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Confirmation
We value the estate, prepare the inventory and apply to Dumfries Sheriff Court, for small and large estates.
Find out moreLocal office: 19 Bank Street, Dumfries
Executry solicitors in Dumfries, giving legal help to families across Dumfries and Galloway
steady, practical help with an estate.
When someone dies, our executry solicitors in Dumfries can deal with the estate from start to finish: registering the death, applying to Dumfries Sheriff Court for Confirmation, collecting in the money and property, dealing with any inheritance tax and paying the beneficiaries. See us at our office on Bank Street, or let us handle everything by phone and email. Your first consultation is free.
19 Bank StreetDumfries DG1 2NX
Free first consultationat the office or by phone
Dumfries and Galloway
Local solicitors in Dumfries for executries, wills and estates
Dumfries, the Queen of the South, is the county town of Dumfriesshire and the largest town in Dumfries and Galloway, with around 34,000 people living on both banks of the River Nith. Our office is on Bank Street in the town centre, a few minutes from the court and the council's registration office on Buccleuch Street.
We act for clients in every part of the town, from Maxwelltown, Troqueer and Summerhill on the west bank to Lochside, Lincluden, Georgetown, Heathhall and Locharbriggs, and across the region, including Annan, Lockerbie, Moffat, Thornhill, Sanquhar, Castle Douglas, Dalbeattie and Kirkcudbright. Our executry team is part of Simplicity Legal, which has offices in Dumfries, Glasgow, Hamilton and East Kilbride.
Scots law calls the job of winding up a person's affairs executry. The executor's authority comes from a court document called Confirmation, the Scottish equivalent of probate. Our estate lawyers can give legal advice on a single question or handle the whole estate for you, including for families who live elsewhere in the UK.
Local know-how
The first steps after a death in Dumfries and Galloway
Scots law is the same across the country, but the practical steps are local. Here is how each one works in Dumfries, and where our solicitors can take the work off your hands.
Registering the death
A death must be registered within eight days. In Dumfries and Galloway, you call 030 33 33 3004 to book an appointment, and the registration can then take place by phone or in person. Bring the medical certificate of cause of death, and if you can, the person's birth and marriage certificates. A full death certificate costs £10 if bought within a month of registration. Our guide on how to register a death in Scotland explains the process. The funeral can then go ahead; our guide to funeral costs and who pays lists the local burial and cremation fees. If the person died in hospital or a care home, or the death was reported to the procurator fiscal, our guides to deaths in hospital or a care home and the procurator fiscal explain what happens. For emotional support, see our guide to bereavement support in Dumfries and Galloway.
Confirmation at Dumfries Sheriff Court
Dumfries Sheriff Court sits in a red sandstone Scottish baronial building designed by David Rhind and opened in 1866. It deals with Confirmation for Dumfriesshire and, since 2013, the former Kirkcudbright district. The sheriff clerk's office is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 4pm. We complete the inventory, form C1, and lodge it with the will. Our guide to which sheriff court deals with Confirmation explains when Stranraer applies instead. Our guides to valuing an estate for Confirmation and pensions and benefits after a death explain what goes on the inventory, and our guide to what a spouse inherits explains who gets what.
Council tax on an empty home
An empty home that only the estate is responsible for pays no council tax while Confirmation is awaited, and for a maximum of six months once it is granted, as long as the executor applies for the exemption. Dumfries and Galloway Council doubles the charge on homes empty for a year or more, although relief may be given while a property is being marketed for sale. If the person rented from Wheatley Homes South or another housing association, see what happens to their tenancy.
Houses, farms and land
Many estates in the region include a farm, woodland or a holiday home as well as the family house. Once Confirmation is granted, our conveyancing team can sell the property or transfer it to a beneficiary. A house for sale normally needs a Home Report before it is marketed. Our guides to selling an inherited house and clearing a house after a death explain the steps, and our guide to inheriting a farm or family business explains the inheritance tax reliefs for farms.
How it works
What our Dumfries executry solicitors do for you
You decide how much help you want. We can take on the whole executry, or just the stages you would rather not deal with yourself.
- A free first meeting. We explain the executor's duties, read the will and give you a written fee estimate.
