Little advice needed

Brello777

Hi

My Dad sadly passed away last November. Although i did speak to and had a small relationship so to speak with his wife at the time(step-mum i guess) since he has passed she has had very little contact with the rest of our family including my Aunt and Grandad who spent alot of time with her and my Dad before he passed away.

I know from what my grandad has told me that i am on the will he left for a considerable ammount of money and last month(8/5/14 to be exact) she got in contact with my grandad so say the money will be with me very soon. Other than that there has been no contact whatsoever again despite me messaging her twice and grandad trying but nothing.

While im not wanting to be seen as grassping at wanting my money should i be at all concerned that is it taken another month and likely longer and there has been no contact from her part since then? I honestly didnt expect much to be left but i dont trust her tbh.

I have no idea who the solicitor is dealing with it all i know is my aunt was there when it was getting written, and again i dont want to txt her and ask as it seems slightly unmoral.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

RAS

Are you in England?

If so, there is no right to see the will until probate is granted. You could check the Probate Registry if you want?

Once Probate is granted, anyone can get a copy of the will so you can see what he intended.

Once probate is granted the executor has to pay off any debts and then distribute the estate. Solicitors usually wait 6 months first.

If you are a residual beneficary you will get a copy of the accounts to agree before the distribution is made. If you were left a specific sum, that will be detailed in the will. The executor may send you a copy of the accounts but is no legally obliged to do so.

Brello777

I'm in Scotland but my dad passed away in England-where he lived for the last 10 years of his life.

I'm not up to date with the process of what usually happens or usually how long it takes as most inheritances I have had inthe last from grandparents have been done by the family members and just written as a cheque or put into savings.

My main worry in all honesty is for my grandad has he has said he is constantly stressed about the situation and at his age and already losing his son isn't great for his health.

Thanks again for the reply

RAS

If dad died in England and any assets were in England (house bank accounts etc) then English law applies.

DigForVictory

At least she has been in touch - and says it will be along soon - she may be struggling with the executors role & got briefly stuck.

If the will has been through probate, you can get a copy both of the will & of the grant of representation for £10 - https://www.gov.uk/wills-probate-inheritance/searching-for-probate-records
It takes up to 4 weeks & if money is very tight you may want to hang on, but if trust is a major issue, that tenner could be a very well spent investment.

I've found them to be very helpful.

Brello777

Thanks alot. I'll bide my time just now, as I said I wasn't expecting anything and I'm not grasping for what I have been left but at the sametime the trust issue is there. I just don't feel like she has treated my family with respect. I know people grieve in different ways but cutting people out for so long isn't a fair way to act especially when we done so much for her.

Hopefully it will be sorted soon so we can move on and if she doesn't want to continue what relationship she has with us then that will be her decision, until then though there seems to be a 'dark cloud' lingering above it.

Thanks again

BobQ

Brello777 wrote: »

Thanks alot. I'll bide my time just now, as I said I wasn't expecting anything and I'm not grasping for what I have been left but at the sametime the trust issue is there. I just don't feel like she has treated my family with respect. I know people grieve in different ways but cutting people out for so long isn't a fair way to act especially when we done so much for her.

Hopefully it will be sorted soon so we can move on and if she doesn't want to continue what relationship she has with us then that will be her decision, until then though there seems to be a 'dark cloud' lingering above it.

Thanks again

When someone dies, some people want to sort out everything asap as a sort of therapy and move on. Others see the financial affairs as something that can wait a while. She may not have done anything for the first month.

You talk of respect. Did you or others offer to help or did you just ask what was happening? She was presumably upset too. Also not everyone uses texting or regularly checks for text messages. I only look at mine when I am expecting a text and find the medium very impersonal, much prefer a call.

Your Dad may have appointed solicitors as executors. How much money is involved? Those applying for probate also need to complete HMRC forms and these can take a few weeks to sort. If your Dad made any recent gifts above £3000 then a full Inheritance Tax Form is needed even if none is likely to be due. Even after HMRC approve the form, it takes some weeks to gain probate and as noted some solicitors wait 6 months to ensure all debts are identified.

It really is not that long to have waited unless it was a simple estate. Why would she have contacted your family at all if there was something fishy.

If you are really concerned do a probate search.

Brello777

Yes we have, the only time she has been in contact has been through text. I've messaged her several times and no reply at all-that's had nothing to do with asking how it's coming along, it's always been to see if she needs help. My aunt, grandad and cousins have tried but nothing back then. It's not been easy on us too and her just suddenly shutting us off hasn't helped.

Like I said previously I wasn't expecting anything left due to bills etc that would have needed to be paid, I'm not grasping for what's mine I just want this all to be over so as you say it's more of a therapy.

Cheers

TomEdpost

Sorry for your loss. My advice would be a little more patient. An executor has personal liability when sorting out an estate so if they pay out the wrong sums or to the wrong people they can be held responsible. It can be stressful and time consuming. You have to make sure you have thought of every bill or debt that can be outstanding and even sorting little things out like magazine subscriptions, club memberships. Six months is not that long for some probates. So do not not be too hard on them. But the advice about checking whether probate has been granted and a copy of the will is good sense. Hope it goes well for you.