Death in the family, but no will. Anything that can be done here?

Nine_Lives

Spendless wrote: »

It sounds unusual that 30 years after a divorce that your Grandad hasn't been paid out his share of what was his marital home.

I can liken this to my dads situation.

He divorced his first wife some time in the 80s. Let's assume 1981 as it makes the numbers round.
That means he'd been divorced for 31 years before he died.

Yet based on their divorce settlement, he retained an interest in the house HE actually bought/paid for with his first wife (HE paid for it, she DIDN'T - yet she pocketed it).
The agreement was something like -
he gets paid out if she remarries / leaves the home for 3 months or more / died.
None of these 3 happened.

My dad then left his share to his daughter from that marriage (he'd pretty much cut ties with his son from that marriage), but that's not important.

You're saying it's unlikely my granddad hasn't been paid out. Well, my dad hadn't been paid out in 30 years either & i know that one for a fact.

daska wrote: »

If your family come to you to help sort out his estate, given your recent experience, you might find the divorce documents amongst his papers. These will, hopefully, spell out what the financial settlement was.

Very unlikely i'll get involved in this one i'm afraid (thankfully). One of my aunts has a thing for this. She did it with her granddad (the dad of my granddad in question here).

The stirring has already begun - this aunt i just mentioned - some of her siblings get along very well with her, but they "know what she's like" and have already started discussing their concerns.

A shame, but i can see it causing big arguments. I hope not, but like i said earlier, that said of the family love a good drama.

meritaten

I would say if grandad was divorced from nan - as she has remarried then if he hasnt left a will - any estate would go to his offspring.

I also think its really bad taste to post on here asking this as your grandad is on his deathbed. He hasnt even gone yet - you are what is called a 'vulture'. Shame on you.

Spendless

K_P83 wrote: »

I can liken this to my dads situation.

He divorced his first wife some time in the 80s. Let's assume 1981 as it makes the numbers round.
That means he'd been divorced for 31 years before he died.

Yet based on their divorce settlement, he retained an interest in the house HE actually bought/paid for with his first wife (HE paid for it, she DIDN'T - yet she pocketed it).
The agreement was something like -
he gets paid out if she remarries / leaves the home for 3 months or more / died.
None of these 3 happened.

My dad then left his share to his daughter from that marriage (he'd pretty much cut ties with his son from that marriage), but that's not important.

You're saying it's unlikely my granddad hasn't been paid out. Well, my dad hadn't been paid out in 30 years either & i know that one for a fact.

Which sounds like 'when the youngest child has finished f-time education' was missed out. Maybe that's the way things were all those years ago. Is this why your Mum's family thinks they may inherit something from your Grandad via his former marital home because of what happened with your Dad?

Nine_Lives

meritaten wrote: »

you are what is called a 'vulture'. Shame on you.

TBH i can't be bothered with people who are intent on getting the wrong end of the stick. Or maybe they get the right end, but just feel like replying some nonsense. Vulture? No. You can't understand the definition, clearly. Don't bother replying again as i wont be wasting my time replying to any more false accusations like the above.

Spendless wrote: »

Which sounds like 'when the youngest child has finished f-time education' was missed out. Maybe that's the way things were all those years ago. Is this why your Mum's family thinks they may inherit something from your Grandad via his former marital home because of what happened with your Dad?

It wasn't missed out, it just wasn't included.

My dad always said he'd leave his share to his daughter & his ex wife was always going to leave her share to her son. I don't know whether that is still the case for those 2, but my dad always maintained what he said - for as long as i can even remember.

What happened with my dad & that agreement has no bearing on the case with my granddad.
TBH, his kids may not even be interested. I know that when he was well he wanted to leave his share to his kids, but then fell ill & lost interest in life tbh. Everything became pointless - such as making a will for e.g. SOME people get like that when they get depressed/feel down (everything is too much effort, other than just sitting at home doing nothing).

