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09/12/2016

What are the steps to take to protect us after a tenant has passed away?

Phil's Self Storage - Molly Norris

What are the steps to take to protect us after a tenant has passed away?
One of our tenants passed away, and the family member are all fighting over the contents of the unit. We have a copy of the probate, provided by one of the sons listed as co-administrator. However, other family members continue to call and threaten us regarding this son. What can/should we be doing to make sure our i's are dotted and t's are crossed?

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3 Comments

Jon Griffeth   on Tuesday 09/13/2016 at 11:17 AM

I'm not an attorney but I can tell you my thoughts according to Bob Copper's operations manual which is pretty thorough. The appointed administrator of the estate should be able to provide "letters testamentary" which authorize them to collect the assets of the deceased and to administer their affairs. Only the following people should be given access to the unit. 1. Executors of the estate who produce a notarized letter of authority. 2. An Heir who produces a notarized letter from an executor or trustee to show Right of Survivorship. You should also receive a certified copy of the death certificate before allowing anyone into the space. For anyone else, family or not, I would tell them to have a nice day :-)

Tina Beacham   on Thursday 09/15/2016 at 08:28 PM

The contents are now part of the deceased estate. You are only obligated to respond to the administrator of the estate, which is recorded on letter of testamentary provided by the clerk of court. Family squabbles, especially with the death of loved ones is difficult. To protect yourself, the business, and the integrity of the deceased tenants estate, I would only communicate with the admininstrator(s) listed on the letter of testamentary. All other inquiries on behalf of the deceased should contact the estate administrator.

Kevin Leebrick   on Tuesday 09/20/2016 at 09:16 AM

If I can add to the above, which are both good answers. You can take a payment so it doesn't go in to default with out any of the other information.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the comments shown above are those of the individual comment authors and do not reflect the views or opinions of this organization.