Life estate

[Ph128]

What is the name of your state? Indiana

A man dies and wills his home to his brother in law and a long time friend but gives a life estate to his girl friend.
Who is responsible for what bills on the home such as property taxes, hazzard insurance, etc.
Also what kind of attorney specializes in this sort of thing?

 

[seniorjudge]

What is the name of your state? Indiana

A man dies and wills his home to his brother in law and a long time friend but gives a life estate to his girl friend.
Who is responsible for what bills on the home such as property taxes, hazzard insurance, etc.
Also what kind of attorney specializes in this sort of thing?

The life tenant is responsible for everything till the life tenant's death.

Obviously, if the life tenant is not doing his job, then the remaindermen need to step in and preserve the place.

 

[Ph128]

The life tenant is responsible for everything till the life tenant's death.

Obviously, if the life tenant is not doing his job, then the remaindermen need to step in and preserve the place.

The estate is in the process of getting settled.
The life tenant claims she is only responsible for insuring her own personal property in the house but not for the house itself such as paying for fire insurance since she doesn't actually own the house.
I would imagine she will feel the same way when the property taxes come due as well.
What specialty or field of practice would be the proper type of attorney to seek advice from?
Is there something written in Indiana's laws that shows who is responsible for what expenses that could be shown to the tenant?
If the the house burned down without insurance, could she be held responsible or could she hold the ones who inherited the house responsible?

 

[ladybg1]

When my dad died-he left the house to the three kids with a Life Estate to his companion.
The attorney who handled the probate for us sent her a letter advising her that she was responsible for any expenses involved in the real estate. Luckily, she was agreeable & except for having to stay on top of things & make sure they were paid, it was ok for the 14months that she lived there. Then she moved in with her son.
If she had not, we would have been forced to take her to court to evict her. The whole thing was a pain to take care of. I wish whoever is the executar luck & a lot of patience.