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It’s now willed to his godson. My Mom is 82 and suffers from chronic illnesses. She has lived in this home for the past 40. Who is responsible for the care of the home such as roof repair, painting, etc? She seems to think that since she doesn’t own the home per se, she shouldn’t have to pay for major upkeep since the house is willed to the godson of her foster brother. The house is unkept and need of repairs. In fact, she should have never been a life tenant due to her age and medical condition. The godson had no idea of the condition of the property beforehand. He doesn’t know what it looks like now. The house should have been inspected. Who is responsible for this house? It’s a safety hazard, has mole, and mice infested, and filled with ‘stuff’. This is how my Mom chooses to live, because she “won’t do repairs on someone else’s home that she said was verbally agreed upon to be her home” by her late foster brother.

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So sorry you get to deal with your moms sound mind.

Sometimes you just have to wait for the crisis that forces change.

Good luck to you and God bless you for caring.
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Here is what I found for PA

"Typically, the life tenant is responsible for the upkeep, maintenance and taxes related to the property during the period he or she resides in the property. If the life tenant fails to properly care for the property or fails to pay the taxes, the remaindermen may have the power to force the life tenant to release his or her life interest. At that time, the remaindermen could either move into the property or sell the property as they desire."

Has the house been turned over to godson? Looks like he has the right to make her leave. But if I was him, I wouldn't except the inheritance.
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Skywriter Mar 2019
Thanks for your response. My Mom pays the taxes. Like I mentioned, she does nothing regarding upkeep. When she passes, the owners are going to be really pissed when they see the condition of their home. However, I think they should have inspected the house before they made her a life tenant. What is a 100 year old home suppose to look like? They have their heads in the sand, too!
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Some answers were written here: https://www.agingcare.com/questions/my-mom-doesnt-live-under-the-best-conditions-lives-in-an-older-home-needing-repairs-is-she-really-of-447000.htm?

I agree with worrriedinCali, your Mom is responsible for the upkeep of the house being she has "Life Estate".

I assume your Mom is not paying rent or mortgage on the house. She is living there rent free.

You may want to talk with an Elder Law Attorney to see how Life Estate is explained in her State.
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if your mom lives in the house, then she is responsible for the upkeep of the house as well as the taxes and insurance on it. Your mom was probably made well aware of that years ago when she received the life estate. She has been free to leave all these years if she didn’t want the responsibility of maintaining the home.
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Skywriter Mar 2019
That makes sense. She feels the house should have been hers since she grew up in it. She has argued with her sister-in-law (deceased co-owner) throughout the years that the house should be hers. Unfortunately, the Will did not reflect her desire for home ownership. Then, maybe, she would take interest in fixing the house. This is not going to end well for her estate. I don’t want any parts of it to be honest. Decisions that should have been made years ago, were not made. Assumptions and desires of her heart were omitted from the Will. She’s still having a stand off with the dead, and could care less about the godson that happened to get the house. In her mind, it’s their problem and not hers. She just needs a roof over her head for the time being. She’s not trying to move into a senior apartment or assisted living. She doesn’t want no one telling her what to do with her check. No one is going to tell her what a swig of gin actually looks like, and, no one is going to stop her from playing the lottery. Why? Because she’s of “sound mind”!
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