How long has my fathers companion got to contest his will.

[Shilam]

My father passed away in February 2011 after being in care for just under 2 years with dementia.
He had a lady friend as a companion in the day for about 6 months until early 2008 when I retired.
We lived in the same address.
I had inherited half of the house from my mother who passed away in 2005.
The lady demanded I left as soon as I retired but my father said to her in very strong terms I was not leaving and she left.
Unfortunately my father started going down with dementia about 6 months later and became unmanageable after another 6 months when he had to go into care.
The day after he passed away the woman came around demanding the house but I never took the chain off the door and I got 2 subsequent solicitors letters. I got my solicitor to reply and I did not hear any more.
Probate came through in May and the house was transferred into my name.
I was advised by my solicitor that normally a person only has 6 months to contest a will from probate being granted but in some circumstances the court may allow them to contest the will after the 6 months have expired.
Unfortunately the solicitor I used passed away very suddenly between Christmas and the new year.
I am just wandering if any user of this site has ever known anybody to contest a will after this length of time.
The house needs repairs costing about £5,000 and I do not want to spend this money if there is still a chance I will have to give up the house.
I visited Dad every day at the home except for the 3 days I was in hospital.
This woman was so interested in my father she never visited him and the home could confirm this as they kept a record of visits.

Sheila

[factor-fiction]

Hi bednobs- I have just remembered this thread
http://www.theanswerb...uestion1128798-2.html

[EDDIE51]

Sorry if I am missing something but I can not see why Bednobs has such a problem with these questions.
I know from personal experience that there are a hugh number of, mainly elderly, females who think that they can get a free house just by becoming a 'partner' to a single man who has his own house and getting him to change his will . They all seem to think it is their 'Right'
But I have never heard of the reverse situation, a man moving in with a single woman and trying to get her to sign over the house to him.

[EDDIE51]

clive , you sum up my point correctly.
i knew a Guy Alf who was left with a paid up house after the death of his wife.
He found it hard to cope with the cooking , cleaning etc so had the idea of letting a woman live there rent free in return for doing the housework. The housekeeper had a seperate room with toilet shower en suit.
This worked well but every time , he had 4 of then in succesion, the house keeper started to demand that he leave them the house . The last one stole a lot of his stuff including some valuable antiques as well as demanding the house. He had to get the locks changed to stop her getting back in after the police told her to leave or face arrest for theft.