How can I use my letters of administration to access and manage my mother’s bank and investment accounts? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, letters of administration are the court document that proves an estate administrator has authority to act for the estate. Most banks and investment firms will require a certified copy…
How can I probate my sibling’s estate when only one account lacks a beneficiary? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, if a sibling dies with most assets passing by beneficiary designations or joint ownership, the one brokerage account without a beneficiary usually must be handled through the Clerk of Superior Court by opening…
How can I gain access to my late spouse’s Google Photos as executor of the estate? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, a personal representative (executor) can request a deceased person’s “digital assets” from the company that holds them, but the company does not have to hand over the login or give full…
If there is no will, how are the home and other assets split between the surviving spouse and the children, and can I receive my share without forcing the spouse to move? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, if a parent dies without a valid will, state “intestate succession” rules control how the…
How can I get the backup executor to renounce their appointment so I can serve as executor? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, a backup (successor) executor can step aside by signing a written renunciation and filing it with the Clerk of Superior Court handling the estate. The most common way is an…
How can I speed up the issuance of letters of administration? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, letters of administration usually issue once the Clerk of Superior Court approves a complete application and the proposed personal representative has satisfied the “qualification” steps (oath, bond if required, and a resident process agent if the…
Can an executor claim rent from a property if the deceased wasn’t on the deed? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, an executor (personal representative) generally can only claim rent for real property that actually belonged to the deceased at death. If the deceased was not on the deed, the property usually is…
If a prior representative handled the publication and didn’t share the documents, how do I document compliance and keep the estate on track? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, the executor (personal representative) generally needs proof that the Notice to Creditors ran correctly, usually an Affidavit of Publication from the newspaper, and the…
How can I probate a parent’s estate with no will when most heirs agree on how to divide a house and multiple lots? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, a parent who died without a will usually requires an intestate estate proceeding through the Clerk of Superior Court to transfer title to real…
What can I do if I missed a probate hearing because a family member kept my court papers and I couldn’t file or appear? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina probate, missing a hearing because a family member withheld court papers can be a reason to ask the Clerk of Superior Court to…
