Section 27 Trustee Act 1925 Notice¶
A Section 27 notice — also called a statutory advertisement or Gazette notice — is a legal protection that an executor or administrator places before distributing the estate to beneficiaries. It is a public notice in The London Gazette and a local newspaper inviting any unknown creditors to come forward within a specified period.
The notice must run for a minimum of 2 months before the executor distributes the estate. During the 2 months any creditor not previously known can come forward to claim against the estate; after 2 months the executor is personally protected from claims by creditors they did not know about. The notice does not protect against claims by known creditors — those still need to be paid from the estate as part of the normal administration. [source: citizens-advice/dealing-with-the-financial-affairs-of-someone-who-has-died-2026-04-29.html]
In practical terms, the notice is two short advertisements: one in The London Gazette (the official UK government public-notices journal) and one in a local newspaper covering the area where the deceased lived. Most solicitors place these as a routine part of administering an estate; specialist providers also run a fixed-fee service. Without the notice, the executor remains exposed to creditor claims indefinitely and can be personally liable for any debts that surface after distribution.
The Section 27 notice is essential when there is any doubt about whether all the deceased's creditors have been identified — an insolvent estate, a deceased with business interests, or anyone whose financial life was complex enough that unknown debts are plausible.
Last verified: 29 April 2026 against the Trustee Act 1925, section 27.