Firm pack (PDF, 391 KB, 1 page, opens in a new tab)
One page: what a referral costs the estate, what we take off your desk, and how to start a matter.
Attorneys and fiduciaries
When a firearm appears on the inventory, refer it and carry on with the estate.
Firearmdesk administers firearms in deceased estates for attorneys and fiduciaries. One referral, and we carry the Firearms Control Act work from authority to closure while your firm keeps a complete, evidenced record for the estate file.
Your firm's first estate: no Firearmdesk compliance fee. Applies to the first matter your firm refers, for matters referred by 31 January 2027. The licensed dealer's fees at cost, custody coordination and valuations still apply. Terms
We take estates from anywhere in South Africa. We take the file within one working day of the referral and start the compliance work: the Regulation 103 deadlines and inventory, the valuation and any heir's licence. We handle estates throughout South Africa. Where custody is needed, we arrange it with a licensed dealer and coordinate any necessary transport for the estate. We confirm the handover arrangements with you. Legal basis
On this page
What you can rely on
Published fees, evidence at every step, and the law followed.
- Fixed, published feesEvery fee is on the published schedule and itemised on two invoices to the estate. Sale proceeds never pass through us.
- Evidence at every stepLicensed custody sites only, release under dual control, an append-only audit trail and nothing sensitive by email.
- Built on the lawThe Regulation 103 duties are handled, regulated steps follow the current legal position, and a SAPS step is never reported as approved before it is.
What you hand over
You hand over the firearm work. You keep the estate.
We act on the executor's instruction as custody and compliance coordinator. The administration of the estate stays with your firm.
We take off your desk
- CustodyWe handle estates throughout South Africa. Where custody is needed, we arrange it with a licensed dealer and coordinate any necessary transport for the estate. We confirm the handover arrangements with you. Nobody at your firm carries a firearm: a licensed heir who will inherit may keep them, and otherwise we book a permitted transporter for the estate, at cost.
- Regulation 103 paperworkThe inventory, the notice and the three-monthly reports, prepared for signature.
- Valuation and the executor's instructionA written valuation, then the options the law allows, presented to the executor to sign.
- Sale, transfer or surrenderTracked to the end, with SAPS steps shown as waiting until SAPS has decided them.
Your firm keeps
- The estateYour firm administers it; we act for the executor on the firearms only.
- One matter recordStatus, who holds the next action, the document register and a timeline of every step.
- The moneyFees are invoiced to the estate, care of your firm; proceeds go to the estate or your trust account.
- The closure packReceipts, valuation, the signed instruction and settlement records, for the estate file.
Regulation 103
The executor's Regulation 103 duties, prepared for signature.
Regulation 103 of the Firearms Control Regulations puts the executor on a clock from appointment. We prepare the paperwork, the executor signs it, and your firm sees each document on the matter.
- Inventory and notice within 14 daysThe inventory of the estate's firearms and the notice to the Central Firearms Registry, due within 14 days of the executor's appointment (Regulation 103(3)).
- A progress report every three monthsEach report to the Registrar prepared, and the date of the next one kept in view (Regulation 103(7)).
- Temporary authorisation where it is neededThe section 21 application (form SAPS 518) where someone must hold the firearms before the executor is appointed (Regulation 103(1)).
- Evidence for finalisationEach sale, transfer or surrender receipted on the matter and filed in the closure pack, for the Registrar's confirmation the estate needs before it is finalised (Regulation 103(9)).
Your steps
Seven stages. Your firm takes part in four.
The stages your firm takes part in are shown in full; the portal shows the current stage and who holds the next action throughout.
- Referral receivedOwner: Firearmdesk operations
- Authority verifiedOwner: Attorney and executor
- Licensed custody arrangedOwner: Firearmdesk operations
- In licensed custodyOwner: Custody site
- Valuation and executor instructionOwner: Valuer, then the executor
- Processing and external stepsOwner: Firearmdesk operations
- Settlement and closureOwner: Firearmdesk finance
Costs
Published fees, invoiced to the estate.
