Trust Fund Confusion

amckm

Hi,

My Dad died suddenly in 2016. Before he died he had infomed me that he had set up a trust fund which upon his and his wife’s death would be split equally between myself and his wife’s son of a similar age. I was also under the impression that their house which they owned was built into this.

Since his death, the relationship between my step-mother and I has decilned as is almost non-existent. I cannot find a will via the government website - which does surprise me as he was an exceptionally organised man.

My question is - how do I go about finding out about this trust? I do not think that the son will inform me of his mother’s death and I cannot afford any legal support via a solicitor. I do have a letter from the Office of Public Guardian staying that I was registered as a lasting power of attorney for property and financial affairs - could that help? I know that he has died now but it references a solicitor - could I contact him to see if the trust was set up with them too?

Any help would be really appreciated. Thank you.

Linton

PoA authority ceases on the death of the donor so that won’t help you except perhaps to confirm your identity. Nothing to stop you contacting the solicitor, he may be willing to tell you the names of trustees or forward them a message. Was the solicitor the executor?

Yorkshireman99

Linton wrote: »

PoA authority ceases on the death of the donor so that won’t help you except perhaps to confirm your identity. Nothing to stop you contacting the solicitor, he may be willing to tell you the names of trustees or forward them a message. Was the solicitor the executor?

Also a POA can’t have been used to create or alter a will nor the trust. The will will only appear on the index if it has been admitted to probate. Many wills don’t need probate. You could check the Land Registry to see the ownership details. It costs £10 to download a copy of the proprietorship details.