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My partner, A, and I moved to Crete in 2006. Our house is free of debt, and jointly owned 50/50.
In July 2018, A returned to the UK, due to rapidly deteriorating mental health – fronto-temporal lobe dementia. He lived in a care home for dementia patients until his death in May of this year.
In July and August 2018, I transferred the capital in his UK bank account, some £30,000, to an account set up by his daughter H (who is administrator of his estate), in her name, to pay for residential care. A’s UK state pension has been paid into his UK account since 2016, when he turned 65. It took until this year for H to get Power of Attorney to enable her to access his account.
We have identical Greek wills, both of which state that the surviving partner has the right to remain in the Greek property until death, or until he/she chooses to sell, when 50% of the sale proceeds is to be paid to the deceased partner’s children.
The deceased partner’s children have to be registered as owners in the Greek court. They are also liable for A’s property tax payment, as inheritors of 50% of the property, which is about £350 for this year, the first instalment being due at the end of this month.
In addition, the wills state that 50% of remaining money in the deceased’s accounts (world wide) be paid to the surviving partner, the other 50% being left to the deceased partner’s children.
I informed H and her brother D in early June that I needed a Certified Copy of A’s Death Certificate, with an Apostille attached, to deal with matters here, ie tax, the property etc. I spelt out very carefully and clearly the reasons why I need the Certificate. It has not been provided, so my Greek lawyer wrote to H last week, stressing the importance of this document, as fines and complications could follow if it is not provided. So far, I have received no response.
There are obviously many obstacles to overcome, due to H’s lack of response, despite many requests for information.
I calculate that between July 2018 and May 2020, some £18,000 pounds in State Pension will have been paid into A’s account, in addition to a further £2,000 from a private pension with Legal and General.
Legal and General wrote recently, detailing pension payments for the period July 2020 to June 2021, which leads me to believe that they have not been informed of A’s death. I have no idea whether his death has been registered regarding his State Pension.
My question is, if I am entitled to 50% of A’s remaining money, would that be calculated as being on the date of his death, in May? Am I entitled to ask for evidence of the amount in his account at that time? I know that the £30,000 transferred in 2018 was used up quite quickly. Due to lack of his daughter’s cooperation, can I ask his bank for this information, as and when I obtain a copy of his Death Certificate, or must this information come via H?
I have been in limbo since May, due to H’s lack of communication. She has always been difficult to deal with, often jumping to wrong conclusions, and harbouring resentments against me and my children. I suspect that she has done very little, if anything, to sort out her father’s affairs in the UK, and I can do nothing here in Crete without the Death Certificate.
Any advice will be greatly appreciated.
In July 2018, A returned to the UK, due to rapidly deteriorating mental health – fronto-temporal lobe dementia. He lived in a care home for dementia patients until his death in May of this year.
In July and August 2018, I transferred the capital in his UK bank account, some £30,000, to an account set up by his daughter H (who is administrator of his estate), in her name, to pay for residential care. A’s UK state pension has been paid into his UK account since 2016, when he turned 65. It took until this year for H to get Power of Attorney to enable her to access his account.
We have identical Greek wills, both of which state that the surviving partner has the right to remain in the Greek property until death, or until he/she chooses to sell, when 50% of the sale proceeds is to be paid to the deceased partner’s children.
The deceased partner’s children have to be registered as owners in the Greek court. They are also liable for A’s property tax payment, as inheritors of 50% of the property, which is about £350 for this year, the first instalment being due at the end of this month.
In addition, the wills state that 50% of remaining money in the deceased’s accounts (world wide) be paid to the surviving partner, the other 50% being left to the deceased partner’s children.
I informed H and her brother D in early June that I needed a Certified Copy of A’s Death Certificate, with an Apostille attached, to deal with matters here, ie tax, the property etc. I spelt out very carefully and clearly the reasons why I need the Certificate. It has not been provided, so my Greek lawyer wrote to H last week, stressing the importance of this document, as fines and complications could follow if it is not provided. So far, I have received no response.
There are obviously many obstacles to overcome, due to H’s lack of response, despite many requests for information.
I calculate that between July 2018 and May 2020, some £18,000 pounds in State Pension will have been paid into A’s account, in addition to a further £2,000 from a private pension with Legal and General.
Legal and General wrote recently, detailing pension payments for the period July 2020 to June 2021, which leads me to believe that they have not been informed of A’s death. I have no idea whether his death has been registered regarding his State Pension.
My question is, if I am entitled to 50% of A’s remaining money, would that be calculated as being on the date of his death, in May? Am I entitled to ask for evidence of the amount in his account at that time? I know that the £30,000 transferred in 2018 was used up quite quickly. Due to lack of his daughter’s cooperation, can I ask his bank for this information, as and when I obtain a copy of his Death Certificate, or must this information come via H?
I have been in limbo since May, due to H’s lack of communication. She has always been difficult to deal with, often jumping to wrong conclusions, and harbouring resentments against me and my children. I suspect that she has done very little, if anything, to sort out her father’s affairs in the UK, and I can do nothing here in Crete without the Death Certificate.
Any advice will be greatly appreciated.
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