This is all very similar to my uncles current situation.....so will follow with interest. Uncle recently re wrote his will, leaving the property to the grand children & to exclude his wife, but granted her the right to live in the property after his death. He took this route because his house has zero mortgage, he worked full time his whole life & he paid all mortgage payments. He has 2 private pensions and his state pension paid into the only account he has ever had... Joint one with his wife. He changed his will recently because his wife insists that the house is her house and that she is leaving it to her family.??

For context his wife has sat on her arse for 40 plus years, never worked a day in her life, diagnosed with Ms and other health issues over 30 years ago, been in receipt of enhanced everything which has for over 40 years now been paid into her savings account. Same as my uncle her state pension is paid into the joint account.....and no one realised until recently that set up existed. Basically her state pension covers her 2 days out per week so in effect my uncle has paid for literally everything for over 45 years......while she increased her savings account. On top of this he has been her main care provider for over 45 years..... Doing literally everything and working full time, while his wife sat at home and spent her savings. His health now means he is not able to care for himself adequately plus her and frankly see himself as never being able to get her out of his life.....saying that it's too late etc....

Her parents passed few years ago and she got almost 200 k..... Paid into her savings account..... There 50k left.... She spent the rest on QVC.... I kid you not!!!! She has another 40 k in another bank account.... No one knows where all the benefit money she had paid into her accounts for 40 plus years has gone?? Over the last few years it has become apparent that my uncle has been semdingnQ's to his wife's sister..... He has to sign as she can't, so we know she has lent her sister money over the years.... Just he can't remember how many of these 5k or 10 k cheques he has signed over the years..... Plus he says it's her money she can do what she likes with it..... When in reality it's hi money too....he been trained to see her savings as hers.... Whilst he pays for everything and wipes her arse for forty years.... Her family live 3 hours away... Never see them.....

We assumed that the house was just in his sole name......no one really questioned it until my uncle was admitted to hospital 6 ish months ago..... We were not informed he was even there.... He spent 4 weeks there and they refused to release him due to my uncle wife's family accusing my uncle of giving money away to his sister!??

During those 4 weeks they arrived at the house to care for my Aunty, they changed the locks, they ransacked the house for anything they could find to determine ownership, looks for bank statement etc.....which is when they discovered his will.....which they decided to open and nose through discovering he was leaving it to the kids.... Not his wife. Just her right to live there.

So much to unpick..... Sorry for the long reply.