.
beginner20 min3 min readHow do I decide which repair to do first when money is tight?
A triage order that puts safety first, then damage that is getting worse, then things that cost you money every day, then everything else.
beginner25 min3 min readDo I need a TV licence, and how do I cancel one?
What triggers the requirement is watching live broadcasts on any service, or using iPlayer at all — not owning a television.
beginner12 min3 min read
Going deeper: ToolFoundry
Interactive calculators — quantities, conversions, costs and sizing — rather than prose.