Grandmother estate - how to find out what's happening

Spendless

If Mary was in a care home for the last year of her life and owned a property then it's quite possible that the care home will need paying from the proceeds first, depending on how she was funding her care of course. 

sixtyfoothigh

RAS said:

Are you physically close enough to visit the park home? Check for minor entrances on Google maps etc. As in there is access for dog walkers to a field, behind which is a field lane or footpath?

If you can get in, ask people if they knew grandma? Explain you want to contact Tom as he's been treated badly by grandma's family and you've been blackballed. Have copies of a stamped letter people could pass on. And offer your own details, even if it's a throw away email.

Or just write to Tim at the Park Home site. He may well have mail forwarding set up, or the park home folk may have his address. Again, explain the way in which OH has been treated and express sympathy for Tom's situation.

We're about 5 hours drive away. But I hadn't thought to see if there's a phone number for the park office. That's a good idea.

sixtyfoothigh

theoretica said:

Do you have reason to believe someone has the will and will be trying to get probate?  There is always the risk of people destroying a will, not looking for it, not telling the solicitor who has it that the person in question deceased.  Hopefully Tom was in a position to start the process, and the situation isn't just noone doing anything.

Does the park home have an email or phone?  You could ask them - 'If I sent you a letter for 'Tom' could you get it to him?'

I have every reason to believe Tom knows about the will and that the executor would act. This is based on things said shortly before Mary died and in the couple of months after before everyone stopped talking to my OH. (Won't say exact details as trying to keep this generic enough that I won't get him reckonised).

Looking up email/phone for park office is a good suggestion. Thank you.

sixtyfoothigh

Spendless said:

If Mary was in a care home for the last year of her life and owned a property then it's quite possible that the care home will need paying from the proceeds first, depending on how she was funding her care of course. 

That's a very good point. She wasn't there for a whole year - less than 6 months - but that's still pricey and she did own her own home and had savings, so I imagine she would have had to pay. I suspect there would still have been a moderate estate left after that - though if there's a legal battle over the will I imagine that will get eroded PDQ. My OH isn't so much about getting inheritance TBH, he's more frustrated at being frozen out and worried that what his grandmother wanted is being ignored.

The advice on here about reaching out to see if Tom will change his mind to speak to us if he realises we might be helpful is good. He might still be there and even if he doesn't live in the caravan park now it's possible they had a forwarding address and would pass on a message.

The suggestions for signing up for alerts is also helpful. Saves us looking every couple of weeks.

Failing that I might see if we can ring round the solicitors in the town near where Mary lived (it was fairly rural and if she used a local one it's probably less than 20 phone calls) and see if they know who did the will and who the executor was.