What is an estate?
The term ‘estate’ refers to the character and duration of a person’s ownership of land, and all possessions and other assets they have a controlling interest in or own out-right, minus any liabilities. It is of particular significance if the individual is made bankrupt or when they die.
Estate planning is the process of managing an estate and deciding, through a will and testament, how it will be divided up and distributed to beneficiaries (those who receive the assets through inheritance, gift, and so on) upon their death. Solicitors can be hired to assist with the process of estate planning.
The term 'estate' can also be used to refer to an ‘estate in land’, i.e. a farm, homestead, historic home, etc. of an individual.
NB Government Functional Standard GovS 004: Property, Version: 2.0, published by HM Government on 1 September 2021, defines estate as: ‘The sum total of property assets held by an organisation.’
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