Probate — Scarborough
Probate solicitors at Scarborough
Our peninsula office is at 15 Fortune Street, Scarborough QLD 4020. Grants of probate $3,300, full estate administration $8,800, both including GST.
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.
A large share of Scarborough and Redcliffe peninsula estates involve a unit or a long-held waterfront home, and a family spread between the peninsula, Brisbane and interstate. The executor is often the one who lives closest, doing it for the first time.
The peninsula also has a heavy concentration of retirement village and over-50s residents, which changes what the estate is actually worth. The exit entitlement depends on the contract, the refurbishment terms and how quickly the unit resells — not on what the resident paid to move in.
Michael Klein lives on the peninsula and was managing partner of GKS Law for many years, so estate work across Scarborough, Redcliffe and Margate is familiar ground.
Probate for Scarborough and Redcliffe peninsula executors
Peninsula estates are usually a house or unit held in the deceased's sole name, a bank account or two, a share parcel bought decades ago and superannuation. The property is what forces the grant, and it is also what the family most often wants sold promptly.
Retirement village and over-50s living is common here, and the exit entitlement under a residence contract behaves nothing like a freehold sale. We read the contract before the estate budgets on a figure.
Michael Klein works from 15 Fortune Street, Scarborough, and has acted for peninsula families since 2003, including as managing partner of GKS Law.
- Peninsula office
- 15 Fortune Street, Scarborough, by appointment, with home and hospital visits across the peninsula.
- Estate sales in-house
- Transmission application and the sale itself handled on the same file.
- Village exits
- Residence contracts, exit fees and refurbishment obligations read and negotiated with the operator.
- Old share parcels
- Legacy holdings and unclaimed dividends traced and transferred or sold.
Areas and postcodes served: 4020 Scarborough · 4020 Redcliffe · 4019 Margate · 4019 Woody Point
What comes up on a Scarborough estate
Retirement village exits
We read the residence contract against the exit fee and refurbishment obligations, then deal with the operator so the estate knows what it will actually receive and when.
Estate sales of peninsula property
Transmission application, executor's authority on title, and the conveyance itself — handled together rather than referred out to a second firm.
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 Scarborough and Redcliffe, Woody Point, Margate, Newport, Clontarf, Kippa-Ring, 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 deceased was in a retirement village — is the unit part of the estate?
Usually the estate holds a contractual right to an exit entitlement rather than a saleable freehold interest. What the estate receives, and when, depends on the residence contract and the operator's buyback and resale obligations. We read the contract before anyone budgets on a number.
How much does a grant of probate cost in Scarborough?
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.