Before the poop stirrers get their stirring sticks, no i'm not saying his illness is nothing, or it's an excuse or whatever other nonsense the stirrers may feel like accusing me of because they've nothing better to do. All i'm saying is that when you feel down, for whatever reason, SOME folk just feel like doing LITERALLY nothing.

I can't believe how some members are intent on stirring on such a topic. Nevermind talk of vultures, some people here are some sick folk!!

mountainofdebt

tbh i always find the threads concern wills depressing because even thougth the author states that they aren't out to maximise their inheritance, there can be no other reason for it.

Nine_Lives

mountainofdebt wrote: »

tbh i always find the threads concern wills depressing because even thougth the author states that they aren't out to maximise their inheritance, there can be no other reason for it.

Get your head out of your backside & have a think for a minute.

What on earth could >i< possibly inherit out of this at all? Even if i wanted to, i've no right to anything whatsoever.

Jesus Christ, some people just do not think at all.

I hope to God you & some of the others in this thread never get the chance to do jury service!! It'll be another innocent man convicted with you being too quick to judge.

Gingernutty

Hi OP!

When someone dies without a will, then only 'blood' inherits.

Your grandad is dying, he divorced from his wife - she doesn't inherit anything.

Only his children (or their children if they've died) from his first or subsequent marriages will inherit an equal share of what's his.

Whether or not they inherit a share of the house his ex-wife currently lives in depends on whether they were joint tenants or tenants in common.

I hope these two links are useful......

http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/index/your_family/family_index_ew/who_can_inherit_if_there_is_no_will___the_rules_of_intestacy.htm

http://www.theprobatedepartment.co.uk/general/joint-tenants-tenants-in-common-after-a-divorce/

It happens when some people become ill that they become very depressed and simply can't be bothered to sort out their financial affairs - my Dad has recently died and sorting out the probate and estate is going to be a screaming nightmare despite him leaving a will.

I'm sorry for your loss.

Dunroamin

Whether you stand to inherit anything or not it's totally inappropriate for you to be concerning yourself with this with your grandfather on his deathbed.

Nine_Lives

Thank you Gingernutty, but you seem to be wrong with the following:

Gingernutty wrote: »

When someone dies without a will, then only 'blood' inherits.

Only his children (or their children if they've died) from his first or subsequent marriages will inherit an equal share of what's his.

While i'm blood, there are plenty of his kids still alive.

Yet according to people such as mountainofdebt, i am ONLY asking about this because >I< am a vulture, out for MY OWN gain, nobody elses and i am looking to "maximise MY inheritance"

So based on what that chap said, to suggest that my granddads kids get anything must be wrong - because i'm out for it ALL.

Supposedly.

It happens when some people become ill that they become very depressed and simply can't be bothered to sort out their financial affairs

Which is exactly what i was saying earlier. I'm glad someone isn't so quick to judge & can grasp the fact.
I know it's not comparable to terminal illness, but i know when (for example) i split up with my ex partner, i didn't feel like doing anything. Everything was pointless & i sat at home feeling sorry for myself. Everyone deals with things differently (something else some folk can't grasp, because they seem to think THEIR way is the ONLY right way). Where some people will tie up all loose ends before they die (like my dad did), others will detach themselves from the world & become depressed & see anything as pointless (my granddad).


Anyway, to the helpful folk, thanks for your replies. I've got my answers so that's that.

To the poop stirrers of the thread, i'll let you carry on stirring. Keep your replies short & sweet so you don't waste too much time as i'll not be back to the thread to waste any more time on your stirring. Goodbye.

Gingernutty

The death of a loved one is horrible enough without the demands the funeral directors, cemetery/cremation fees, church, catering, flowers, headstone - let alone solicitors, the probate fees and estate agents.

Someone, who, within the family, can make sense of all this and try to reduce costs as well is worth their weight in gold.

Not being funny Dunroamin, but if as K_P83 tells us, the family are a bunch of shrewish, grasping, drama queens, then someone who can take control at an early stage, do what must be done and and get it done quickly, quietly and calmly is doing the family a favour in the long run.

K_P83 is perfect for this role as he/she doesn't benefit from the death and can be seen as relatively independent.