You know when you are doing your job and sometimes something so bizarre happens that it just beggars belief . . . ?
I have been working with someone who has an aunt with long-standing dementia and an uncle who was sadly just diagnosed with dementia before he died. Unfortunately, the uncle wanted to have his Will written in the weeks prior to his death with me, but never actually got around to it. However, we were still looking at whether we could still get something in place for the aunt before members of her extended family started getting involved that she had not seen for decades - consequently, there has now been a major family fallout!
As a result, my client has been accruing expenses related to their uncle's funeral in the region of £7,000.00p thinking that because both the uncle and aunt had the foresight to get Lasting Powers of Attorney then she would be able to easily reclaim the money. However, after being told by their uncle's life insurance company that they would pay for the funeral and related expenses WITHOUT a Will OR a grant of probate, the same company has now changed their mind.
Additionally, whilst the uncle's many banks where he held accounts had previously told my client that they would freeze his accounts until the Lasting Powers of Attorney were released because of the aunt's dementia, my client has now been told that ALL of the money has been moved to the aunt's accounts! Consequently, my client has been left struggling to reclaim the money that they paid out for the uncle's funeral in good faith.
The lesson from this story is a simple one: if you want to avoid arguments and to leave your loved ones struggling to pay out on things like your funeral, please, please, PLEASE get your Will written! ... See more
