The death of someone close to you is a difficult period to navigate. Not only do you have to deal with the grief and stress of losing a loved one, but you may also find yourself in the position of having to deal with the belongings they’ve left behind. This is known as settling someone’s estate, and the most common way to do that is to apply for probate at the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.
In the ideal case, your loved one would have left behind a will that clearly names an executor for their estate and lays out how their estate will be distributed among friends and family. The named executor then applies for a certificate of appointment of estate trustee, which basically grants them the authority to settle the estate and go through probate.
However, life is not always ideal, and you may discover that your loved one did not leave behind a will. Here’s how you navigate the process of applying for a certificate of appointment when there’s no will.