You need a consult with a competent lawyer. First, it isn’t clear whether you owe rent. Co-owners don’t pay rent, though your contracts and deed may reverse that. Second, you need to understand title before you pay anyone anything. Payments to the non-owner may not satisfy any rent that is due.

If you are going to do it yourself, the smartest thing is to do it the way lawyers do it: Open the Code and do exactly what it says. The Code is published on-line, and all I'd be doing is cutting and pasting it into this response.

The original Will makes things much easier, because you may otherwise need to prove that the original wasn't destroyed intentionally by the testator. If the Will matches the intestate succession, the process is likely to be easier, but, if faced with a challenge, you will definitely need... View More

The law of the jurisdiction where the decedent resides at the time of their death will be applied to determine the validity of the Will. In some cases, if the Will was created while the decedent resides elsewhere, that law will apply.

Look up and call the Commissioner of Accounts for your Circuit. Make an appointment and describe the issues accurately and succinctly.

If she refuses to allow you in the property to have an appraisal performed, you will need to get a court order that requires her to let you on the property.

Someone needs to pay for a legal consultation and potentially an investigation before the house is sold. You need a title search and a court record search for a Will.

Interstate succession in Birginia is as follows:

all to the surviving spouse, unless there are children (or their descendants) of someone other than the surviving spouse in which case, one-third goes to the surviving spouse and the remaining two-thirds is divided among all children.... View More

The probate needs to be filed in the county where your father resided at the time of death. If he was merely visiting, that doesn’t count. If he changed his residence to Arizona, by, for example, buying a house, signing a lease for a term, changing his drivers license, or other indicia of... View More

It certainly sounds like you need a lawyer. What I don't read in your story is a question. Let me infer that you are asking how to find a good estate litigator. I suggest you visit Avvo.com. Navigate to Find a Lawyer. Type in the county where your mother resided at time of death. Type in... View More

A mobile home usually includes both the home and a piece of real estate on which it sits. If you have proper title to both, then I would ask your step-father what rights he believes he has as to your home. Otherwise, you need to confer with counsel to explain what you own and what rights you might... View More

While I believe there is a presumption that a will favoring a spouse is invalidated by a divorce, and, if your actual will says "my spouse", rather than including her name, then the grant probably fails anyway. You have no spouse. But, it is foolish to rely on that. After a divorce, you... View More

Under section 64.2-200 of the code of Virginia, her estate would pass to her surving parents. If there are sosurving parents, then her estate would be divided among her siblings and their descendants. You shouldconsult with an estate planning attorney for a more detailed analysis of your... View More

Yes. The action is called a Petition for Sale in Lieu of Partition. The elements require that the property not be severable. A house isn't severable. Five Hundred acres of farmland is. An apartment building might be. The other element is that one of the owners wishes to sell. There are few... View More

A Will is not self-effectuating. The Will is "accepted into Probate" before it becomes effective. So, for the Will to be acted upon, a personal representative (executor) needs to be appointed, and that executor does as the Will commands. Thus, the property did not become a part of the... View More

If all owners agree as to ownership, there is usually no need to conform the title before sale. Unless the title is so damaged that a claim to quiet title is required, all three of you should sign a listing agreement to put the property on the market, and the title agent will correct title at the... View More

Petition to remove the executor for self-dealing. But, it would be best to know what you are talking about and use counsel, because courts disfavor should petitions, especially by pro se parties.

If you are the Executor, you are blatantly incompetent and need to be removed or get advice on how to do your job better. Why is the estate's money in an account that anyone other than the court-appointed executor can access? Is it still in the decedent's name, and the bank hasn't... View More

First, unless they want to create a mess that will be more expensive to fix in the future, one of the natural heirs opens the probate. If the house doesn’t need to be sold to cover debts or to make a fair distribution, title moves to the intestate heirs recorded as an entry in the probate rolls.... View More

You need an estate planning or probate attorney to assist her.