Grandma's will - need advice

angiepunchi

Hi, my first post ever here so hope I'm putting it in the right place.

I wonder if anyone here knows about what happens when someone doesn't leave a will. This has happened with my grandma and I'm not getting far with trying to find out about it...

My grandma died a few years ago (2009), and when I was a child she let me know on the phone and in a card that I would be her 'heir' when she died (sad I know). Unfortunately my mum and her didn't get on, and my mum tried very hard to turn me against her... I was living abroad in 2008 and 2009 and actually didn't know she was dying. My mum threw away letters if she sent them to us, but she didn't call me and tell me or ask anyone to tell me. It came as a shock, I literally got posted an invitation to her funeral out of the blue. My mum said she wouldn't be leaving us anything as she left it all to an american lady who had befriended her. I didn't mind very much, and was glad at least she had a good friend.

I did not think about my gran's will again and wasn't fussed about it, I just missed her. Last year I wondered if there were any photos or family tree about her online and googled her name... and found it in the london gazette with a note from the co-op bank that any relatives must come forward to claim her estate by october 2009. I did want some family photo albums so wrote to the co-op bank but never got a reply. I contacted the unclaimed estates list and she was not on it... meaning someone had come forward.

Sorry to waffle to tell the story, but basically I feel someone has pretended to be a family member. That would be a horrible thing to do... if anyone on here understands how this kind of thing works and how can I find out who did this? I dont know if she had money or not but would rather it gone to charity than someone fake. Is there a way to find out who claimed it? And who they claimed to be or if they had to give ID or anything? Surely it must be fraud?

LannieDuck

Is it possible your Mum claimed it?

Grumpelstiltskin

Repost your question here.


http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.php?f=217


They will ask you more questions and unfortunately if there was no valid will you will have problems as you were not next of kin.

duchy

If your Grandmother didn't leave a will to make her wishes legally binding -as she didn't her estate passes to her legal spouse if still alive and not divorced - if he is dead then it passes equally to her children so your Mum plus her brothers and sisters if there are any. If any of her children predeceased her that portion goes to their children equally.

We had a similar situation-My unmarried aunt died without making a will. As my Dad was still alive his portion went to him (and nothing to me and my brother) but my Dad's brother had died so his portion was split equally between his three children (my cousins).

So as your Mum is alive -in the absence of a will she would have inherited (along with her brothers and sisters if she has/had any) and nothing would have being due to you unless you were specifically named in a will.

whitewing

Was your Grandma your mother's mother or your father's mother?

If she was your father's mother, is it possible that your mother pretended to be you to claim an inheritance (assuming there were no other relatives 'in front' of you).

angiepunchi

Wow I had not even considered the possiblity my mum could have claimed it. She said to me right away that my gran gave it to her friend and I didn't ask questions... I did ask her did she know about it and she's saying it must be a distant cousin somewhere claimed it (I highly doubt it though).

That's made me feel very strange... I didn't think like that at all.

It was my mum's mum and her husband died years ago. As far as I know mum is an only child but then I dont know if there's a way to find out if you got aunties and uncles (that would be a nice surprise).

duchy

If your Mum knew you had "expectations" is it possible she simply said it had been left elsewhere if she felt you'd get upset or angry that the estate was going to her ?

The distant cousin theory sounds daft - especially as it sounds like your Mum organized the funeral so probably also registered the death. If she had a bad relationship with her I suppose it is possible she refused the inheritance however when she did questions would have been asked about other relatives she knew about which would include you. Were you under or over eighteen when she died? I'm wondering if you were a minor if legally it was possible for your Mum to refuse an inheritance on your behalf? If a bank was taking an interest then it seems likely there was money to leave so there will be probate as a matter of public record somewhere.

Sorry I've just re-read your post- Who sent you the invitation to the funeral ? Was there somewhere you all went back to after the funeral?

angiepunchi

I wouldn't have actually minded as i dont think gran had a lot of money, i just wanted some things she said i could have like family pics and stuff like that. the weird thing is after she was gone my mum said, oh its such a shame we dont know the friend she gave things to because i'd like those photos of my grandparents... i really feel there's some nasty person pretended to be a relative? or is that naive?

Mojisola

angiepunchi wrote: »

I was living abroad in 2008 and 2009 and actually didn't know she was dying.

My mum threw away letters if she sent them to us, but she didn't call me and tell me or ask anyone to tell me.

It came as a shock, I literally got posted an invitation to her funeral out of the blue.

My mum said she wouldn't be leaving us anything as she left it all to an american lady who had befriended her.

If you were old enough to live abroad, couldn't you have kept in touch with your Gran directly?

It may well be that your Gran thought you had cut yourself from her and left her estate elsewhere.

alwaysonthego_2

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