deceased wife's mail

My dad is not the administrator of his wife of 12 years estate. He would like to open addressed to her and to both of them. Is he entitled to do this? It strikes me as funny that he cannot her mail -- especially when he paid all the bills.

I put this in the wrong thread and I don't know how to move it!

This is just a suggestion to have your father check with the administrator. Those letters might also contain bills to be paid by the estate (administrator) and there's always the chance one might not be paid on time or even lost. Personally, I see no problem as long as the administrator is aware and willing to go along with it (particularly if you live in a community property state), but again this is just an opinion. As always, I'd also suggest the arrangement be put into writing, to avoid any possible future complications. If for whatever reason, the administrator refuses, your father may want to confer with an attorney to petition the courts directly in order to at least review all correspondence either before the administrator or at the same time. (Just a suggestion. It all depends on your state's laws and possibly the terms of the will.) Again, an attorney can help with that one.

Hope this helps. Good luck.

A few relevant questions.

First, who told him he cannot open the mail?

Secondly, there is no reason he cannot open mail addressed to BOTH of them, or mail reading, "Mr. OR Mrs. John Smith".

Thirdly, is there a reason he wants to open the mail instead of giving it directly to the administrator? I know mail relevant to my deceased husbands estate comes addressed to "The Estate of---". But, obviously I open it all---but then again, I am the PR of his estate.

Fourthly, perhaps there is a reason she did NOT want him to be the executor of the estate---hence her wish that her affairs be handled by someone else for whatever reason unknown to us.

My first question remains. Who told him he could not open the mail addressed to her?