Executor not responding… help!

[Emerald13]

My uncle and his son are the two executors of my grandmothers will.

its a small estate, only asset is one property which sold in December.

since then i have had no contact at all from the executors. I’ve sent an email (end of Jan) and a WhatsApp message a few days ago (which was been read).

Uncle has been very hard to deal with for many years. He and his son both live in Germany, I am in UK, my grandmother was in UK too. I had a solicitor send him a letter in May 2025 due to lack of contact. The letter said I should be being updated, which he duly did for a short while, then communication stopped. Last emails from him were in September asking if I agreed with the offer made on the property, which I replied to saying yes. He responded saying he would issue an update in a matter of days but there’s been nothing since. I only know the property sold because I looked myself.

any advice please…

[Frank1]

Where were you looking when you saw that the property had been sold?

[Emerald13]

I called the estate agent

[atticus]

You have not said: are you a beneficiary under the will?

[Emerald13]

Sorry.. yes I am a beneficiary

[Tofros]

I called the estate agent

At what stage was the sale? Was the sale still subject to contract, contracts exchanged but not completed or had the sale been completed?

[Frank1]

You could try searching the Land Registry online to see if the property has a new owner.
Have you attempted to contact your cousin executor to ask if anything has happened to your uncle?

[Emerald13]

Sale had completed. Land registry not yet updated, although my solicitor said she can see something has been filed (I don’t know what).
cousin executor has made absolutely zero contact throughout the whole thing. Grandmother died June 2024. Uncle has claimed himself as the Lead Executor and says to only contact him.

[Emerald13]

Uncle is definitely ok - he’s regularly updating his profile photo on WhatsApp and is regularly online!

[Frank1]

Are you able to find out who the conveyancing solicitor was that dealt with the sale? The estate agent should know.
If so you could ask the conveyancer if the sale proceeds have been transferred to the executors account in Germany
The estate agent should have mentioned when they received their fees

[atticus]

A solicitor who answers that question will be breaching his duties of client confidentiality.

And why on earth should the estate agent say when they were paid?

[Emerald13]

What can I do to help myself in this situation? I’m really reluctant to spend lots of money in legal fees and currently feel that I have no option.

[atticus]

You need to write to the executors, asking for an update and when you may expect to receive your inheritance.

In extremis, you can seek court orders under Part 64 of the Civil Procedure Rules (https://www.justice.gov.uk/courts/pr...l/rules/part64) requiring the executors to give a full account of their dealings with the estate and to pay you your entitlement.