Mother’s executor caught off guard by contract obligations
By Ry Clarke - Lethbridge Herald Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on January 21, 2023.
Herald photo by Ry Clarke
Kaylene Neufeld says she was caught off guard after her mother died in December and as executor was required to pay January rent at Seasons Retirement Community because she failed to serve 30 days notice.A Lethbridge resident is speaking out after experiencing a situation she feels more people need to be aware of.
On December 25, Kaylene Neufeld awoke to the news of her mother, Jennifer Neufeld, passing away in her retirement home at Seasons Retirement Community on Garry Drive West. After working tirelessly throughout the holiday season to remove all her possessions from the retirement home, Neufeld says she is being asked to pay for her mother’s January rent at the facility because she failed to serve them 30 days notice.
Now facing a bill for $1252.63, Neufeld says more people need to be made aware of this potential situation before being caught off guard.
“You are dealing with funeral cost, and all this other stuff that is a priority. Anything to do with government-related items takes time and it needs to be done. So when (Seasons) calls on top of that, it’s like are you kidding me right now?” said Neufeld, who is the executor of her mother’s estate. “It’s just one more thing that I have to stress about that I didn’t know about.”
Neufeld says she was never told about needing to serve notice, but Seasons told her it was in the agreement her mother signed, which she was not present for.
“As her executor I was calling every place to see if we owed anything or if there is anything more that I needed to sign off on and close things off,” said Neufeld. “I called Seasons and said, ‘hey, are there any outstanding owing’s or anything to clear up?’ On the phone the lady said, ‘I don’t think so but let me talk to the manager and I’ll get back to you’. I didn’t hear anything back that day, it took about around five days later. I got a call and they were expressing that because she didn’t give 30 days notice she had to pay that $1200 to them because we didn’t give a 30 day notice after her passing.”
Neufeld says she can understand if the home was still occupied by her possessions, however the space was cleared and vacated at the beginning of January.
“We were out of the apartment within three days after she passed, before the end of the month everything was out and done,” said Neufeld. “We were under the impression that everything had to be out before we got charged for January. But now we are still getting charged no matter what anyway.”
Grieving and seeking advice, Neufeld turned to Daniel Zopoula, a pastor at the Miz City Church, who advised her to come to the media and speak out about her concern.
“The sense of morality of this, it may be legal, it may make business sense, but especially after COVID when we have been so disconnected, it is troubling,” said Zopoula. “As a community in a time of grief, when we don’t come together, it is troubling. In southern Alberta we are all about family, and there is nothing loving and family about this. Especially for our seniors, we have an aging population, and perhaps some people know about this, but for some of us who are getting up there in age, it is helpful to know about it.”
Hoping to spread knowledge for others that may be unaware of these contractual obligations and procedures, Neufeld wants others to be aware of this information so they don’t get caught off guard.
“There is a lot, there is just a lot to do when being the executor. There is just so much to do at this time that you just go numb,” said Neufeld.
The Herald contacted Seasons Retirement Communities in regard to the story, however they declined comment about the issue.
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Who you leave behind costs a lot of money, and it can be a nightmare for family. Banks, attorneys, utilities, funeral costs, government death certificates, etc., and this serves as yet another reality and a wake-up call for everyone. If you don’t have guardianship or power of attorney, the government can get their money out of their bank account and their assets, which can cause problems that may never be solved easily.
Condolences!