I am looking for help in finding out about some inheritance from my husband's grandmother who died approximately 2 years ago in Warsaw.
My mother-in-law was an only child and she came from Poland in 1971 when she married an englishman (of Polish decent), stayed and gained British citizenship. Her parents continued to live in Poland with her mother surviving until a few years ago. My husband's grandmother owned a flat in Warsaw and there is talk of a share in a large family property that has been returned from the Polish communist government.
We would assume that all property owned by my husband's grandmother would naturally be inherited by her only surviving child, my mother-in-law.
The problem is, my mother-in-law was diagnosed with Alzheimer's 10 years ago and at the time of her mother's death in Poland she was so ill that she was unable to hold any sort of conversation or deal with any inheritance matters. She is now completely bedridden and unable to talk. My father-in-law cares for her daily and as he does not speak polish he does not have the ability to resolve any inheritance problems. He does have legal power of attorney for her here in England.
I am unaware if my husband's grandmother left a will and we have no contact details for any distant relatives living in Poland.
However, my husband's grandmother had a sister who has been living in England for many years. My father-in-law is in contact with her but myself and my husband have not been in contact with her. It would appear that when the grandmother in Poland first passed away, her sister attempted to get the apartment in Warsaw passed into her name, offering my father-in-law a very minimal payment in return. From what we can gather the polish court put a stop to this and wouldn't allow it to happen. Since the courts made the decision, the sister has regularly been staying in the apartment in Warsaw so she obviously has acess to it.
My husband would now like to take the matter further to ensure that the inheritance that rightly belongs to his mother is passed down to her. Can anyone please advise what we should do next. Should we contact a polish speaking solicitor in England or an english speaking solicitor in Warsaw? Does anyone have contact details for any reputable solicitors?
Many thanks.
TomBella
My mother-in-law was an only child and she came from Poland in 1971 when she married an englishman (of Polish decent), stayed and gained British citizenship. Her parents continued to live in Poland with her mother surviving until a few years ago. My husband's grandmother owned a flat in Warsaw and there is talk of a share in a large family property that has been returned from the Polish communist government.
We would assume that all property owned by my husband's grandmother would naturally be inherited by her only surviving child, my mother-in-law.
The problem is, my mother-in-law was diagnosed with Alzheimer's 10 years ago and at the time of her mother's death in Poland she was so ill that she was unable to hold any sort of conversation or deal with any inheritance matters. She is now completely bedridden and unable to talk. My father-in-law cares for her daily and as he does not speak polish he does not have the ability to resolve any inheritance problems. He does have legal power of attorney for her here in England.
I am unaware if my husband's grandmother left a will and we have no contact details for any distant relatives living in Poland.
However, my husband's grandmother had a sister who has been living in England for many years. My father-in-law is in contact with her but myself and my husband have not been in contact with her. It would appear that when the grandmother in Poland first passed away, her sister attempted to get the apartment in Warsaw passed into her name, offering my father-in-law a very minimal payment in return. From what we can gather the polish court put a stop to this and wouldn't allow it to happen. Since the courts made the decision, the sister has regularly been staying in the apartment in Warsaw so she obviously has acess to it.
My husband would now like to take the matter further to ensure that the inheritance that rightly belongs to his mother is passed down to her. Can anyone please advise what we should do next. Should we contact a polish speaking solicitor in England or an english speaking solicitor in Warsaw? Does anyone have contact details for any reputable solicitors?
Many thanks.
TomBella