Bereavement of sole parent - U18 child

bouncydog1

Very sorry to hear of your circumstances and particularly how this will affect your niece who has just lost her mum and may also be in danger of losing her home.

Did your SIL work? If so it might be worth enquiring whether there was any life cover as part of her employment. I also believe that if she belonged to a Union that might be another place to look.

Once the funeral is out of the way then you need to try and start making a list of all assets and liabilities so you can get a good idea of what is owed. A good place to start will be bank statements if there are any lying around then you can at least see what has been paid in/out on a regular basis.

If your niece is to remain in the property for the time being then you need to make sure that essential bills are paid such as council tax (she will need to find out what her liability is) and then utility bills.

You will also need to discuss with her the possibility that she might not be able to stay in the family home, but if it is sold and bills paid off she will be in a position to possibly buy herself a small property if that is what she wants. Until all of the estate details are worked out though it's impossible to say what the outcome will be.

Good luck.

pollypenny

Oh, the poor girl!

Although it's said that you shouldn't meddle in an insolvent estate, the girl needs help!

There's good advice about charities and possible death in service benefits, too.

jackyann

So sorry about all of this - it really is a difficult situation.
I do think that those who say "don't rush" are right. can I add a couple of ideas that haven't been mentioned?

1. You say that you are in the Forces. In my experience, they are very good with bereavement, and hope that applies to you. Given your niece's circumstances, could you ask for some compassionate leave?

2. Do consider contacting Social Services. They have a legal obligation to offer care to your niece. This could include some financial or legal advice which could be useful. I have known them be very helpful to young people in such circumstances.

I do hope that you can work together to make the best of this, and that it will help with healing.