DH left me NOTHING in his will – devastated and fuming

This could easily have been sorted out when he married again by writing a new will.

If you want something to happen after your death you make it clear when you're alive.

Hard agree

But if all children were from same mother would it not be the norm for the children to inherit property etc after the second parent dies? When my mum died it all went to my dad. When he died it all came to us.

Because if you outlive your husband, it would be perfectly possible that you don’t include them in your will and your god children inherit everything THEIR DAD intended to leave THEM.

I really think there should be legal obligations regarding making iron clad wills on people remarrying when they have existing children. The current laws are not sufficient

I also have no idea why in today’s economy you would assume they own a home and aren’t renting?

But why should you / your children get everything- potentially including things that came from their mother?

Will there ever be a time when the children from the first marriage have the same entitlement to the fathers estate as your children, or will they always come down the pecking order?

What are you even talking about? He clearly wanted his older children to inherit. That’s why he wrote his will that way.

Why should they get nothing just because he remarried?

Thankfully my DH doesn't feel that way otherwise I'd be homeless if he died.

Why should adult children, who presumably have their own homes and lives, come above the new partner and in OP's case younger children? DH's will leaves everything to me and vice versa. When the second one of us dies then his children will inherit anything left, split equally with my godchildren.

I suppose the main problem here is OP is a second wife and stepmum ans we all know how they are viewed by some on MN.

My god there are some ill informed and downright spiteful people on this thread.
OP has young children, she can will his adult kids a share of HER inheritance if she feels the need, otherwise they’ll have to make do with what they’re legally entitled to.
Applied for Letters yet OP ??

Not necessarily, there are lots of knowledgeable posts explaining that it depends on the value of the estate.

He hasn't thought about all his offspring though, has he? Younger dc require significant financial support. He has left his wife of 15 years, a newly single mother, without the financial means to support them. As well as a whole lot of stress and additional heartache as she attempts to ensure she and her dc are adequately provided for, whilst likely being called a money grabbing witch. He doesn't sound decent to me.

This.

If before marrying you the will is invalid now abd you'd get everything

Yes this happens far too often. Children become disinherited and the second wife is rarely fair or generous.

No that's incorrect. They are under 18yrs so the OP can also claim child support from her husband estate. That's a thing you would cover off in a financial consent order should you ever get divorced or you should do to protect children under 18yrs.

That's not how the Rule of Intestacy' work if there is definitely no will made by OP's DH after the marriage. Any joint savings and possessions will go to OP, plus the first £322,000. Anything above that amount will be split 50:50 between the surviving spouse (OP) and any biological/adopted children of the deceased. OP's children will receive the same amount as the children from the first marriage.

Well yes of course she is. She has two kids under the age of 18yrs who she is now bringing up on her own. Imagine being in that situation just after your husband has died and people now want you to sell your house which you have inherited from your husband because they don't think it's fair that you get to live in it.
She's not freeloading, she's been living in the house for 15yrs and her children have only known it as it there home. We don't even know if the other children have things like mortgages and good jobs that mean the money can be left to them after the op has died, however they are old enough to support themselves.
Being a single parent is tough and I cannot imagine having people suggesting you make yourself homeless after your husband dying.

Really hope it works out for you, OP. Keep us posted.

The fairest option is for:
OP to have some sort of right to live in the house until her DC is well and truly clear, eg age 25.
The house to then be split three ways between the kids.

This gives OP a hugely valuable right to live rent free for many years (her child is young) and save her own earnings to purchase a property to live in.

An alternative could be for op to also have her child's one third share on the basis she's likely to pass all her own assets on to them eventually. That would bolster a deposit for her to buy her own home while leaving a fair share to the kids.

Sure, if there is already provision for the child to receive when the wife dies, fine. But there isn’t and there won’t be unless the OP writes it. From what she has written - and of course this is in grief - it sounds like it’s about her and her kids mainly.

The fact it was the family home is as irrelevant as his ex wife leaving her children her home. The major point is that it's that the husband chose to get married again which is a legal contract and his wife will benefit from this. Exactly the same as my exhusband who has made a conscious decision to leave everything to his wife which he is entitled to do, it's his money and he doesn't have to leave it to our daughter.

My children will inherit 50/50 from me including the funds that I got from the house which I got when I divorced my exhusband which only produced my daughter, I'm not leaving my son out or giving him less. Its my money,my house and I can leave it to who I want, I want them to have 50/50 when I'm dead.

Our daughter is well taken care of and will get a lot of help in different ways to buy her own house, when the time comes so will my son.

The OP's kids' father has died too - why do you think they are not the priority - they are likely under 18 - so arguably of higher priority than the kids from his first marriage.

If my ex husband died, I wouldn’t dream of encouraging my daughter in to pursuing his wife for a payout and making her homeless after losing her husband. Who the hell does something that nasty? I already know that they have left joint wills and the estate is split three ways between all the children. She’ll just have to wait until she’s died.

I think it's rather unkind to be leaving comments about op being "a friend" - when her husband of x amount of years has died.

Bonkers that some people think this is a acceptable way of speaking to a grieving widow tbh

Surely you and your children aren’t the priority? Ensuring the split is fair is your priority. It’s not your step-kids’ fault their dad didn’t write up a will. Be angry at him but do not screw them over.

I hardly think that his wife of 15 years can be classed as a “new friend” for all we know she’s been married to her husband longer than he was to his first wife.