Wills, probate etc

[SockFluffInTheBath]

We lost MIL last year and FIL has done nothing, to the point the bank has now found out she’s died and has frozen their joint account so he can’t make any payments. DH managed to get someone who would talk to him at the bank, and they need to see her will. Solicitors won’t release it without written permission from
FIL and BIL (not sure why, no idea how this works). FIL is rather unhelpfully huffing and blowing that they don’t need the will, it’s his money and they should just give it to him. How does probate work- do the solicitors do it automatically now they know she has died? DH has done all the official stuff to date, but it seems never ending. He’s talking about walking away since every form he fills in feels like losing her a bit more, and he’s finding it really hard.

It's interesting - I wonder if the bank has some head's up there is another beneficiary out there?

We’ve just had to deal with a situation where a wife didn’t apply for probate. Because there was a property involved she should have done so.

my dad was her executor so when she died he had to also apply for probate for her deceased husband before the house could be put up for sale.

the joint bank account however was simply put in her name on production of the death certificate.