We’ve just inherited a house in lockdown

[TeawithCakes]

Hi,

We were left a house in trust following the death of my FIL a few years ago. He had remarried and his will instructed that she was to carry on living there and the house be placed in trust for my husband.

Step MIL has recently, sadly, died in a nursing home.

Her family had power of attorney so we presume her accounts will be frozen but we don’t know what to do about bills. As we’re in lockdown we are unable to proceed with putting it up for sale as it needs clearing out, redecorating etc. FIL died of kidney cancer and often had accidents in his room so that room needs gutting. We both work FT but hubby is off 12 weeks self isolating as he is asthmatic. I work away (NHS) a lot of the week. So, until lockdown is over we feel like we can’t move forward and the house sits empty.
It is a recent death so we haven’t been insensitive about bills but we need to know what she was paying. I presume we will have to pay them until the house sells.

Anyone been in this position?

The probate for the FIL took ages to sort out as the executor was just too busy to sort it. It was two years after his death before probate came through and his cash assets were divided then and given out to beneficiaries (we were able to pay off our mortgage).
The same executor didn’t want to continue with sorting the house as she’d realised she’d taken on too much but, unfortunately, she still is the executor so I am expecting this dragging out- hence why I was asking about bills. I would’ve thought that the bills wouldn’t come out of her assets (he has left her money but her illness stopped her spending any) as once she died the house was, legally, my husband’s.
I guess he will probably go over each day to do what he can but it’s difficult not being able to phone up a charity to come and collect stuff. Most stuff in the house belonged to the FIL and my husband’s late mother.
It’s all a bit up in the air tbh

The executor is a family friend of the FIL’s but she lives 100 miles away. The house is in our town.

Skips can still be delivered. And I read Council tips will be open from Monday. Good point that if the house wasn't hers it won't be included in the probate. Maybe ask for the name of the solicitor who is dealing with it if shes left a will. . You will obviously have to liaise with her family as to arrangements for her personal possessions and so on.

Who did the stuff in the house legally belong to? If it originally belonged to the OP's father and his first wife it will depend on what his will said.

He may have left it to his second wife, in which case obviously it can't just be chucked by the OP.

I think it's still down to the executor, unfortunately - do you have a copy of the trust? If it is the executor that is responsible for the bills that may focus their mind and energy a bit.

Is there nothing of your FIL's partner's property in the house?

Dealing with the utility companies is honestly the easiest thing to do - I did all of them this afternoon amongst work calls, so theres no excuse for the executor not to do them. Search 'British Gas bereavement' for instance and you get the phone number to call and then it was less than 15 minutes

Am currently in a similar situation myself. The executor said it was really important to make sure the buildings insurance was current. You could be left with nothing if the house burnt down and the insurance had lapsed.

If it went to Probate and then a Trust set up, the Executor should have forwarded all the copies to you. You need to read through the trust details. Was the house transferred into your husbands name after Probate was granted? You need to have all this paperwork sorted before seeing a solicitor. Who's name is on the deeds? Who has a copy of the deeds? Insurance can be expensive if the house is left empty for more than thirty days at a time on most policies.

And I read Council tips will be open from Monday

I suspect that will be area dependant. My council website still says 'closed until further notice'.

Is there room in the house to designate one room as the junk store to use as a temporary holding area for things that will eventually end up thrown away? Might let your DH get on with decorating etc in other parts of the house.

Also sort out anything that Step MILs family might want to get that out of the way too, although obviously being sensitive with timescales.

I would suggest you speak with SMIL's family straight away to ensure they are aware that your husband now owns the home and you don't want them cleaning out the house. I'm not saying they will but there's always that risk. Obviously it'll need to be sensitively said but I think you'd need to make it clear to them.

This is all a job for the executors

Has your husband been left the house AND all the contents, you need also to talk to the solicitor