- Finding, securing and valuing the estate. We make sure the house is secure and insured, contact banks, pension providers and insurers, arrange valuations of the house and any land, and list the debts. Joint accounts need care in Scotland; see what happens to a joint bank account.
- Inheritance tax. We check whether any tax is payable, apply the nil rate bands and reliefs, and file the return with HMRC. Banks can often pay the tax straight from the estate funds through HMRC's Direct Payment Scheme.
- Confirmation. We prepare the inventory and apply to Dumfries Sheriff Court, with you named as the applicant and executor.
- Collecting in the estate. We close accounts, cash in policies, arrange the recovery of any tax overpaid and sell or transfer property, working with a local estate agent where needed.
- Final accounts and payments. Once every debt is cleared and any legal rights claim settled, we draw up the executry accounts for you to approve and pay each beneficiary their share. If you are a beneficiary waiting on someone else's executor, see what you can do if an executor is not doing their job.
Sheriff court fees for Confirmation, from 1 April 2026
- Estate worth up to £50,000
- No fee
- Estate worth £50,000.01 to £250,000
- £351
- Estate worth over £250,000
- £705
These fees come out of the estate. For an estate of £36,000 or less there is a simpler small estate procedure, with help from the sheriff clerk.
How we can help
Executry, wills and inheritance tax: our private client law services in Dumfries
Our private client solicitors offer a complete legal service for every part of an estate, and for the planning that makes things easier for your own family later.
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Estate administration
We collect in the assets, pay the debts and tax, keep the executry accounts and distribute the estate.
Find out more03
Estates with no will
We apply to the court for an executor to be appointed, arrange the bond of caution and apply the intestacy rules.
Find out more04
Inheritance tax, farms and businesses
We deal with HMRC and advise on reliefs for farms and businesses. Since 6 April 2026, full agricultural and business property relief is limited to the first £2.5 million, with 50% relief above that.
Find out more05
Wills and power of attorney
We draft wills, trust deeds and power of attorney documents, and give guidance on guardianship when someone can no longer manage their affairs.
Ask us06
Legal rights and disputes
We advise executors and families on legal rights claims, and help resolve disagreements about an estate, where possible without litigation.
Find out more
Close to the border
Scottish estates with family or property elsewhere in the UK
Dumfries is only around 25 miles from the border, so many estates we deal with have a link to England. The rules are different on each side, but it is simpler than many people expect:
- The person's domicile, broadly the country they treated as their permanent home, decides whether Scots law or English law governs the estate.
- Scottish Confirmation for someone domiciled in Scotland can be used for their property in England and Wales, without a separate grant of probate.
- An English grant of probate can likewise be used for assets held in Scotland.
- In Scotland, children and a spouse or civil partner have legal rights to part of the estate, whatever the will says. English law has no automatic equivalent, although family members there can ask a court for reasonable provision.
- Our guide on whether Confirmation is the same as probate explains the differences in more detail.
Clear costs
How much our Dumfries solicitors charge
The cost of an executry depends on the estate: its value, whether there is a will, whether there is a house or land to sell, whether inheritance tax is due and how many beneficiaries there are. After your free consultation, we confirm our fees in writing before any work starts.
Everything is settled from the estate at the end, so you do not pay from your own money.
- No charge for your first meeting
- Our fees confirmed in writing up front
- Court dues and outlays itemised
- Paid from the estate, not by you
We do not provide legal aid.
Visit us
19 Bank Street
Dumfries DG1 2NX
Our Dumfries office on Bank Street
You will find us on Bank Street in the centre of Dumfries, just off the High Street and a short walk from the Whitesands and the bus stops there. Please phone ahead, as we see clients by appointment.
Executry Solicitors Dumfries19 Bank Street
Dumfries DG1 2NX
Why us
A local law firm you can rely on
Executry Solicitors Scotland is part of Simplicity Legal, a law firm regulated by the Law Society of Scotland, with offices in Dumfries, Glasgow, Hamilton and East Kilbride.
Local
We know Dumfries and Galloway
From the registration office and the sheriff court to rural properties and farms, we bring local insight to the practical side of estates in the region.
