Updated September 2026
Clearing a house as an executor in British Columbia
Island Estate Clearing guides executors across Vancouver Island, British Columbia through property clearing while court processes move forward. We can clear and prepare the house while you wait for probate, starting right from the 21-day Form P1 notice period. You do not need to delay clearing while court steps run.
Here is the probate timetable you are working to as an executor in British Columbia, and where the contents of the house sit within it.
Probate is the court process that confirms a will is valid and that the named executor has authority to deal with the estate.
When do you need a notary or lawyer?
Speak with a notary or lawyer early to learn if your estate requires probate. If it does, here's the timetable it runs on: a Form P1 notice, a wills registry search, the application itself, and the court's own processing time.
How long does the Form P1 notice take?
You deliver the Form P1 notice of proposed application at least 21 days before submitting your court filing. It goes to the executors, the beneficiaries, the spouse and children, and to anyone who would inherit if there were no will. The official wait period starts only after that delivery is complete.
| Item | Amount | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Court filing fee | $200 | Waived for estates under $25,000 |
| Probate fee | Nil | Gross assets $0 – $25,000 |
| Probate fee | $6 per $1,000 | Gross assets $25,001 – $50,000 |
| Probate fee | $14 per $1,000 | Gross assets above $50,000 |
Fees are set by the Probate Fee Act and are calculated on the gross value of the assets, not the net value of the estate.
What about the wills registry search?
You perform a wills search through Vital Statistics and submit two copies of the certificate with your filing. This search is routine, but you should request it early to avoid delays.
What goes into the application?
Standard filings include Form P2, Form P3 or P4, Form P9 delivery affidavits, and Form P10 or P11 assets statements. You submit the original signed will alongside those court documents.
How long will probate take?
Court processing generally runs two to three months. Complete estate administration generally takes 8 to 12 months after the probate grant is issued. You cannot speed up court timelines, but we can sort, sell and clear contents while you wait.
Can you start on the house before the grant?
Physical contents lie outside court rules and rarely hold up estate settlement. During the 21 days of notice and two to three months of court wait, we identify what carries value, clear the rest, and clean the home. Accounting for valuable belongings first protects the estate and fulfills your executor duties.
What paperwork do you end up with?
We send a written scope before the work starts, and a written summary after it: what we sold, what we donated, what we recycled and what we disposed of. If you're accounting to beneficiaries, you can show exactly where the contents went.
The order things happen in
- Locate the will and search the registryYou run a wills registry search with Vital Statistics and file two copies of the certificate.
- Deliver the Form P1 noticeDeliver notice at least 21 days before filing to beneficiaries, family members and named executors.
- File the applicationFile Form P2 alongside applicant affidavits, delivery proofs, assets inventories, and the original signed will.
- Deal with the house while the court queue runswe can sort, appraise, sell, clear and clean the house during the two to three months of processing.
For what this looks like in practice, see clearing the house.
Related: clearing the house · what household contents are worth · where the work happens
To talk through the contents side of your estate, send the details — you don't need to wait for the grant.
We clear and prepare the contents of a family home across Vancouver Island.
You don't have to sort, identify or value anything first. Send us whatever you know and we'll arrange a walk-through.