Late fathers council house

c_king

Hi,
My dad died in Dec 2017 when i was a student at uni. At the time I closed all his accounts and dealt with the council regarding the council house he was living in at the time. The savings he had went towards funeral costs. Ive recently received a letter from the council regarding his flat saying I am responsible for the costs associated with "returning it to a livable state". I know it was a mess when he lived there and I didnt clean it after he died but am I liable for this cost? Especially since he died 3 years ago.
Thanks
One uncertain 20something.

Alter_ego

His estate could be liable,  but you are not unless you were a joint tenant.

davidmcn

Three years wouldn't be too late for them to claim from his estate, but as above, if there were no assets left in his estate after funeral expenses then any debts die with him, including this - the council will just have to write off the costs.

Flugelhorn

If there was nothing left in the estate after the funeral was paid for then you need to tell the council that there was no money in the estate to pay any bills. the only way in which you would be liable would be if there was some money left and you inherited it - but the amount that they could have would be limited the amount you inherited

hazyjo

We were in a similar position with my OH's dad. When we returned the keys, we included a letter saying there was no money in the estate, funeral costs take priority anyway (which at the family were having to add to), and we all absolved all responsibility.

Be very firm with them if they're persistent. They may try to scare you into paying. Absolutely not your responsibility.