Clear
Plain English, start to finish
Our lawyers and paralegals explain every step, what it costs and what we need from you, and we keep you updated until the estate is complete.
Our other offices
Also helping executors in Glasgow and Lanarkshire
Glasgow
Our West End office on Woodlands Road, for executors in and around the city.
Executry solicitors GlasgowHamilton
Our Brandon Street office serves Hamilton and South Lanarkshire.
Executry solicitors HamiltonWhich sheriff court deals with Confirmation for someone from Dumfries?
For someone who lived in Dumfries or elsewhere in Dumfriesshire, the application for Confirmation goes to Dumfries Sheriff Court on Buccleuch Street. Since 2013, the court has also covered the former Kirkcudbright district, including Castle Douglas, Dalbeattie and Kirkcudbright. Estates in the west of the region, around Stranraer and Newton Stewart, go to Stranraer Sheriff Court. If the person was not domiciled in Scotland, the application goes to HM Commissary Office in Edinburgh. We check the right court and lodge the application for you.
How much does a solicitor charge to deal with an estate?
It depends on the size and complexity of the estate, whether there is a will, whether a house or farm has to be sold and whether inheritance tax is due. We give you a written fee estimate after your free consultation and before any work starts, and fees are normally paid from the estate. Our guide to how much executry costs in Scotland explains typical fees and court costs.
How long does an executry take?
A straightforward estate is often finished within a year. Because creditors have six months from the date of death to make a claim, executors normally hold back the main payments to beneficiaries until then. Farmland, a house that is slow to sell, inheritance tax or a family disagreement can all add months. Read more in our guide on how long an executor has to settle an estate.
The person who died owned property in England. Do we need probate as well?
Usually not. If the person was domiciled in Scotland, the Scottish Confirmation notes that domicile and is treated as a grant of representation in England and Wales, without being resealed. The English property or accounts are simply listed in the inventory for Confirmation. The reverse also applies: an English grant of probate for someone domiciled in England can be used for assets in Scotland.
Do you need a solicitor to execute a will in Scotland?
No. An executor can apply for Confirmation and wind up the estate without a solicitor. For a small estate worth £36,000 or less, the sheriff clerk at Dumfries Sheriff Court can help with the forms. Executors are personally responsible for mistakes, though, so many use a solicitor for the whole estate or just for the parts they are unsure about, such as the inventory or inheritance tax.
How much does it cost to make a will in Scotland?
The cost depends on how straightforward your wishes are. Many firms quote a fixed fee for a simple will, with a higher fee for mirror wills for couples or for wills that include a trust. We will tell you our fee before you instruct us. A clear, up to date will also keeps down the cost of the executry for your family later.
What happens if there is no will?
The estate is shared out under the Succession (Scotland) Act 1964, starting with the prior rights of a spouse or civil partner, then legal rights, then the rest of the estate in a fixed order. Someone also has to apply to the sheriff court to be appointed as executor. Our guide to what happens if someone dies without a will explains the rules.
Do you offer a free consultation in Dumfries?
Yes. Your first consultation is free, at our office at 19 Bank Street or by phone. You can explain the situation, ask questions and get a fee estimate, with no obligation.
Is legal aid available for executry work in Dumfries?
No. Winding up an estate is not covered by legal aid anywhere in Scotland, and we do not offer it. Our fees, the court fees and other outlays come out of the estate itself, so an executor is not normally out of pocket.
Talk to us today
Speak to our solicitors in Dumfries
Call us on 0141 471 9166 and one of our Dumfries solicitors will talk through what has happened, explain your options and book a free meeting at our Bank Street office or over the phone, with no obligation.
It helps if you can find the death certificate, the will and recent statements from banks or pension providers, but please do not wait for them before calling. We can track paperwork down for you.
- Phone 0141 471 9166
- Dumfries 19 Bank Street, Dumfries DG1 2NX
- Glasgow 34 Woodlands Road, Glasgow G3 6UR
- Visits By appointment, please call first
The quickest way to reach us
0141 471 9166Call to book your free first appointment, at one of our offices or by phone.
Please note that legal aid is not available for this service.