A standard question we get at the TSC is: How long does it take you to resolve a case? Our standard answer is: “it depends on the case”. Various factors contribute to the duration of a case, including its complexity, the length of time required for administrative processes such as those managed by the Masters Office, and the responsiveness of our clients, including the speed at which they and other parties involved can sign necessary documents.
To illustrate this, we’ve mapped out the timeline and key milestones for a deceased estate transfer case that the TSC has recently resolved. You can read the background to Simphiwe’s case here.
The case initially seems to be a straightforward deceased estate transfer of one property. It turned into a significantly more complicated case as the estate actually included two properties.
Simphiwe, the client who approached the TSC for assistance, did not mention the second property. He did not consider it to be his – his niece was living in the property and he regarded the property as belonging to her.
Once the conveyancers established that the deceased owned a second property, the TSC had to re-start the reporting process at the Masters Office. This property would be included in the estate and transferred to the client. He would then donate the second property to his niece.
This particular case was on the TSC’s books for almost 21 months, with almost eight months of that waiting on information from the Masters Office in order to proceed.
