Can a deed of variation be challenged years later?

[FOF44]

6 Years ago my mum died suddenly, leaving our family home to her new-ish husband. She had always told me that she was leaving it to me, in fact I can remember when she got engaged the pair of them reassuring me about this. Her husband always seemed a reasonable kind hearted chap and we've kept in touch over the years. He kept the house ticking over and rented it out. He died recently. Going through the process of probate has shaken out a few surprises. So, his will leaves the house to me. However, I have now been told that he set up a deed of variation on/against (?) my mum's will about 5 years ago that will trigger a very, very large sum of money being taken out of the house when it is sold, to give to his own daughter (no blood relation to me or my mum.) My mum's will did give her a share of the house....but nowhere near this much! There will be very little left over. So...can a deed of variation be challenged? It's not as if I can challenge his will because it claims to have left the house to me! I feel really let down and hurt by all this

You can challenge a will (in that you either claim it's invalid, or you make a claim under the Inheritance Act), but a deed of variation is effectively a gift by the beneficiary, so no, you can never challenge one of those.

Nope

I think also difficult to say without knowing the deed of variation. Ie did it vary who owned the house? If so you have to question why he then put in a gift in his will?

But agree with Collaborate it will be difficult