Duties and discretion of an executor

[samfarrell]

Is an executor duty bound to distribute the assets of a will in accordance with the terms of the will, or is there any leeway given?

For example, if the will states that a property is left equally to John and Mary, is the executor obliged to vest the asset in the joint names of John and Mary? Or, if John and Mary have already agreed between themselves that John would sell his share to Mary, it would be simpler to just vest title with Mary ?

 

[ClubMan]

Sounds very similar to this thread...

Executor discretion in distributing assets

A friend of mine is a beneficiary of a will. The will says that the children share the estate. There are three children. I don’t know what the value of the estate is, but it’s well over 1.5 million. There’s a holiday apartment that was valued at about 250k at the date of death. She wants it and...

www.askaboutmoney.com