Successor Trustee's First 30 Days: The Step-by-Step Checklist (California)
If you were just named successor trustee, you don't have to figure this out alone — here's exactly what to handle in the first month, in plain English and in order.
The first 30 days set the foundation for everything that follows — a few early, time-sensitive steps protect the estate and protect you. Move carefully, not quickly: most decisions can wait, but a small handful genuinely shouldn't.
Your first 30 days, grouped
Tap any box to check it off — your progress is saved on this device. Anything marked [ATTORNEY/CPA VERIFY] should be confirmed with your professional before you rely on it.
Stabilize
Find the original signed trust plus every amendment or restatement. The most recent valid version controls — don’t rely on a copy if the original exists.
You’ll need certified copies for banks, title, the county, and benefits providers. Order more than you expect — [VERIFY suggested quantity, often around 8–10] — because reordering later is slow.
Change the locks, collect spare keys, and safeguard cash, jewelry, documents, and firearms. As trustee you’re now responsible for protecting trust property.
A standard homeowners policy can lapse or deny a claim once a home sits vacant. Notify the insurer right away and ask about a vacancy endorsement.
Legal notifications
California Probate Code §16061.7 requires you to formally notify beneficiaries and heirs. [ATTORNEY VERIFY: there is typically a ~60-day window, and the notice starts the clock on the period to contest the trust.]
As trustee you owe duties of loyalty, impartiality, prudence, and careful recordkeeping. Document every decision and keep every receipt from day one.
Financial setup
Once the trust becomes irrevocable it generally needs its own taxpayer ID (EIN) from the IRS, separate from the deceased’s SSN.
Open an account titled in the trust’s name. All trust income and expenses should flow through this one account.
Keep trust money completely separate from your own, and don’t pay anything out to beneficiaries until debts, taxes, and required notices are handled.
Inventory & valuation
Inventory accounts, real property, vehicles, and personal property — valued as of the date of death, not today’s value.
Real estate needs a date-of-death appraisal or valuation. It sets the “stepped-up” cost basis, which can dramatically reduce capital-gains tax when the home is eventually sold. This is the one item with a clock on it.
Notifications
Notify banks, brokerages, the Social Security Administration, and any pension or annuity providers. Stop any benefit payments that should not continue.
Set up mail forwarding so bills, statements, and notices don’t pile up unseen at the property.
Your decisions can wait.
The valuation can't.
Eventually you'll decide whether to sell, rent, or hold the property — but there's no rush, and you shouldn't make that call under pressure. What is time-sensitive is establishing the home's value as of the date of death.
That date-of-death value sets the “stepped-up” cost basis, which can dramatically reduce capital-gains tax whenever the home is eventually sold — so locking in an accurate figure early protects you no matter which path you choose later. Prop 19 may also affect reassessment [CPA/ATTORNEY VERIFY].
This is the part we handle for trustees every day. There's no obligation and nothing to decide right now — just an accurate value, on the record, while it still reflects the date that matters.
You shouldn't do this alone
For the §16061.7 notice, your fiduciary duties, distributions, and anything marked [ATTORNEY VERIFY].
For the trust EIN, trust tax returns, Prop 19 questions, and the step-up basis.
For the date-of-death valuation and, when you’re ready, selling or managing the property.
What NOT to do in the first 30 days
Wait until debts, taxes, and required notices are handled — early distributions can leave you personally on the hook.
Selling, renting, or holding can almost always wait. Don’t decide under grief or pressure.
If a document or its consequences aren’t clear, pause and ask your attorney or CPA first.
Keep the checklist close
Get the printable version to keep on the fridge, share with a sibling, or bring to your attorney.
Free date-of-death property valuation
You'll need this value for the estate regardless of what you decide about the home — so we'll prepare an accurate, documented date-of-death valuation at no cost and with no pressure to list.
We've handled property for California trustees through trust and probate sales for years. Request it now and we'll follow up — no obligation.
A steady hand for trust & probate property
Patrick Edgett and the team at Penny Empire have guided California families through trust and probate property for years — the valuations, the timing, the paperwork, and the sale when the time is right. We move at your pace, explain every step, and coordinate with your attorney and CPA.
No pressure, no jargon — just clear help from people who do this every day.
Penny EmpireThis checklist is provided for general educational purposes only and is not legal, tax, financial, or fiduciary advice, nor a substitute for advice from a licensed attorney or CPA. California law, deadlines (including the Probate Code §16061.7 notice period), and program details change and vary by situation — confirm every item marked [VERIFY] and all legal or tax steps with your own trust attorney and CPA before acting. Penny Empire is a licensed real estate brokerage; Patrick Edgett, DRE #02100843. Equal Housing Opportunity. © 2026.
Patrick Edgett · 909-499-6997
patrick@pennyempire.com · DRE #02100843