wills

weary

hi does anyone know if when a person dies is it a legal formality to read a will and as a person named in that will require a breakdown of any monies?

floss2

It is unlikely that values would be known when a will is read. If there are insurance policies to claim, bank & savings accounts to sort out, funeral costs to pay and / or property to sell then it could take some time to be able to put an accurate value on the total estate.

I received a breakdown of my late mother's estate - but I think that was predominantly because 2 of my brothers were executors and wanted the other 2 of us to know exactly how the estate had been calculated & split between us.

Pee

Wills are only read on television, unless the family are adamant that is what should happen, and then the solicitor will read it for you...

If you are named in there to get a set amount, no, you do not have a right to see either the will or the accounts, but you can get a copy of the will from York Probate Registry for £5 as it is a public document.

If you get say a third of the residue, then you are entitled to a copy of the will and sight of the final estate accounts.

weary

All very complex yes i am named in the will along with two siblings one of whom has taken control and had the lot away,i have a copy of the will and an address of where the original will is,what do i do next?

Pee

Who are the executors? It is up to them to administer the will.

weary

i assume it us? the children there are no other names mentioned but as i said the one has taken control and as you can guess no longer in contact with her,very messy

rach29

The executors should be named in the will, if you have a copy , what does it say?

Do you know the value of the estate? Would probate have been needed?

Pee

If it is all three of you, then you will have to work together... It may be that one is appointed executor with the estate being divided between the three.

weary

the will is in the attic but i'm pretty sure all three of us are named executor,there wasn't much left in the accounts due to the one taking what was there as she made herself third party to the account when mum died and dad had dementia (he has recently died) but a large loan was taken by her with commen knowledge but nothing witnessed or legally done,no property involved.would it be beneficial to contact the solicitor who has the wills the only proof i have is written notes made by my mum.

weary

also dad hasn't had his ashes intered yet or stone done so money is needed for that
thanks for all your advice i'm really at my wits end

Pee

I would contact the solicitor and see what they can do, and let them have the proof that you have.

The difficulty is once one person has died another person can say it was a gift rather than a loan and it is very hard to prove that this isn't the case.