Dealing with Difficult Beneficiaries

The Deceased passed away leaving a will, which appointed two of her three adult children as executors. The Deceased’s estate was small and the main asset was a leasehold property so it was essential to try and preserve the estate funds as much as possible. The three siblings benefitted from the will equally.

After assisting the clients in preparing interim estate accounts, the interim accounts were distributed to the beneficiaries in preparation for making distributions. At the time the interim estate account were prepared, the third sibling raised various issues with the accounts and disputed the valuations. The executors, having predicted that there would be difficulties early on, appointed Thomsone Snell & Passmore to try and limit any unnecessary delays which might otherwise have been exacerbated without our intervention.

We helped the client to communicate the position effectively to reassure the beneficiaries that the accounts were correct. It helped significantly that the parties did not have to communicate with one another directly and, accordingly, we reached an early conclusion, which all of the beneficiaries were happy with without the need to apply to Court.

If you are an executor and you are facing difficulties with belligerent beneficiaries then please do not hesitate to contact our friendly wills, trusts and estate dispute lawyers on 01892 510 000.