Probate — Caloundra
Probate solicitors in Caloundra
Executor of a Caloundra estate? A grant of probate for $3,300 including GST, or the whole administration handled for $8,800.
Grant of probate
$3,300
including GST
Full estate administration
$8,800
including GST
The Supreme Court filing fee and the cost of publishing the required notice are set by others and charged at cost. No percentage of the estate. See the full probate page for what each fee covers.
Caloundra estates usually turn on one or two things: the family home held in the deceased's sole name, and a bank or share holding above the institution's threshold. Either of those means the Supreme Court of Queensland needs to confirm the executor's authority before anything can be sold or transferred.
A good many Caloundra estates also involve a unit bought as a downsizer, sometimes with a body corporate levy history and sometimes with a second person living in it. That is worth sorting out early, because a beneficiary in occupation changes how and when the property can be realised.
We act for executors across Caloundra, Golden Beach, Kings Beach and Currimundi from our office at 40 Theresa Street, Golden Beach QLD 4551. Erin Wilkinson runs estate files day to day and Michael Klein oversees anything contentious.
Probate in Caloundra: how it actually runs
There is no probate registry at Caloundra. Every Queensland application — whether the executor lives at Kings Beach or in London — is filed electronically in the Supreme Court of Queensland at Brisbane, so using a local firm costs you nothing in time and saves you the trip.
The notice of intention to apply must be published on the Queensland Courts website and served on the Public Trustee, and the application cannot be filed until at least 14 clear days later. We publish in the first few days of the file so that clock is already running while the death certificate, asset list and affidavit are being assembled.
Most Caloundra estates we see turn on a single title: a house at Golden Beach or Currimundi, or a downsizer unit at Kings Beach or Bulcock Beach. Once the grant issues we lodge the transmission application with Titles Queensland to put the executor on title, then run the sale from the same file.
- Where it is filed
- Supreme Court of Queensland, Brisbane registry, electronically. No Caloundra court attendance is required of you.
- Signing locally
- Affidavits are sworn before a solicitor or JP. We witness at 40 Theresa Street, Golden Beach, or come to you anywhere between Caloundra and Baringa.
- Titles and rates
- Transmission applications go to Titles Queensland; rates, water and land tax are adjusted with Sunshine Coast Council on the estate sale.
- Local aged care and villages
- Refundable accommodation deposits and village exit entitlements at Caloundra, Pelican Waters and Little Mountain are chased as estate assets, not left to drift.
Areas and postcodes served: 4551 Caloundra · 4551 Golden Beach · 4551 Kings Beach · 4551 Moffat Beach · 4551 Currimundi · 4551 Pelican Waters
What comes up on a Caloundra estate
Retirement village and over-50s interests
The exit entitlement, refurbishment obligations and resale timing are contractual, not automatic. We read the residence contract before the estate assumes a figure.
Downsizer units and body corporate levies
Levy arrears, insurance and sinking fund position are checked before a sale so the estate accounts are not reopened later.
We tell you if you do not need a grant
Assets held as joint tenants pass by survivorship, and superannuation and life insurance often sit outside the estate. If the bank's threshold covers it, we will say so rather than sell you an application.
Notice, filing and requisitions handled
Notice of intention to apply published and served on the Public Trustee, the application and executor's affidavit prepared and filed in the Supreme Court of Queensland, and any registry requisitions dealt with.
Property in the estate dealt with in-house
Transmission application to put the executor on title, then the sale or transfer itself. One firm, one file — the estate is not paying a second practice to finish the job.
Where we meet you
Our Sunshine Coast office is at 40 Theresa Street, Golden Beach QLD 4551 and our peninsula office at 15 Fortune Street, Scarborough QLD 4020, both by appointment. We act for executors across Caloundra and Golden Beach, Kings Beach, Currimundi, Pelican Waters, Moffat Beach, Little Mountain, and most of an estate file runs perfectly well by phone and email.
Who will handle it
Michael Klein
Legal Practice Director
Admitted 2003. Based in Redcliffe, Moreton Bay.
Read Michael's profile
Common questions
The will is with a Caloundra bank or an old firm — can you retrieve it?
Usually yes. We write to the institution or the practice holding the safe custody packet and arrange release of the original will to the executor or to us. The Court needs the original where one exists.
How much does a grant of probate cost in Caloundra?
Our fixed professional fee for a straightforward grant is $3,300 including GST, and full estate administration is $8,800 including GST. The Supreme Court filing fee and the cost of publishing the required notice are set by others and charged at cost. We put both figures in writing before you engage us, and the estate normally pays them.
How long does it take?
The notice must be published and served on the Public Trustee, and the application cannot be filed until at least 14 days later. Where the material is in order a grant commonly issues six to ten weeks after we start. Collecting assets and distributing takes longer again.
What if there is no will?
The application becomes one for letters of administration, and the intestacy rules decide who is entitled to apply. The steps and our fixed fee are the same; the extra work sits in identifying and evidencing the next of kin.
When can the estate be distributed?
Not within six months of the date of death without accepting real risk — a family provision application can still be brought, and an executor who has already paid the money out can be left personally carrying it. We will tell you when it is safe to distribute and what to do if a claim is foreshadowed.
Do I have to attend an office?
No. Most executors deal with us by email and phone, and documents can be signed and witnessed locally. Our offices at 40 Theresa Street, Golden Beach QLD 4551 and 15 Fortune Street, Scarborough QLD 4020 are available by appointment if you would rather sit down with someone.
Related pages and guides
- Wills, estates and elder law
- Estate disputes and family provision claims
- Do I need probate in Queensland?
- Dying without a will in Queensland
- What an executor does when the estate is contested
Probate in nearby areas
Send us the will and we will tell you what is needed
Call 0488 340 853 or send the will and a list of assets through. We will confirm whether a grant is required and give you the fee in writing.