The death of a loved one is an extremely emotional time for all concerned, but more than that, there are a whole lot of administrative issues that need to be dealt with at the same time.

When a person dies, that person is called a ‘deceased person’ and the assets of the deceased person are placed in what is termed an ‘estate’, or in long form, an ‘estate of a deceased person’ (commonly known as a ‘deceased estate’).

The assets in a deceased estate can include immovable property (eg: houses and land), movable property (eg: cars, furniture, etc), cash in the bank, and stocks, among other things.

The person who administers a deceased estate is called an ‘Executor’. The main job of the executor is to finalize all the administrative processes related to the deceased person. This includes paying off all the debts, verifying all the assets and finalizing any and all duties related to the deceased estate.

Once the Executor has finalised all the administrative processes of the deceased estate, the remaining assets and life assurance will be distributed to the beneficiaries.

A beneficiary can be either a heir and/or a legatee. A legatee is a person who receives a specific asset from the deceased estate. An heir is a person who receives the balance of the estate (that is, after all disposals to a legatee are finalised).

We will assist you and your family through the whole process.