People spend real effort deciding who gets what in their will and then appoint an executor in about four seconds, usually the eldest child or whoever happens to be sitting in the room. It is the wrong order of priority. The executor is the person who has to make the will work, often during the worst months of their life, and the choice determines whether your estate is administered cleanly or becomes a two-year ordeal.
What does an executor actually do?
More than most people expect. They locate the original will, identify and secure the assets, and apply for a grant of probate where one is required. They notify banks, insurers, superannuation funds and government agencies. They pay funeral expenses, debts and ongoing costs on a property that still needs rates and insurance paid. They lodge outstanding tax returns — including a return to the date of death and, frequently, returns for the estate itself while it holds income-producing assets. Only then do they distribute what remains. A simple estate runs six to twelve months; one with a business, a trust or a disputed claim runs considerably longer.
Who makes a good executor?
Organisation and impartiality beat affection. The role rewards someone who returns phone calls, keeps records, reads documents before signing them, and can tell a beneficiary "not yet" without it becoming a family rift. They should be likely to outlive you and be young enough to still be capable when the time comes — appointing a same-age sibling is common and frequently ends with a substitute doing the work anyway. Geography matters less than it used to, but an executor overseas faces practical friction with identity verification, document signing and dealing with Australian institutions.
Should you appoint one executor or two?
Both work. A single executor is faster and simpler, with no coordination required. Two executors provide mutual accountability, share the burden, and mean the estate does not stall if one becomes unwell. The critical caveat is that joint executors generally must act unanimously, so appointing two people who already disagree about money guarantees a slow administration. Appointing all four children in the name of fairness is a well-intentioned decision that regularly produces deadlock. Whatever you choose, name a substitute — the most common defect we see is a will with a single executor who has predeceased the will-maker.
Should you use a professional executor?
Sometimes it is clearly right. Where the estate is complex, where beneficiaries are in conflict, where a business or a testamentary trust must be managed, or where there is genuinely nobody suitable, a solicitor or trustee company brings experience and neutrality that a grieving family member cannot. The trade-off is fees, usually a percentage of the estate, and an administration that follows process rather than family understanding. A common middle path is to appoint a family member as executor and make clear they are entitled to engage professionals — which they can do, paid by the estate, without carrying the technical work themselves.
Can someone refuse to be an executor?
Yes. Appointment in a will is not binding, and a named executor can renounce provided they have not already started dealing with the estate. That is exactly why you should ask the person first. Being told at the reading of a will that you are now responsible for probate, a deceased estate tax return and three siblings' expectations is a poor way to find out. A conversation now also lets you tell them where things are kept and what you intend — context that is worth more than any instruction sheet.
What should you leave behind to make it easier?
An executor's first task is usually an archaeological one, and it is the most avoidable cost in the entire process. Leave a current list of assets and liabilities, bank and share accounts, insurance policies, superannuation funds and the status of any binding death benefit nomination, plus contact details for your accountant and solicitor. Say where the original will is held. And deal with digital access — email, cloud storage, subscriptions and anything held online — because without it, an executor can spend months proving entitlement to accounts they cannot even see. Services such as Custodium Vault exist to keep this information organised and releasable to the right person at the right time.
How often should the appointment be reviewed?
Whenever your circumstances change and at least every few years. Executors age, relationships change, the capable nephew moves to Berlin, and a will drafted when your children were small may still name a now-elderly parent. Reviewing the appointment is a five-minute conversation with your solicitor, far cheaper than a court application to appoint an administrator because nobody named in the will is able to act.
The executor appointment is the one decision in a will that determines whether every other decision in it is carried out smoothly. The Metier Group works alongside Perth families and their solicitors on wills and estate planning, including the tax and administration side that executors have to deal with. Contact us to talk through your arrangements.