Wills Probate and a horrid Aunt!

britannia6

I also agree with Jody. The first thing that you need to do is obtain a copy of that Will to find out whether it does exist is valid and whether it is later than the Will that you have. It may be that your aunt will let you have a copy of the Will but you may also have to search for it yourself. If your grandmother made her 2008 Will with a solicitor, it's probably worth contacting them to see whether they have a later Will or knowledge of one. If you do get a copy, take them both to a solicitor who can check that they're valid. Many solicitors offer a free half hour of advice so it'd be worth asking around.

Unfortunately, with an estate of £16k it is probably not worthwhile contesting the validity of the later Will (if it does exist) on the basis that your grandmother lacked capacity or that your aunt put undue influence on her to change her Will. You mentioned that it was a matter of principle - but unfortunately principles can be expensive. It might be worth pursuing a little further but I wouldn't want to see you waste lots of time, effort and money at this emotional time only for solicitors to be the only people who see any benefit from the estate.

Good luck and please do let us know how you get on.

meritaten

See a solicitor hun. Take your copy of the will and ask him to set things in motion - up to you whether to mention that aunt claims there is a new will. see what happens - it may be that aunt was not telling the truth, in the hopes that you would go away and she could claim as the sole survivor and inherit the lot (some people dont understand the legal process and think they could get away with this). 16K is not a lot of money, but if you truly think that your nan was happy with her first (only) will then you at least have to try!