Left money in Will but never got anything

[adrian007]

My grandfather died 12 years ago and I was living many miles away.

I knew he died and went to his funeral but was not told about his will

I was left a few thousand and only just found out about what was left for me, i also just found out there is no money left who had received all his estate and money and its all gone,

Am I still entitled to that money? Would anyone know why i was not informed about this.

If there is no money left how could I get what was left to me, could this person get into trouble for this

I believe she was stupid with the money giving it away by having young boy friends and she also has life insurance what she has had going for at least 30 years and

I am next of kin and believe I am the beneficiary but I now believe her very young partner 27 years apart that has maybe got her to change it into his name. How can i get this stopped?

This might sound like all I care about is the money but its not that

I believe that her life insurance should stay in the family and not to someone who has been around for 2 years ,

I'm not good at this sort of thing I hope this make sense

 

[Clamball]

If your Grandad died and left money to various people, such as grandchildren, then the solicitor looking after the will would have issued cheques to all the people when everything was sorted. The person who was executor would have provided pps numbers, addresses, and even copies of birth certificates to prove who was entitled to the money. They would have gotten a letter from the solicitor explaining what they were getting and then a cheque. It is not easy to take money entitled to another person. Perhaps your Grandad left you money but there was no money left due to him spending it before he died. The banks will not give people access to bank accounts without being told what to do by a solicitor. So figure out who the solicitor was and ask them about your money.

it sounds like your Mum or aunt has now passed away, and that their partner has collected insurance money. Again insurance companies will not give money to the first person who asks. They need proof that the partner was entitled to everything. They will have kept their own records of who they paid the money to and again copies of the will, pps numbers, etc. So if you believe you were the correct recipient of the money, go to your solicitor with all the paperwork and they will help you figure it out.

But doing all of this will cost you time and money. So unless people leave cash lying around, then the banks and insurance companies will have acted correctly and only given money to the right person. And they will have kept all the proof as they maybe asked to show why they paid out the money.

if I were you I would do nothing. The chances of money going to the wrong person are slim. However if you feel cheated and have some money to spend then go to your solicitor. Bring all the paperwork with you, copies of the will and insurance, and they will spend your money finding out the proof of what happened.

 

[cremeegg]

There are two issues here, you did not get the money your grandfather left to you in his will, and the life insurance.

About the money left in the will, you could ask for it, if that does not work you could get a solicitor, but that would cost you money and there is no certainty that you will get anything at the end of the day. As 12 years have gone past I think it would be difficult to get that money now.

The issue of the life insurance is really not your concern. If someone has a partner 27 years younger than them and wants to make them their heir, that really is no one else's business.

 

[Thirsty]

Thanks for edit, post is easier to read.

Simplest solution is for OP to contact Probate office and get a copy of the will.

There is small charge to get a copy of the will. Link is here

Supreme Court

And you want form PAS1.

If there was no will, then your grandfathers estate would have been handled under the intestacy rules. That is a defined set of laws that decide what will happen to his assets and / or property.

Be aware that what you hear on the grapevine from family isn't always 100% true.

So start with getting a copy of the will from the probate office.

That will tell you who the executor and beneficiaries were and what the exact details were.

You can post back here when you have that information and there are plenty of people here who can help.

 

[adrian007]

I have got a copy of the Will and it states I was left money, the person in charge of the Will was my stepfather and we did not get on. My grandmother who was left most of it and his estates has not got anything left. She spent the lot and now has to work full time at 70 just to pay rent, so how would I get my money now if its all gone.

I believe my grandmother and stepfather was left to deal with it all and that's why I never received anything. I don't really want the money I just want my stepfather to get into trouble for doing what he did.

I do not know why there was not a solicitor dealing with this from the beginning and for my Nan changing who get her life insurance to a man who is only there for that. I was the heir for 10 years now its him. It can go to a dog's home for all I care not just someone sat there waiting to get money for nothing.

 

[Thirsty]

Did you get the copy of the will from the probate office? Or did someone give you a copy?

Did your grandfather appoint his son-in-law as sole executor?

 

[Pmc365]

Was there a solicitor appointed to act in the Estate? Get a copy of the grant of probate from the Probate Office. it will indicate who extracted the grant and the net value of the estate. Sometimes solicitors are not appointed and a personal application is made by a lay person. I'm not sure what safeguards the Probate Office put in place to prevent misappropriation of an Estate were this to have occurred. I am wondering if this is the case? If a solicitor was appointed write to the solicitor, enclosing the will and probate, and pointing out you recently obtained a copy of same and discovered your entitlement to a share which you never received nor received any communication regarding the matter. ask if the estate was distributed ( which I'm assuming it was unless insolvent or unduly complex), and if so, request an estate account.
if the estate's liabilities exceeded its assets then ademption arises and you were obviously entitled to nothing. I understand 12 years have expired since deceased testator death. Generally a beneficiary has 6 years to issue legal proceedings to compel the executor or executrix(female) to distribute the estate under the Statutes of Limitations 1957 as amended by the Succession Act,1965 however I would not be qualified to advise and you should seek the advice of a good solicitor specialising in Succession Law on this matter before proceeding. Obviously you could lodge a complaint with the Law Society or its successor for complaints the Legal Seevices Regulatory Authority were it to transpire that the solicitor acted unprofessionally. I hope this helps and best of luck.

Addendium:Sorry I misread the post. Was there definitely no solicitor appointed? If not then I'm not sure if a personal applicant for probate is obliged to obtain an insurance company indemnity bond to cover the eventuality of a misappropriation of beneficaries' funds as you allege occurred in this case. ( I know that had there been no will I.e. intestacy an indemnity bond is required)You should obtain the advice of a good solicitor as soon as possible

 

[Thirsty]

if a personal applicant for probate is obliged to obtain an insurance company indemnity bond

there may be instances where that is required, I can't say.

However in the cases where I have done DIY probate I wasn't asked for it.