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Hello All and thanks very much in advance for any guidance you can offer.
My mum died last Friday. I am not yet executor of her will, her very elderly sister and my cousin are joint executors, but neither is able to fulfil this role nor wants to, as both have health issues. They will therefore renounce their executorship and I will take over. I have the governent renounciation forms. I previously sought advice on here as to whether they could renounce before death with a self-created form, but we never got round to doing this. I gather I need to upload these completed forms to government website when I apply for probate.
BUT it says I have to give an estimate of value of the estate, which is where it gets tricky. Her only assets are money in two bank accounts, Lloyds and Post Office. There is now £18k in her Lloyds a/c as her pension and related payments have accumulated. It is unclear how much money she has in her Post Office account, but based on a post office receipt, obtained from the housing complex (assisted housing) where she used to live, it looks like there could, I must emphasise 'could' be £25k in that account, but I will not know until I see statements. Sadly, the Post Office have for the last four years, kid you not and despite my informing them, sent her statements to an address that doesn't even exist any more.
The reason I say 'could' is because the housing complex where she lived from 2017 until 2021, when she was admitted to a care home on end-of-life pathway, had control of her bank card and once said, after she had moved out, that there was no money left. Fortunately, the council acted as intermediary in getting me all their receipts and ledger entries, and while their book keeping wasn't great and it looks like some receipts were made up, in general the amounts tallied. Of note is that the last post office receipt they provided showing a balance of £25k was dated a week or so before she moved out permanently, which means in theory that money should still be in her account. But what if it's not; how do I value the estate?
My other question relates to care home fees; currently the council have been taking £680 or so per month toward her care directly from Lloyds bank (turns out their was a general direct debit in place which they used to access money, because at one point they talked about getting a court order). But depending on how much my mum had in total when she first went into care, which would have been whatever was in her two bank accounts; Lloyds there was £3k I think and IF £25k in Post Office she would have started off with £28K and would have had to self-fund her care until that amount dropped below £23.5k, so probably a month at most ( if my understanding is correct). Thereafter, she would just made a contribution instead of paying the care fees in full. I gather another revision as to the amount of her contribution would have taken place when her savings dropped below £14k.
My mum had dementia so no mental capacity for such matters.
So the bottom line is that my mum owes Redbridge Council quite a lot and I have told them that once she died and I had control I would work everything out retrospectively and pay them whatever was due, if she has the money.
I therefore have no idea what to put on probate application for value of estate - can anyone help please?
I have another question regarding the address on the probate form: I have a brother who is not mentally stable and prone to being malicious and scary (silent phone calls at the dead of night, and loves to write poisonous and alarming letters) so I would rather my personal address not appear on the form. Is there a way round this?
Many thanks for any help you can offer me re any of the above.
My mum died last Friday. I am not yet executor of her will, her very elderly sister and my cousin are joint executors, but neither is able to fulfil this role nor wants to, as both have health issues. They will therefore renounce their executorship and I will take over. I have the governent renounciation forms. I previously sought advice on here as to whether they could renounce before death with a self-created form, but we never got round to doing this. I gather I need to upload these completed forms to government website when I apply for probate.
BUT it says I have to give an estimate of value of the estate, which is where it gets tricky. Her only assets are money in two bank accounts, Lloyds and Post Office. There is now £18k in her Lloyds a/c as her pension and related payments have accumulated. It is unclear how much money she has in her Post Office account, but based on a post office receipt, obtained from the housing complex (assisted housing) where she used to live, it looks like there could, I must emphasise 'could' be £25k in that account, but I will not know until I see statements. Sadly, the Post Office have for the last four years, kid you not and despite my informing them, sent her statements to an address that doesn't even exist any more.
The reason I say 'could' is because the housing complex where she lived from 2017 until 2021, when she was admitted to a care home on end-of-life pathway, had control of her bank card and once said, after she had moved out, that there was no money left. Fortunately, the council acted as intermediary in getting me all their receipts and ledger entries, and while their book keeping wasn't great and it looks like some receipts were made up, in general the amounts tallied. Of note is that the last post office receipt they provided showing a balance of £25k was dated a week or so before she moved out permanently, which means in theory that money should still be in her account. But what if it's not; how do I value the estate?
My other question relates to care home fees; currently the council have been taking £680 or so per month toward her care directly from Lloyds bank (turns out their was a general direct debit in place which they used to access money, because at one point they talked about getting a court order). But depending on how much my mum had in total when she first went into care, which would have been whatever was in her two bank accounts; Lloyds there was £3k I think and IF £25k in Post Office she would have started off with £28K and would have had to self-fund her care until that amount dropped below £23.5k, so probably a month at most ( if my understanding is correct). Thereafter, she would just made a contribution instead of paying the care fees in full. I gather another revision as to the amount of her contribution would have taken place when her savings dropped below £14k.
My mum had dementia so no mental capacity for such matters.
So the bottom line is that my mum owes Redbridge Council quite a lot and I have told them that once she died and I had control I would work everything out retrospectively and pay them whatever was due, if she has the money.
I therefore have no idea what to put on probate application for value of estate - can anyone help please?
I have another question regarding the address on the probate form: I have a brother who is not mentally stable and prone to being malicious and scary (silent phone calls at the dead of night, and loves to write poisonous and alarming letters) so I would rather my personal address not appear on the form. Is there a way round this?
Many thanks for any help you can offer me re any of the above.
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