Souinds wrong

doris540

Ill keep this short as , friend of mines father inherited large sum of money . 6 months later he passes away , His wife still alive at 91. Fathers will states all money he had goes 4 ways inc a quarter for his wife. Wife cant stay in house has to go into home. House sold all proceeds from house sale go to wife nothing to fathers side..Lived and owned house 32 years . Mothers son who had very little to do with family stands to inherit her quarter and all monies from house sale. Just seems some what biased to the mother..

JGB1955

AIUI, if the house was held as joint tenants then all of the proceeds of sale would have gone to the wife (as, upon her husbands death, she became sole owner).

Alderbank

Correct. Friend's father's wife became owner of the house and inherited a quarter of his money, exactly as per his wishes.
She owned the house and has now sold it so she alone got the proceeds of sale, of course. Nothing to 'father's side' and nothing to 'mother's side' either.

What happens now is entirely up to her, no one else. She can make gifts of money to any of her children and grandchildren. When she eventually dies her will can distribute her remaining money how she wishes. She can leave it all to the cats' home if she chooses. We don't know.

It's not clear to me how your friend and the 'mother's son' are related. Is the mother's son your friend's brother or is your friend from an earlier marriage? If they are siblings and mother leaves no will, both of them will get equal shares of her estate.

However mother has had to go into a home. Don't under-estimate how much of her inheritance that will eat up. Average nursing home fees are £68,000 a year. In 7 years that totals well over half a million pounds with inflation.
How much did the house sell for?

Marcon

doris540 said:

Ill keep this short as , friend of mines father inherited large sum of money . 6 months later he passes away , His wife still alive at 91. Fathers will states all money he had goes 4 ways inc a quarter for his wife. Wife cant stay in house has to go into home. House sold all proceeds from house sale go to wife nothing to fathers side..Lived and owned house 32 years . Mothers son who had very little to do with family stands to inherit her quarter and all monies from house sale. Just seems some what biased to the mother..

Why shouldn't it be 'biased' as you put it? She lived in and owned the house with her husband for 32 years, so sounds eminently reasonable.

elsien

If mother is still alive and in a care home then her house proceeds are very likely to go to pay for her care home fees.
There is no inheritance of her share to her son or anyone else until she is dead. And then it will be whatever remains once all debts are paid. 

Hoenir

doris540 said:

Just seems some what biased to the mother..

That's what the father wished to be the case.  Perhaps he had no inclinaton to leave monies to any other family members for his own reasons.