Southern Cross today sent £2.500 for uncle who died over 3 years ago

joycee98

Hello hope some one can help please
My sister in laws uncle died three and a half year ago in a Southen Cross Nursing Home. Today she has received a bill from that Southen Cross Nursing Home for £2,500 a she pays bills the day she gets them without fail and is an absolute stickler for making sure things are always paid she cannot see why she has received this bill. She has all her uncles bank statements for the last six month before he died, with the payments made to the home while he was alive without fail the day they were due. She has never had any other bills from them saying she owed any more money untill today. She is in a state of shock. She was Administrator of his will and made sure everything was paid at that time of his death. Where does she go from here. Is Southern Cross Sending to every one that has done business with them randomly without checking if the person is dead, or and does she have to find this money from heaven knows where? Any help please would be great, as she is the kind of person that would start selling her furniature to pay this bill. I have told her to check the dates on the bill and make sure it is itemized. To send a bill three and a half years after someone has died seems odd to me. when all these bills were paid automatically when he was alive and everything double checked after he died.

Mrs_Ryan

I dont know if you are aware but Southern Cross have gone under. I wonder if it's something to do with that??

mo786uk

Presumably the money would go out of his estate? Is there any money left?

If not just write back explaining that.

If there is then ask them to justify it. Whilst I don't condone not paying debts given the circumstances I think tis udnerstandable!

Pollycat

joycee98 wrote: »

I have told her to check the dates on the bill and make sure it is itemized. To send a bill three and a half years after someone has died seems odd to me. when all these bills were paid automatically when he was alive and everything double checked after he died.

You've given her good advice.

How did she pay the care home bills?
Can she check back through old statements to confirm this one had been paid?

Assuming the dates on the bill were when your SIL's uncle was still alive, I'd be inclined to write back to Southern Cross and say all bills relating to his stay were paid promptly and see what they come back with - if indeed they do come back.

arcon5

Is she a guarantor or anything like that?

Even if the money is owed I don't think she is liable..

antrobus

I was always under the impression that part of the process of dealing with the deceased's estate was to publish the 'statutory advertisement' calling all creditors to come forward and make their claim. So the first question would be, did the sister-in-law place the necessary ad in the local paper?

pimento

antrobus wrote: »

I was always under the impression that part of the process of dealing with the deceased's estate was to publish the 'statutory advertisement' calling all creditors to come forward and make their claim. So the first question would be, did the sister-in-law place the necessary ad in the local paper?

Really? I've never heard of that.

When my great aunt died (while a resident of a care home) my mother never placed any advertisement anywhere and I can't say I've ever seen any such advertisements anywhere.

Unless the deceased was bankrupt.

joycee98

He never ever owed money he was 82, never took a loan, never used a credit card always paid cash. he never married. He died in the Southern Cross home. All his care fees came out by direct debit. The strange thing is after asking my sister in law if it was an itemized bill, she said it was a phone call. I have just got that info from her now.
She is calling into my house on Saturday, so We may go to the home concerned as it has not closed yet.
We still need to find out though, why as he died in the home and all bills paid up up to, and after his death, Why after three and a half year they phone with this bill. especially as she was in touch with the home during the time of his death, and visited three times a week when he was alive. It seems a bit iffy to me

pimento

joycee98 wrote: »

It seems a bit iffy to me

Indeed. Keep your hand tightly on your wallet until they can prove (if) your uncle's estate owes the money.

antrobus

pimento wrote: »

Really? I've never heard of that.

When my great aunt died (while a resident of a care home) my mother never placed any advertisement anywhere and I can't say I've ever seen any such advertisements anywhere.

Unless the deceased was bankrupt.

Perhaps you haven't been reading the right bits of the right newspapers:-

"The main actions that the executor will need to carry out are to ....

Place the statutory advertisement for creditors and other claimants...."

http://www.bereavementadvice.org/probate-and-other-legal-procedures/understanding-the-probate-process.php

And perhaps more to the point;

"You could be personally liable if any debts come to light after the estate has been distributed unless you have placed a statutory notice in the London Gazette."

http://www.which.co.uk/money/retirement/guides/applying-for-probate/legal-help/

Ah yes the good old London Gazette, I'd forgotten about them. But that's what you're supposed to do. You pay for an advert, formally known as a 'notice pursuant to Section 27 of the Trustee Act 1925' , and set a deadline for any claims against the estate.

Hence the first question would be, did the sister-in-law publish such a notice? Because if she did she has protected herself from any claim by a latecomer such as Southern Cross.

The second question would be, in the absence of any such general notice, did the sister-in-law write to Southern Cross and ask them specifically to supply a final account as regards her deceased uncle.

And so forth.

vax2002

In would be inclined to ignore it.