advice on no will

[diane118]

hi while i am on here i thought i would ask for help for my friend her dad died and left no will and left only his house she tells me that her and her sister have a 50/50 share in his house, my friend has been her late dads carer for 3 yrs and she has lived in his house for all her life. Can her sister force (by law) my friend to sell the house so she can give her sister her half in cash? thanks

[innocenti]

Basically yes, unless your friend can get a mortgage and buy her sister out.

[dzug]

Or unless the sister is willing to pay rent for the house - and the other is willing to go along with this arrangement.

[Morty Vicar]

She should seek immediate legal advice - she may have a claim under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 - particularly if she has lived in the house rent free all her life.

[diane118]

hi thanks for your reply does that mean that she can stay in the but she will have to pay her sister her half in a cash lump sum she is 55yrs old but she has quite a bit of savings enough to pay her sister 25% of the houses value(not enough for 50%) after this she would still have a few thousand left in her account after paying her sister 25% she tell me. thanks