Keep a condition history for an inherited home while the estate is settled. Confirm your authority and duties under local law, and check the insurer's requirements for an empty property.
No card required. Use all features free for 14 days. Subscribe after your trial to keep making changes; your data stays viewable and exportable.
Why probate properties are exposed
Probate can take months, sometimes years. A home that was lived in and looked after suddenly stands empty, often full of contents, while legal work slowly proceeds.
Insurance arrangements may change
Tell the insurer about the death and the property's occupancy. Ask what cover continues, who may act for the estate and whether policy changes or inspections are required.
Contents and the property itself
An unoccupied house full of the deceased's belongings is attractive to opportunists, and undetected leaks, damp or vermin can quietly damage both building and contents.
Personal liability for executors
Executors can be personally criticised — or held liable — for failing to safeguard estate assets. A documented inspection routine is clear evidence you took the duty seriously.
How Inspection Record helps executors
A schedule you won't forget
Set the interval your policy requires and receive reminders. Probate is busy enough — the inspection routine runs itself.
Photos that document condition
Time-stamped photos on every visit create an evolving condition record — useful for insurance, for beneficiaries, and for the eventual sale.
One record for the whole estate file
Print or export a formal inspection record with dates, notes and photos — ready for the insurer, co-executors or solicitors.
Shareable proof of diligence
If a claim arises or a beneficiary questions your stewardship, you can produce a complete, contemporaneous record of every visit.
What interval should you set?
Check the policy and obtain written confirmation of the inspection interval. Estate procedures and representatives' duties vary by jurisdiction; a local legal adviser can clarify responsibilities. There is no worldwide probate inspection frequency.
What insurers expect to see
Keep the evidence requested by your insurer: dates, checks, photos and actions taken. A formal record supports your account of visits but does not determine coverage or settle every dispute.
Common questions
I live far from the property — can someone else inspect?
Usually yes. Most policies allow a nominated responsible adult — a relative, neighbour or agent — to carry out inspections. They can log visits and photos in the app, and the record stays in one place.
How long will the property need unoccupied cover?
Until the estate sells or transfers the property, which is commonly 6–12 months. Unoccupied policies are often written in 3- or 6-month terms and renewed — the inspection condition applies for the whole period.
What should each probate inspection include?
External security, signs of forced entry, water and heating checks, post collection (uncollected post advertises an empty home), and a walk-through of every room with photos of anything that has changed.
The insurance lapsed before we got probate — what should we do?
Get the property insured as soon as you're able to, tell the insurer it's an unoccupied estate property, and start documented inspections immediately. A clean inspection record from day one helps both the new cover and any questions about the uninsured gap.
The policy wants visits every 14 days but I live hours away — what are my options?
Most policies accept a nominated responsible adult — a relative, neighbour or local agent — doing the visits. They log each one in the app, and you see everything from home. If nobody's available, ask the insurer whether a longer interval is acceptable in writing rather than quietly missing visits.
Executor duties, documented
Meet the policy's inspection condition and build a record that protects both the estate and you.
Start your inspection recordNo card required. Use all features free for 14 days. Subscribe after your trial to keep making changes; your data stays viewable and exportable.