Two itemised invoices, at intake and at release, addressed to the estate care of your firm and paid by EFT against the invoice number.
| Fee | Basis | Price | Paid by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compliance services, custody matter | Per matter | R2,242.50 | Estate |
| Compliance services, heir keeps the firearms | Per matter | R1,437.50 | Estate |
| Custody coordination | Once per firearm received into custody; not charged by the month | R632.50 | Estate |
| Licensed dealer intake, at cost | Per firearm; the dealer's own fee, passed on with no mark-up, plus the dealer's VAT where it is registered for VAT | R200 | Estate |
| Licensed dealer storage, at cost | Per firearm a month from day 15 after receipt; the dealer's own fee, passed on with no mark-up, plus the dealer's VAT where it is registered for VAT | R110 | Estate |
| Written valuation | First firearm; R172.50 each additional | R402.50 | Estate |
| Transfer administration | Per firearm, under a signed heir engagement | R1,437.50 | Heir |
| Dealer's sale commission | Of the sale price, minimum R400, plus VAT if the dealer is registered for VAT (then 11.5%); charged by the selling dealer and deducted from the price | 10% | From proceeds |
Your firm's first estate referred by 31 January 2027 carries no compliance fee (R2,242.50). Applies to the first matter your firm refers, for matters referred by 31 January 2027. The licensed dealer's fees at cost, custody coordination and valuations still apply. Terms in full
Firearmdesk is not registered for VAT, so no VAT is added to our fees. Custody coordination and the dealer's fees apply only once a firearm enters custody. Firearmdesk never stores, carries or transports a firearm: we book a permitted transporter for the estate, which invoices the estate, and anything we pay it for the estate is passed on at cost.
Full fee schedule and a worked exampleWhat we need from you
Only what you already have.
Documents are uploaded through secure links once the matter is open, never by email.
- To open the matterYour firm, your name and email, and the name of the deceased.
- To verify authorityThe letters of executorship and the executor's identity evidence.
- To progressThe executor's contact details, so your firm can invite them from the matter page to review the valuation and sign the instruction.
- When you have themLicence copies, the Master's reference and the inventory schedule.
Documents
Read what your file receives.
The one-page firm pack, the closure pack an estate file receives (for a fictional estate) and the capability statement for your supplier file.
Sample closure pack (PDF, 42 KB, 14 pages, opens in a new tab)
What the estate file receives at closure: custody receipts, valuation, the executor instruction and settlement records, for a fictional estate.
Capability statement (PDF, 2 pages, opens in a new tab)
What we do, how a matter runs, custody, security, fees and the legal basis, for your firm's supplier file.
People
Named people, accountable for every step.
For estates across South Africa, in English and Afrikaans.
Wayne de Jager
Executive management
Leads the service, partner terms, banks and trust companies, finance and compliance. Information Officer under POPIA.
Leandri Starbuck
Admin coordinator
Runs matters and custody partners day to day: new referrals, dealer applications and onboarding, document requests and communication with firms, executors and dealers.
Philip de Jager
Attorney, advisory council
Advises the business on estate administration and legal matters; does not act for firms, executors or heirs.
Matters and referrals: Leandri Starbuck, leandri@firearmdesk.co.za or 081 770 2885.
Do I need a meeting before I refer?
No. The referral takes under five minutes and needs only your details and the name of the deceased. If you would rather talk first, call Leandri Starbuck on 081 770 2885.
Who is invoiced, and when?
The estate, care of your firm, on two itemised invoices: one at intake and one at release. The licensed dealer's storage, passed on at cost, accrues from day 15 after receipt and is invoiced at release. Payment is by EFT against the invoice number, and payment status never affects a release.
Can I refer an estate from anywhere in South Africa?
Yes. The matter opens at once and your firm receives its portal link. We take the file within one working day, verify the executor's authority and prepare the Regulation 103 inventory and notice. We handle estates throughout South Africa. Where custody is needed, we arrange it with a licensed dealer and coordinate any necessary transport for the estate. We confirm the handover arrangements with you.
Is there a charge for our first estate?
Your firm's first estate: no Firearmdesk compliance fee. Applies to the first matter your firm refers, for matters referred by 31 January 2027. The licensed dealer's fees at cost, custody coordination and valuations still apply. The terms are in full on the fees page.
What does the executor have to do?
Upload the letters of executorship and identity evidence through a secure link, sign the consent for the transporter we book where the firearms must move, review the approved valuation in plain language and sign one instruction for the options the law allows. Nothing needs to be installed.
Does anyone at my firm have to carry the firearms?
No. Where an heir who will inherit the firearms already holds a firearm licence and has them, they stay with that heir under the executor's written consent. Otherwise we book a permitted transporter for the estate: it collects the firearms where they are kept, a relative's home included, and delivers them to the licensed dealer. The transporter invoices the estate, anything we pay it for the estate is passed on at cost, and we charge nothing for carriage.
What happens to the sale proceeds?
The selling dealer deducts its commission and pays the balance to the estate or your trust account. Proceeds never pass through Firearmdesk.
Is anything sensitive sent by email?
No. Email carries status and secure links only. Serial numbers, identity documents and photographs stay in the portal, and every uploaded document is scanned before anyone can open it.
Refer the firearms and carry on with the estate.
A referral needs only the details you already have. We take it from there.