Updated August 2026
Clearing a House as an Executor in British Columbia
A Form P1 notice of proposed application must be delivered at least 21 days before a probate application is filed in British Columbia, and the court then generally takes two to three months to process the application. Household contents are almost never what holds up an estate, and Island Estate Clearing works through the house while that queue runs.
This guide sets out the probate timetable an executor in British Columbia is working to, and where the contents of the house actually sit within it. It is written to be handed to someone by a notary without embarrassment.
Probate is the court process that confirms a will is valid and that the named executor has authority to deal with the estate.
This guide is not legal advice
Island Estate Clearing clears and prepares household contents. Nothing here is legal advice, and nothing here says whether a particular estate needs to go through probate at all — that question belongs with a notary or a lawyer, and it should be asked early. What follows is the timetable, so the waiting is at least legible.
The 21-day notice comes first
Before an application is filed, a Form P1 notice of proposed application has to be delivered and then sit for at least 21 days. It goes to the executors, the beneficiaries, the spouse and children, and to anyone who would inherit if there were no will. The clock does not start until delivery is done.
| 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.
The wills registry search
A wills registry search through the Vital Statistics Agency is required, and two copies of the resulting certificate are filed with the application. It is a routine step, but it is one that has to be started rather than discovered late.
The application itself
The typical set is Form P2, the submission for estate grant; Form P3 or P4, the affidavit of the applicant; Form P9, the affidavits of delivery of the P1 notices; and Form P10 or P11, the affidavit of assets and liabilities. The original signed will is filed with them.
How long the court takes
Court processing generally runs two to three months. Full administration through to distribution commonly takes 8 to 12 months after the grant issues. Neither figure is a target an executor can influence, which is precisely why the parts that can be moved forward are worth moving forward.
The contents do not have to wait
This is the part most executors are never told. Household contents are almost never what holds up an estate. The 21 days of notice and the two to three months in the court queue are dead time in which the house can be sorted, the contents that carry value identified and appraised, the rest cleared, and the property cleaned. Anything of real value should be appraised and accounted for first, which protects both the estate and the executor.
What an executor should keep a record of
A written scope before the work, and afterwards a written summary of what was sold, what was donated, what was recycled and what was disposed of. An executor accounting to beneficiaries needs to be able to show where the contents went, and a record produced at the time is worth a great deal more than one reconstructed later.
The order things happen in
- Locate the will and search the registrythe wills registry search runs through the Vital Statistics Agency, and two copies of the certificate are filed.
- Deliver the Form P1 noticeat least 21 days before filing, to executors, beneficiaries, the spouse and children, and potential intestacy heirs.
- File the applicationForm P2 with the affidavit of applicant, the affidavits of delivery, the affidavit of assets and liabilities, and the original signed will.
- Deal with the house while the court queue runssorting, appraisal, sale, clearing and cleaning can all happen 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 an estate, send the details — there is no need to wait for the grant.
Clearing and preparing the contents of a family home, across Vancouver Island.
Nothing has to be sorted, identified or valued first. Send whatever is known and a walk-through can be arranged.