Dealing with a deceased estate

can be simple or it can be complicated. 

Some years ago I helped someone deal with her father's estate. He owned very little. He was in a nursing home when he died and he had, sensibly, passed all he could on to his two children prior to his death. We were left with some clothes, a few books and other possessions, a bank account and his electric wheelchair.  The last item was given to the nursing home. The clothes were given to charity. The other items went to where he had stipulated. The whole thing was over very quickly.

The Senior Cat's estate is taking longer. There were long delays caused by Covid restrictions and complications with the codicil relating to the Black Cat.  The granting of probate should occur soon but that will cause other issues. At least we are aware of them.

I was not the executor for one of the people I had power of attorney for and I am not, thankfully, executor for her recently deceased sister. The friend I was PofA for had her affairs well arranged. She had made it quite clear to the executor who was to deal with what. I remember her saying, "I don't want my estate to be paying out thousands to a firm to deal with all this." 

In the end my friend had very few possessions. Like the elderly man she had given away a good deal before her death. We spent an afternoon writing a list of what she wanted to go where. The only thing that upset her was my refusal to allow her to give me anything. I kept telling her that she could not do this as it might seem like undue influence. This is not strictly correct but I did not want to seem to be seen to benefit. We muddled through that.

Her sister however left no such instructions.  The solicitor is dealing with all this instead. More than once I have been asked if I know something or where they might be able to find someone to pass on non-personal documents. Haven't they managed to find anyone else who knew her? Apparently not. They will be paid for all this of course, very well paid. I do it out of a sense of duty. The sooner it is done then the sooner the charities she named will benefit. That is what makes me do it. I don't know whether to be irritated by the solicitor's apparent inability to do the job without recourse to me or irritated by her failure to be more specific about who does what.

My nephew has been named as my executor. I have a list for him but I am going to renew it. I want to be specific.