Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in New Jersey

managing a estate

i inherited a house from my mother , it was left to me and my two sisters. for the last ten years i have been paying all the bills taxes, water , electric, and up keep of the house, my sisters wont contribute. and will not leave the house it is a two famly and the half my sister lives in is destroyed , in order to sell the house i would need to do alot of work and my sister refuses to let me in to do the work, or help pay for the repairs to be done. is their any action i can take to get her out of the house or to get her to start paying some of the bills.


Asked on 10/27/03, 12:50 pm

2 Answers from Attorneys
Walter LeVine Walter D. LeVine, Esq.

Re: managing a estate

If an executor has been appointed, a claim should be asserted for reimbursement for all bills you paid. If no executor has been appointed, seek the appointment yourself and assert the claim. Failure to reimburse could entitle you to sue and foreclose resulting in a sale. Alternatively, you could sue for partition, raising your claim for reimbursement and force a sale or get court permission to have the house appraised, assert your claim, and buy out your other family members. You should contact an estate/real estate attorney to assist you.

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Answered on 10/29/03, 12:18 pm
Jonathan Chester The Law Office of Jonathan S. Chester, Esq., LLC

Re: managing a estate

You could bring a partition action in court to force a sale or distribution of the property or buy-out your sister. If you have been paying all the bills for 10 years, your sister may not have much equity in the property when it is divided up.

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Answered on 10/27/03, 1:56 pm


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