Find Senior Care (City or Zip)
Join Now Log In
A
Anna1234 Asked March 16, 2024

I am taking care of my dad’s house as he is in a nursing home. Can deny my sister access to the house?

For reasons I do not want to get in to right now, I don't want my sister in this house while I am here. I am POA. Can I keep her out until I leave?

Jada824 Mar 28, 2024
Has Your father told your sister that he doesn’t want her in the house?

How are you handling everything for your Dad including medical living 4 hours away?

Was your sister involved in your Dad’s life?

Something more is going on here causing the animosity between you & your sister.

A POA’s duty is to act in the client’s best interest.

CaringWifeAZ Mar 28, 2024
Why is she threatening to break in? Is there something in the house that she wants? Is she trying to live in the house? Or maybe she's just angry and wants to harass you.
If she does succeed in breaking into the house, call the police.
You could try getting a restraining order, based on her threats. Have security cameras for evidence if she does any harm, steals anything.

I would start by asking her what it is she wants so badly. If it is something you can give to her, you may find a peaceful resolution.

ADVERTISEMENT


BeddaJ Mar 22, 2024
Yes. You should have the locks changed and make it permanent.

Llamalover47 Mar 21, 2024
Anna1234: Perhaps your sister cannot gain entrance to the house as you stated below that you've changed the locks.

Geaton777 Mar 17, 2024
You posted more info in a reply:

"Power of attorney 
locks been changed
father only gave permission for me and my brother to have keys
we are only here until
house goes up for sale
she has threatened to break in"

"...she has threatened to break in..."

What is in the house that she wants so badly? Or is she opposed to having it sold? Or wants to live there?

If she contacts you again by phone record the conversation. Tell her you'll be putting up security cameras on the property (so inexpensive and easy nowadays, buy them on Amazon or get Ring). Tell her since she's made an actual threat that you will be asking the police to keep an extra eye out on the home (and in many smaller towns, they will gladly do this). You can also tell her that if she doesn't cease and desist in harassing you that you will file a restraining order against her.

You don't have to take her crap, but do it legally.

AlvaDeer Mar 17, 2024
You tell us below that your sister never lived in this house.
Therefore this is a simple one.
You live there while you wish as POA and to safeguard the home.
If your POA is written so that you can sell the house then do so, remembering that it must be sold for fair market value and all funds put into an account in YOUR FATHER'S NAME with you as his POA to handle checks, finances. This is Banking work you do with a bank officer, not a teller, and be certain this is a well written and legally done POA by an attorney; banks are very fussy about them.

As to sister and her threat to "break in" tell her to go for it; make your day. Get good security cameras; remove all valuables to safekeeping; report any breaking and entering and prosecute to the full authority of the law. Your sister has ZERO RIGHTS to break into her father's home given, as you tell us, it was NEVER her residence.
Anna1234 Mar 21, 2024
Yes we have live camera and starlink.
there is no need for her to come. She is a benificary on the will and that’s it. I am power of attorney
anonymous1784938 Mar 16, 2024
If she has legal rights to the house then you can’t legally keep her out, this will come back and bite you in the butt.

But consult an attorney if you don’t like my answer.
Anna1234 Mar 21, 2024
She has no legal rights to this house.
anonymous1784938 Mar 16, 2024
No

JoAnn29 Mar 16, 2024
You POA does not give you any rights if Dad is competent to make his own decisions. POA is a tool, not a power. There is immediate where as soon as Dad signed the paperwork it became effective. I feel though, that if Dad is competent, you really have no say. Moms was immediate and it gave me the ability to help her as she declined. First it was reconciling her checking acct because she forgot how to add. Then it was making out her checks then...taking over her bills altogether.

Then there is Springing which needs doctor's signature to say Dad is incompetent. Until then your POA is not in effect.

If your Dad is competent to make his own decisions, your POA gives you no right to keep your sister out of his house, change the locks ect. If your Dad has been found incompetent to make his own decisions, then ur POA is in effect and you then can change the locks and keep sister off the property.

Read your POA carefully.
Anna1234 Mar 21, 2024
I was made immediate power of attorney, enduring power of attorney and his personal agent making his medical decisions. I have been paying his bills and handling all financial matters on his behalf. She is a beneficiary on his will when he passes. Now she’s threatened to put a lien on his house. She owns no part of his house. She is not even second in line to be power of attorney if I am unable . That would pass to my brother then to a lawyer if he is unable .
AlvaDeer Mar 16, 2024
You say "I don't want my sister in this house while I am here".
I need first to ask if "this house" is your sister's residence. If so, it will be hard to get her out of it whether you are POA or not.

If your father is COMPETENT and has given your sister permission to be in the home, then no, you cannot forbid her being there. She may have, in fact, served as his caregiver before he went into the nursing home? You won't give us any facts, so we can't know what they are.


If, however, your father is no longer competent and you are ACTING POA for him you can forbid your sister and anyone else from being in the home AS LONG AS THEY ARE NOT LEGAL RESIDENTS of said home.

Do then consider good security for the empty house, reporting any ingress by ANYONE who isn't a resident of home to police. If sister continues to enter the home and it is NOT her residence, do consider a restraining order, as Geaton suggests.

If this is an empty house you may have more than Sister to worry over soon. There are times when insurance companies won't even insure an empty house.

You say that you are "taking care of the house" while father is in Nursing home. You then say your don't want sister in it "while I am here". Does this mean that YOU have taken up residence in the house? This is sounding like some sort of siblings issue on the face of it because you don't wish to give us any details. Difficult then to make a response, so we can but do our best. And again, this ALL depends upon WHO IS POA, whether this house was residence of your sister at the time Dad went into nursing home, and a multitude of other issues.
Anna1234 Mar 17, 2024
i am power if attorney and enduring power of attorney . My father has told me he does not want her in the house. My husband and I have been living in the house since he went to the hospital and then to the nursing home. . We have recharged the locks , have cameras inside and out . We have our own home four hours away . We will be leaving and selling the house soon in the meantime my sister who I am estranged to has threatened to break in. When we are back to our own home she can come in with my brother but while we are living here I do not want her in here .
LauraL271 Mar 16, 2024
You can call a locksmith and get him to re-key the locks. This is much cheaper than actually changing the locks.

The locksmith will also give you new keys, as many as you request.

The last time I had it done, he re-keyed 2 doors and I requested 4 new keys. It was about $95 in early 2022.

Fawnby Mar 16, 2024
What is PO?
You could change the locks. Do it yourself.
Anna1234 Mar 17, 2024
Power of attorney
locks been changed
father only gave permission for me and my brother to have keys
we are only here until
house goes up for sale
she has threatened to break in
Geaton777 Mar 16, 2024
If she's already in the house you may also want to check squatter's rights for your state.

If she's been living there and she's disabled, she might also have special state-specific protections.
Anna1234 Mar 16, 2024
No she does not live here .
Geaton777 Mar 16, 2024
If she doesn't live there then you can keep her out. If it's her legal residence you can't unless you terminate the a written lease (legally) or go through a legal eviction process.

ADVERTISEMENT

Ask a Question

Subscribe to
Our Newsletter