We're always working to make RedCrest-Probate better for you.
Sometimes we need to take the system offline for maintenance, upgrades or new features. When this happens, we'll let you know on this page and on the RedCrest-Probate home page.
You can also find details about past updates here. Select a release date below to see what changes were made.
If you have any questions about these changes, contact the Probate Office.
| Description | Behaviour Change |
|---|---|
| Occupation field for the deceased and plaintiff(s) is now free text. |
The Occupation field for the deceased and plaintiff(s) is now a free text box which can be completed by the user. There is no longer a drop-down list of occupations to choose from. For the deceased, the occupation entered populates in the RedCrest-Probate generated affidavit, on the originating motion, and on a caveat. For the plaintiff(s), the occupation entered populates in the RedCrest-Probate generated affidavit. |
| Certificates identifying exhibits for the will (and any codicils) are now included in the document package. | For any application for probate or letters of administration (will annexed), certificates identifying exhibit for the will and any codicil are now included in the RedCrest-Probate generated affidavit document package. |
| An alert displays on specific pages after an advertisement is submitted, but before the application is submitted. |
After an advertisement has been published, but before the application has been filed, an alert message appears at the top of certain pages in the draft application. This alert advises users that if they change any of the information on that page, and make the advertisement inaccurate, they will need to re-advertise prior to submitting their application. |
| User can generate documents after an application has been submitted. |
After an application for probate, letters of administration (will annexed), letters of administration (no will) or reseal has been submitted, self-represented applicants and solicitors who did not prepare their own documents are able to generate the affidavit in support of their application again. There will be an option for self-represented applicants and solicitors who did not prepare their own documents to generate the affidavit in support of their application again. Users are not able to change any of the fields that populate the document. They can change the Word document downloaded as required. To re-download the document package:
|
| Updates to questions about witnesses to a will/codicil which allow users to record only one person witnessed the will/codicil. |
In probate and letters of administration (will annexed) applications, users are now able to record that a will or codicil was witnessed by only one person. If a user selects “No” to the question “Do the signatures of two or more witnesses appear on the will?” another question will now appear: “Does the signature of any witness appear on the will?”. If the user is self-represented or a solicitor who has not prepared their own documents and selects “Yes” to this new question, they will then be prompted to enter the name and address of that witness. The same questions will also appear in relation to any codicil. The name and address entered for the witness will appear in the RedCrest-Probate generated affidavit at paragraph 9. Solicitors who have prepared their own documents will no longer have to enter the name or address of any witness to a will or codicil. |
| Option to record that a witness to a will or codicil is now deceased. |
When a self-represented user or a solicitor who has not prepared their own documents is preparing an application for probate or letters of administration (will annexed), a new tick box has been included to record that a witness to a will/codicil is deceased. If the user ticks “deceased”, they do not need to enter an address. The RedCrest-Probate generated affidavit will populate with “now deceased” after the name of that witness. |
| Users can now enter one name for an ‘in the Will called’ name. |
In applications for a grant and when depositing a will, users are now able to record that a person is referred to by only one name in the will/codicil or grant (in the case of a reseal). For example, if a user selects “No” to the question “Is the name entered above the same as it appears in the will and/or codicil?”, Surname, First name and Middle name(s) fields will then appear. However, only the “First name” field is mandatory. |
| Data error for uploading documents on the ‘Upload Documents & Pay Fees’ screen will only show when documents have not been uploaded. |
Users no longer encounter a data error to upload documents when they go to the “Upload Documents and Pay Fees” page when preparing:
Users only encounter a data error if they attempt to submit their application without uploading the mandatory documents. |
| Update to the ‘Type’ column in ‘My applications’. | On the “My applications” page, the information contained in the “Type” column now more accurately reflects the type of application made. For example, a letters of administration (no will) application which previously appeared as “Probate (E)” will now appear as “Letters of Administration (no will)”. |
| Updates to the relationship details screen for solicitors who have prepared their own documents. |
If a user is a solicitor who has prepared their own documents, the “Relationship details” screen now only displays information that is relevant to them. It no longer shows blue information boxes that are applicable only to self-represented users or solicitors who have not prepared their own documents. |
| Users now have the option to replace a document after it has been rejected for filing. |
If a filing has been rejected and a user is attempting to re-file, they are now use a Replace button. This uploads a new document to the document type that had been previously selected. Users no longer have to remove the document entirely, select the document type again and upload the new document. |
| Confirmation message when filing subsequent filings. |
After submitting further document(s) on an existing application and returning to the 'My Drafts and Filings' page, users now receive a submission confirmation message at the top of the page. The wording of the confirmation message differs depending on:
|
| Users must now confirm if an application has been filed when filing a caveat. |
When filing a caveat, users are now asked whether an application for probate or administration has been filed with the Supreme Court of Victoria in relation to the estate, and are provided a link to the Probate Office Application Index to search for the existence of an application. If an application has been made, the user selects “Yes”, enters the application number then clicks “Confirm” to display the application details relevant to that application number. This will ensure the caveat is immediately linked to the application that has been previously filed. |
| Users can now see linked application details when viewing an advertisement. |
Searches for advertisements on RedCrest-Probate will list advertisements with the same eFile ID. When searching for an advertisement via RedCrest-Probate, in addition to being provided with results of any linked advertisements with the same eFile ID, if an application has been filed with the same eFile ID users can now see details of that application. The applications details that display are the date the application was filed, the application number, the application status and the status date. |
| Users now have the option to choose if a caveat is being filed by an individual or a company/organisation. |
When filing a caveat, users who are not representing themselves are now asked whether they are filing on behalf of an individual or a company/organisation. If “company/organisation” is selected, users will be asked to enter the details of the company/organisation in the space provided. If “individual” is selected, users will asked for the surname, first name and middle name of the person filing, or ‘caveator’, in the space provided. |
| Update to the relationship drop down options when filing a caveat. |
The list which contains a caveator’s relationship to the deceased has been updated with the following options: |
| Users can now record if a caveat is being filed on behalf of the caveator by a litigation guardian or administrator. |
When filing a caveat, users who are not representing themselves are now asked whether the caveator is represented by a litigation guardian or administrator. If a caveat is being filed by a litigation guardian on behalf of a caveator, the name of the litigation guardian is required. The name of the caveator should also be entered. Before submitting the caveat, provide:
The name of the caveator will appear on the caveat followed by the phrase “(by their litigation guardian [name of litigation guardian])”. If a caveat is being filed by an administrator on behalf of a caveator, the name of the administrator is required to be entered (in addition to the name of the caveator). A copy of the guardianship order for each caveator represented must be uploaded prior to submitting the caveat. The name of the caveator will appear on the caveat followed by the phrase “(by their administrator [name of administrator])”. |