{"id":143,"date":"2017-01-30T14:04:04","date_gmt":"2017-01-30T14:04:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/?p=143"},"modified":"2024-04-25T23:21:09","modified_gmt":"2024-04-26T03:21:09","slug":"real-property-and-probate-in-delaware","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/real-property-and-probate-in-delaware\/","title":{"rendered":"Real Property and Probate in Delaware"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>When a property owner in Delaware dies,\nthe decedent\u2019s estate must be opened in probate, with some exceptions. In\nDelaware, the Register of Wills \u2013 a division of the Chancery Court \u2013 oversees\nestate administration in the county in which the decedent resided.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p>The process by which a decedent\u2019s real\nproperty passes to those named in a will or to rightful heirs through intestate\nsuccession (when the decedent dies without a will) is called probate. Property\nexempt from the probate process includes survivorship assets, assets held in\ntrust, and certain qualifying small estates. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the beginning of the probate process,\nthe Register of Wills approves a personal representative to take control of the\ndecedent\u2019s estate through the granting of letters. In Delaware, the personal\nrepresentative is called an executor when named by a will, or an administrator\nwhen the decedent either dies without a will, or fails to name an executor in a\nwill. The letters authorize the personal representative to act on behalf of the\nestate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To open probate when a decedent has died\ntestate (with a will), the will must be proved at the Register of Wills office.\nIf the decedent died intestate, a person designated under 12 Del. C. \u00a7 1505 may\npetition for grant of letters of administration. For either situation, the\ndeath certificate is required. Persons entitled to become administrator include\nthe decedent\u2019s surviving spouse, the decedent\u2019s children, the decedent\u2019s\nparents, and the decedent\u2019s siblings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Among other duties, the personal\nrepresentative gathers and takes inventory of the decedent\u2019s assets, pays any\nvalid claims on the estate, files any necessary affidavits or estate taxes, and\nconducts all accounting for the estate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Delaware, title to real property\ndevised by will or passed by intestate succession vests \u201cimmediately upon death\nto the beneficiaries\u201d and does not require a new deed. The chain of title is\nreflected \u201cthrough documents filed at the Register of Wills office and\nforwarded to the County Assessment Office\u201d [1,2,3]. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For jointly held title to real property,\nthe surviving spouse or joint tenant files an affidavit, which removes the\ndecedent\u2019s name from the property for tax purposes only [4]. To officially\nremove a name from a deed, another deed must be executed. Contact an attorney\nwith questions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A personal representative may be\nrequired to sell real property if the will dictates (see 12 Del. C. \u00a7 2719), or\nif the debts of the estate necessitate a sale to raise the required funds. The\npersonal representative must petition the Chancery Court for an order of sale\nto pay the estate\u2019s debts. The process for selling real property, including\npriority of payment of debts and surplus, is outlined at 12 Del. C. \u00a7 2701 et\nseq. The Court may refuse an order of sale or refuse to approve a sale under 12\nDel. C. \u00a7 2717.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The statutory form for a conveyance of\nreal property in Delaware is a special warranty deed. In a personal\nrepresentative\u2019s deed, the administrator or executor is the grantor, conveying\nall the title that the decedent had at the time of death to the grantee. &nbsp;The terms \u201cgrant and convey\u201d warrant the title\nagainst the grantor and all persons claiming under the grantor (25 Del. Co. \u00a7\n121). In addition to requirements of a statutory deed, the personal\nrepresentative\u2019s deed includes information about the decedent, including name,\ndate of death, and information regarding the open estate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The personal representative signs the deed in the presence of a notarial official and records the deed and all necessary supporting documents in the Recorder of Deeds office where the property subject to transfer is located. Bear in mind that deed formatting standards vary across Delaware\u2019s three counties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/forms\/delaware\/personal-representative-deed\/\">Delaware Personal Representative Deed Form<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Consult a lawyer with questions\nregarding personal representative\u2019s deeds or other issues with probate in\nDelaware. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">[1] <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nccde.org\/DocumentCenter\/View\/167\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">http:\/\/www.nccde.org\/DocumentCenter\/View\/167<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">[2] <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sussexcountyde.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/PDFs\/WILLS_AND_ESTATES.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/www.sussexcountyde.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/PDFs\/WILLS_AND_ESTATES.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">[3] <a href=\"http:\/\/www.co.kent.de.us\/media\/783669\/Brochaddendum.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">http:\/\/www.co.kent.de.us\/media\/783669\/Brochaddendum.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">[4] <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sussexcountyde.gov\/probated-estates\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/www.sussexcountyde.gov\/probated-estates<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When a property owner in Delaware dies, the decedent\u2019s estate must be opened in probate, with some exceptions. In Delaware, the Register of Wills \u2013 a division of the Chancery Court \u2013 oversees estate administration in the county in which the decedent resided.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[40,11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-143","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-delaware","category-probate"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Real Property and Probate in Delaware - Deeds.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When a property owner in Delaware dies, the decedent\u2019s estate must be opened in probate, with some exceptions. 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