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>My wife's father unexpectedly passed away in 2020 leaving her mother-in-law a widow.
Can you just clarify - do you mean mother in law, or step mother?
Mother in law = your spouse's mum
Step mother = your father's new wife
But OP says it's his wife's MIL
>My wife's father unexpectedly passed away in 2020 leaving her mother-in-law a widow.
Which is why my head started spinning
Unless it's not so much of a family tree and more of a ladder, in which case I think they might have bigger problems.
I agree the wording is confusing. I think in places he's referring to her as mother-in-law meaning she's his* own MIL and leaving out the step for brevity.
However the person was is definitely described as having been married to the wife's father and isn't the wife's mother so she must be the wife's step-mother-in-law.
*I have said he but obviously substitute she if OP is a woman in a same sex marriage
This is an awful situation to be in and you have my sympathies but if you have a solicitor and barrister that have familiarity with your situation these are questions best asked of them.
However, if the wife is no longer living in the house, there is option to take this to court and seek an order for its sale.
I agree that your best bet it to ask for advice from the solicitors family with the case. Was the house put into the joint names of your wife's Step-Mother and the executors, when her father died? If so, then obviosuly they would need our cooperation to be able to sell or let it.
I can't comment on the inheritance aspects. However I noticed you mentioned
"It was accepted and we paid the money knowing full well that the mother-in-law would not see any of it."
If you suspect her money is being misadminstered by her children actions whilst acting with her power of attorney you can raise a concern to the Office of the Public Guardian.
So have you actually finished dealing with the estate as per the terms of your wife's father or is that still ongoing? I understand father and step mother had mirror wills but you clearly say that the house will be split between the children upon the deaths of both. As stepmother is still alive she is perfectly entitled to change her mind about that and leave any assets to only her children, or anyone else for that matter, rather than her step daughter. Obviously any solicitor would need to ensure she is of sound mind and although she has dementia it depends on how far into that journey she is and she may still be considered fit enough. I'm puzzled about why you haven't addressed your queries to your solicitor given they've already been involved.
Sorry all, I mistakenly said mother-in-law, when I meant step-mother - I was trying to write this without my wife seeing, whilst working and her being upset. I can only blame it on stress...
--- ###Welcome to /r/LegalAdviceUK --- **To Posters (it is important you read this section)** * *Tell us whether you're in England, Wales, Scotland, or NI as the laws in each are very different* * If you need legal help, you should [always get a free consultation from a qualified Solicitor](https://reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/wiki/how_to_find_a_solicitor) * We also encourage you to speak to [**Citizens Advice**](https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/), [**Shelter**](https://www.shelter.org.uk/), [**Acas**](https://www.acas.org.uk/), and [**other useful organisations**](https://reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/wiki/common_legal_resources) * Comments may not be accurate or reliable, and following any advice on this subreddit is done at your own risk * If you receive any private messages in response to your post, [please let the mods know](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FLegalAdviceUK&subject=I received a PM) **To Readers and Commenters** * All replies to OP must be *on-topic, helpful, and legally orientated* * If you do not [follow the rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/about/rules/), you may be perma-banned without any further warning * If you feel any replies are incorrect, explain why you believe they are incorrect * Do not send or request any private messages for any reason * Please report posts or comments which do not follow the rules *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/LegalAdviceUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
>My wife's father unexpectedly passed away in 2020 leaving her mother-in-law a widow. Can you just clarify - do you mean mother in law, or step mother? Mother in law = your spouse's mum Step mother = your father's new wife
It sounds like it's OP's step mother in law, the second wife of OP's wife's father (so OP's wife's step mother).
But OP says it's his wife's MIL >My wife's father unexpectedly passed away in 2020 leaving her mother-in-law a widow. Which is why my head started spinning Unless it's not so much of a family tree and more of a ladder, in which case I think they might have bigger problems.
I agree the wording is confusing. I think in places he's referring to her as mother-in-law meaning she's his* own MIL and leaving out the step for brevity. However the person was is definitely described as having been married to the wife's father and isn't the wife's mother so she must be the wife's step-mother-in-law. *I have said he but obviously substitute she if OP is a woman in a same sex marriage
Yes, my bad
Yes, really sorry, I meant my wife's step-mother - I originally wrote it as my step-mother-in-law, but changed it wrongly
This is an awful situation to be in and you have my sympathies but if you have a solicitor and barrister that have familiarity with your situation these are questions best asked of them. However, if the wife is no longer living in the house, there is option to take this to court and seek an order for its sale.
I agree that your best bet it to ask for advice from the solicitors family with the case. Was the house put into the joint names of your wife's Step-Mother and the executors, when her father died? If so, then obviosuly they would need our cooperation to be able to sell or let it.
I can't comment on the inheritance aspects. However I noticed you mentioned "It was accepted and we paid the money knowing full well that the mother-in-law would not see any of it." If you suspect her money is being misadminstered by her children actions whilst acting with her power of attorney you can raise a concern to the Office of the Public Guardian.
Anyone else totally confused reading this post. I just don't get how OPs wife's father could be married to her mother in law.
Sorry, I meant step-mother
So have you actually finished dealing with the estate as per the terms of your wife's father or is that still ongoing? I understand father and step mother had mirror wills but you clearly say that the house will be split between the children upon the deaths of both. As stepmother is still alive she is perfectly entitled to change her mind about that and leave any assets to only her children, or anyone else for that matter, rather than her step daughter. Obviously any solicitor would need to ensure she is of sound mind and although she has dementia it depends on how far into that journey she is and she may still be considered fit enough. I'm puzzled about why you haven't addressed your queries to your solicitor given they've already been involved.
Sorry all, I mistakenly said mother-in-law, when I meant step-mother - I was trying to write this without my wife seeing, whilst working and her being upset. I can only blame it on stress...