Beneficiary Advice when a parent dies without a Will

RAS

The solicitor is employed by the administrator so won't talk to you, but will send a copy of the accounts, at the end

Most banks release accounts on sight of the death certificate, up to their own limit, which is often £xxK. So probate wasn't even necessary to do most of that. Premium Bonds are a nightmare; people who don't otherwise need probate sometimes have to get it just for PBs. So your administrator should be querying the delay with the solicitor.

If all the other siblings are getting fed up I'd suggest you all write:

re-iterating that the process seems to be unduly slow

suggesting that you all help with house clearance or a house clearance firm is bought in (depending on whether people want mementoes)

Asking for an interim distribution of the savings, given the house should cover any debts (we did that) 

And see what happens.

I do know how long it takes to sort a house out if you're doing it while working FT, travelling and it's chaotic, but I'd have expected this process to have started within a couple of months. It actually took us (mainly me) nearly a year alongside other jobs when I was there. Although I'd started creating order when the parent went into hospital.

pollypenny

RAS said:

The solicitor is employed by the administrator so won't talk to you, but will send a copy of the accounts, at the endg

Most banks release accounts on sight of the death certificate, up to their own limit, which is often £xxK. So probate wasn't even necessary to do most of that. Premium Bonds are a nightmare; people who don't otherwise need probate sometimes have to get it just for PBs. So your administrator should be querying the delay with the solicitor.

If all the other siblings are getting fed up I'd suggest you all write:

re-iterating that the process seems to be unduly slow

suggesting that you all help with house clearance or a house clearance firm is bought in (depending on whether people want mementoes)

Asking for an interim distribution of the savings, given the house should cover any debts (we did that) 

And see what happens.

I do know how long it takes to sort a house out if you're doing it while working FT, travelling and it's chaotic, but I'd have expected this process to have started within a couple of months. It actually took us (mainly me) nearly a year alongside other jobs when I was there. Although I'd started creating order when the parent went into hospital.

Good advice above.  We live 160 miles from the parental home and it took months of travelling down at weekends, mostly falling on my husband and me. 

Multiple loads to charity shops, the dump etc meant that the house clearers just had the furniture to deal with.  

Although the estate wasn't big or difficult, I did employ a solicitor because one sister was a money-grabbing winger. My father actually did not trust her. 

BooJewels

I'd mirror what @RAS and @pollypenny have said.  I live 50 miles from my parents' home (and don't drive) and we started when he went into care over 2 years ago and between it being a big house, them being hoarders, Covid and other matters, we've just cleared the house to our own satisfaction and the clearance people start tomorrow - largely furniture.  We hope to complete the sale in a couple of weeks. We do however have a storage unit full to still sort/sell.

I left the house personally for the last time just before Christmas and the nights since are the first ones where I've not been having convoluted dreams about clearing it and finding odd things and the clearance people taking the wrong things etc etc. and waking in a panicky sweat.  It really has been the most soul-destroying and unpleasant task.  I'm fed up to the back teeth with cardboard boxes, but I'm going to be dealing with them for a while yet.  

So maybe the brother who wanted control has just been over-faced with the task and is reluctant to admit defeat and ask for help.  My sister and I have worked together on it with my grown up son doing the heavy lifting recently and that's been bad enough - if I'd had to do it on my own, I would have resorted to a flame thrower.

charliechaplin1901

Hi everyone, Hope you all had a very merry Xmas during these hard times!! 

I was away for a few days.

Thanks so much for all your replies and helpful suggestions, RAS thanks for your input suggestions, much appreciated.

Our family home is ten mins from my brother, we have all offered to help clear the house months ago! Also suggested a house clearance company to no avail in beginning.

I have no idea why the banks are taking so long regarding savings, or if my brother is simply not being truthful
There are no other investments/ bonds or the like.

I will try and push things forward in the new year, hopefully it will come to an end soon. 

Wishing every a very happy and safe new year. 

Thanks x

BooJewels

I've executed two estates recently and money came through from banks within days, on every occasion. 

If the balance falls below their own published threshold, they just get on it once they've seen death certificates etc. (the last one I did just worked from the DC number, didn't even need to see it, another bank asked for me to upload a scan through a web portal they sent me a link to) - in all cases, funds were transferred to the allocated receiving account within 2 weeks, if not less.

If the amount is above their threshold, for which they require probate, then the same applies, it's usually sorted within days of them seeing a Grant of Probate.  I've had no direct personal experience of 'banks taking so long'.

badmemory

My experience is that banks want rid of you asap.

charliechaplin1901

Hi
Quick update 

still offering excuses regarding marketing the family home! Busy with hobbies online courses part time job, gym, golf!! 😮🙄 

No issues regarding sale, he has not been able to find the time to call and meet a few local estate agents and market the property within a year🙄
I mean they do all the work or majority with a solicitor so it isn’t difficult. 

ive bought and sold four so I know the process. 

How can this be acting in best interests of all concerned?