How Does The Probate Valuation Process Work?
Upon invitation, one of our team of trusted probate specialists will swiftly attend the property, and produce a detailed inventory and valuation with care and discretion, completing the service with a written and digital report suitable for probate and inheritance tax calculation purposes. All of our valuations are HMRC compliant and in accordance with The Inheritance Tax Act 1984.
What is included?
- Transparent costs provided up front
- Deal with an accredited Valuer – we are regulated by SOFAA (Society of Fine Art & Antiques)
- Access to a team of expert Valuers, who will provide accurate valuations of the saleable items within your home
- HMRC compliant report will be back to you within 7 working days
- As market leading Auctioneer’s with clients in over 120 countries, you’ll have access to a global audience – helping achieve maximum value in respect of any items you wish to sell
- As experienced probate Valuers, we are highly skilled at working with clients at an emotional and stressful time of their lives – we will look after you
How Much Does a Probate Valuation Cost?
Our probate valuation fees are structured as follows:
£495 + VAT
Includes the first two hours on site, with travel included.
£125 + VAT per additional half hour
Charged only if additional time is required beyond the initial two hours.
There are:
- No commission charges
- No percentage-based fees
- No hidden administration costs
- No obligation to sell items
This approach ensures complete transparency for executors, solicitors and beneficiaries.
Typical Probate Valuation Cost Examples
While every estate is different, the following examples provide guidance:
1-Bedroom Flat (Modest Contents)
Often completed within the initial two-hour visit.
Typical fee: £495 + VAT
Standard Family House (3–4 Bedrooms)
May require additional time depending on volume of contents.
Typical fee range: £495 – £745 + VAT
Larger Property or Mixed Specialist Estate
Where significant collections of art, jewellery or antiques are present.
Typical fee range: £745 – £1,250 + VAT, depending on complexity and time required.
We are always happy to discuss your specific circumstances before confirming instruction.
Selling At Auction
Upon Instruction, we will collect and transport all saleable items to our saleroom, ready for cataloguing, marketing and sale at auction. Dawsons are an internationally renowned fine art auction house, specialising in the sale of jewellery, watches, silver, Asian art, paintings, antique furniture, classic cars, motorcycles, collectables (and much more). We market to a huge global audience, streaming all of our auctions online - creating a competitive bidding environment to achieve the maximum amount of worth for any items that we auction.
What do our Seller’s fees include?
- Insurance to cover all of your cherished valuables
- All items over £1000 in value are approved for sale by The Art Loss Register – giving bidders added confidence to buy your items no matter the price
- Access to a highly skilled team of expert Valuers, who will talk to you in person about your valuables, before carefully researching, cataloguing and helping to market your items
- In-house professional photographers will take multiple high resolution images of your items to show them in the best possible light
- Access to our in-house digital marketing team, who will specifically market your items to a targeted huge global audience of known buyers – ensuring the maximum value is achieved – we have recently set 2 world records for items sold at auction
- Your items will be sold live online in our purpose built media centre by our highly skilled Auctioneers, with multiple camera angles and enhanced sound to ensure the best possible viewing experience – this all helps to encourage more bids in respect of each item we are selling
House Clearance
Our house clearance team will then clear all of the unsaleable items that are not suitable for auction; recycling them or donating them to charity as you so wish and aiming to keep waste to a minimum.
Each and every item will be cleared; leaving the property clean, tidy and ready to go to market.
What is included?
- Transparent costings will be agreed with you
- These costs can be deferred and offset against any items we sell at auction for you
- Where possible we will always look to recycle any non-saleable items
- We work alongside many well-known charities who also take non-saleable items in order to find them a decent home
- An expert Valuer will attend any house clearance to ensure that no valuable items are missed
- Your house will be left empty and ready for sale
- Insurance cover
