Issues with executors expenses etc.

[Catcabin]

Hi,

My Mum passed away last year and my grandparents have been acting as executors of her will. I am the sole beneficiary of the estate.

I do not have a good relationship with my grandparents and the process has been difficult to say the least! We are now at the end of the process and I have received a draft copy of the accounts from the solicitor they hired - apparently my grandparents have now signed it off and consider the matter closed.

The expenses my grandparents have included on the accounts include:

- more electricity for an empty house than I use in my occupied home, based on receipts for electrical tokens. My grandparents also use the same electric tokens in their house.

- approximately £400 for decorating costs which as far as I know we're not necessary. A family member runs a decorating firm and presumably wrote an invoice.

- a charge for a small cash gift my grandparents personally gave me just before the funeral to help with my travel expenses etc.

- a charge for an item which my grandparents have led me to believe doesn't exist.

And more expenses along those lines. I've queried this with the solicitor and she doesn't seem to think any of these are questionable. She also says has no knowledge of what has happened to any of my Mum's personal effects and has said I would need to pay more for her to look into it.

I have already (under difficult circumstances and to avoid further harassment) signed a deed of variation to release money to my grandparents and they have received this money months ago.


Have my grandparents and their solicitor behaved correctly/legally and given the relatively small nature of the estate and money involved is it going to be more trouble than its worth to try to do anything about it?

[Peridot]

Hi Catcabin,

What a horrible situation for you. I assume mum left you everything in her Wil with grandparents as executors? It is probably good that they instructed a solicitor to deal although it seems they may have pulled the wool over their eyes a little.

I assume the Will left all personal chattels to the executors to deal with and you received the residue of the estate. Is that correct? If that is the case there is probably little you can do if your mother's personal belongings have been disposed of.

As far as the decorating and electric tokens are concerned for the sums that appear to have been taken it would probably not be worth pursuing it further. The solicitor will have acted on the executors instructions and if they have produced invoices and receipts for the items it is reasonable for the solicitor to deal with them as part of the estate. Was the property rented or did your mum own it? Either way it could be argued that a lick of paint may have been necessary either as part of the tenancy on leaving the property or to get it ready to sell, so it isn't something the solicitor would necessarily question I'm afraid.

With the 'expenses' apparently being of small values (although numerous) they no doubt on the face of it would seem reasonable to the solicitor. The cost of digging deeper would probably right any financial benefit out of finding any wrongdoing.

So frustrating for you when you have already agreed a deed of variation so your grandparents could receive part of the estate. In my opinion, sorry if I'm talking out of turn and you can of course just ignore me but unless the values concerned are considerable, it may be best for you to draw a line and move on. You don't need to have anything to do with your grandparents once this has been sorted, if you don't want to. If they start harassing you again then contact the police. It may seem harsh but from what you say you don't need them in your life if this is how they can behave having lost their daughter who is your mum.

[Catcabin]

Thanks, Peridot - I think you're probably right, I just needed to hear someone else tell me that drawing a line under it and moving on was the best way forward. On the bright side, maybe it's a small price to pay to know once and for all what kind of people they are!

[Peridot]

Hi again,
Hard to take but probably for the best. Tough when it's family, then again damned good reason to cut ties once and for all if you feel able, in my opinion.