2. Searching for a Will and gaining access to the deceased's safe deposit box in a bank
Whether or not a Will is left by the deceased would affect the application procedure for the Grant of Representation. The deceased's family members or legal representative must check carefully to see if the deceased had made a Will (or whether the Will on hand is the latest/last Will or not). Their duties include: checking all the personal documents of the deceased, asking the relatives and friends, and enquiring with the deceased's financial or legal advisers.
If the intended executor/administrator has retained a solicitor to obtain the Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration, the solicitor can conduct a Will Search through the Law Society of Hong Kong to find out whether or not the deceased has executed a Will through other solicitors in Hong Kong .
However, the Will Search is not conclusive since the deceased might have made a homemade Will. Most often, the deceased might have put his/her Will in a safe deposit box in a bank. Therefore, another starting point for searching for a Will is to check the deceased's safe deposit box.