Form P17 (BC): Notice of Renunciation, Explained

What it is: Form P17 — the Notice of Renunciation — is how a person named as executor in a BC will formally says "no thank you." Being named never obligates you to serve. Filing a P17 gives up your right to apply for probate and to act as executor, so the estate can move forward without you.

Who it's for: a named executor (or alternate) who hasn't started acting. Timing is the whole game here: once you've "intermeddled" — begun handling estate assets, paying estate bills, instructing the deceased's bank as executor — the clean exit may be gone, and stepping down generally means asking the court instead. If you're not sure whether you've crossed that line, talk to a probate lawyer before signing anything.

What it does — and doesn't do:

• It removes you as executor. If the will names an alternate ("if X is unable or unwilling to act, I appoint Y"), that person applies for probate instead. If there's no alternate, the beneficiaries can apply for a grant of administration with will annexed — here's how that pathway works.
• It does not touch your inheritance. Renouncing the executor job and giving up a gift under the will are completely different acts. You can decline the work and still receive what the will leaves you.
• It's effectively a one-way door. Once you've renounced and the estate moves on without you, there's no easy way back in. Don't sign to buy time or create leverage — sign because you've decided.

How to actually do it:

1. Get the current form from the BC government's official probate forms page — it's listed as "Notice of renunciation" (Form P17): Supreme Court probate forms.
2. Complete and sign it — the deceased's details, the will you were named in, and your renunciation. It's a short form; if anything about it is unclear, a BC notary or probate lawyer can prepare it with you inexpensively.
3. Get it into the right hands. You usually don't file it yourself: give the signed P17 to whoever is applying for the grant — the court rules have them file your renunciation with their application package. If an application is already open at the probate registry, it can be filed in that proceeding instead.
4. Keep a copy and say so out loud. Tell the alternate executor and the family you've stepped aside, so nobody spends months waiting on you.

If you do nothing instead: doing nothing doesn't keep your options open — it stalls the estate, and the rules have a lever for that. Someone with an interest in the estate can serve you a citation (Form P32) that forces the decision; if you don't respond in time, you can be deemed to have renounced (the person who cited you swears Form P34) — the same outcome with none of the control. If you already know you don't want the job, renouncing early is the kinder, cleaner path.

Common mistakes: "helping" with estate assets for a few weeks before deciding (that's how you lose the clean exit); assuming renunciation costs you your gift under the will (it doesn't); and renouncing when what you actually want is help — executors can hire a probate lawyer or notary, an accountant, even professional executor support, and pay for it from the estate, not from their own pocket. Weigh those options here.

Where to get it: the official current version is on the BC government probate forms page. More plain-language answers: BC executor questions.

Foxglove is a guide, not a law firm. General information, not legal advice; forms and rules change — confirm current requirements with the Supreme Court of BC, the official BC government forms page, or a qualified BC professional. Find vetted BC help →