Money Moral Dilemma: Should I keep the cash from selling the contents of our deceased dad's home?

Keswood

Remember also if the house is empty you can claim back council tax. But remember to let the insures know the house is empty and if you can let them know you are keeping an eye on the house and leaving heating on low. You can also let the utilities know as they will otherwise continue to estimate readings.

Savvy_Sue

Keswood said:

I imagine any proceeds from the sale of your fathers house would/should be added to the 'estate'. The executor dealing with your fathers will (estate) should ideally add any monies from the sale of his belongings (chattels etc) to the rest of whatever he left so this can be divided up as per his wishes. If you are the executor then you are allowed to claim expenses. I would take advice on the amount but you can claim for your time dealing with cleaning etcetera. I did exactly the same when my father passed away in 2018. I cleared the entire house and dealt with funeral and all his financial bits and bobs. I claimed expenses.

The bit in bold: I am not sure you are right about that. Lay (non-professional) executors cannot claim for their time. 

You can claim reasonable expenses, eg travel and materials, hiring a van etc, but 6 hours for cleaning, no. 

fred246

It all hinges really on the hourly rate for labour. If I charged at my normal professional rate my sibling would owe me a fortune. I guess house clearance is a minimum wage job. She would still owe me a lot. If my time is totally free I owe them a few hundred pounds. We didn't delay the house sale but it still took days of labour. I think house clearance companies aren't allowed to take stuff to the normal tip? We were getting questioned because we made so many journeys there.

JGB1955

fred246 said:

I think house clearance companies aren't allowed to take stuff to the normal tip?

A proper house clearance company WILL be able to take stuff to the tip, and MUST have a licence to do so.  It's YOUR responsibility to make sure they are licensed.  The company (who we were more than happy to pay £750+ to clear my father's house) explained how they sorted the house contents - electrical items going to differing waste disposal sites - Exeter better for some items than Plymouth etc etc. Other items going to charity.  Wood items to someone who upcycles.  The relief to get it all sorted was well worth the money.

Savvy_Sue

JGB1955 said:

fred246 said:

I think house clearance companies aren't allowed to take stuff to the normal tip?

A proper house clearance company WILL be able to take stuff to the tip, and MUST have a licence to do so.  It's YOUR responsibility to make sure they are licensed.  The company (who we were more than happy to pay £750+ to clear my father's house) explained how they sorted the house contents - electrical items going to differing waste disposal sites - Exeter better for some items than Plymouth etc etc. Other items going to charity.  Wood items to someone who upcycles.  The relief to get it all sorted was well worth the money.

In some cases it's a separate part of the 'normal' household tip, in other places there may be a separate commercial tip. But you're right, they MUST have a licence. And fred was being questioned because if you are taking a lot to the tip, they may wonder whether you are doing so on a commercial basis. 

Ours has just been re-modelled, and there are limits to the amount we can take of certain substances, and the number of visits we can make, and we have to prove our ID and that we live in the area. It was the same in the area Mum and Dad lived in, and like JGB said it was well worth the money to pay professionals, because I am not sure they would have allowed us to take the furniture if we did not live locally. 

omendata

Cannot believe people would ask that question
He is your kin - share 50/50 of course just because he doesnt see your dad doesnt mean he doesnt love him.
Man people are weird these days I would never even think such a thing!
No wonder God has deserted us!

berttheterrier

Your sibling wants you to employ someone to remove it?  So employ yourself and sell it.  Win win, get paid to remove it and get paid for what you sell.

Kiko4564

If you can legally do so, then I'd just keep all of the money.